This winter has been challenging for sure with warmer than normal temperatures all along the ice belt. We had some early ice at the beginning of December and our first excursion with friends was on the 8th of that month. However, we had a severe storm roll in right before Christmas that brought warm temperatures, a lot of rain and wind that damaged a lot of property and took out power to thousands. We have been stuck in that pattern for a couple weeks, but it looks like winter is returning in force with a stretch of over a week where the daytime highs will not get over freezing and nighttime temperatures dropping into the single digits. Right where we need to be to begin our season!

We made a significant investment in our ice fishing equipment with the Garmin Livescope, which is a forward facing sonar that allows you to scan around you to locate fish. Some say that this is akin to cheating, but as a guide we should always utilize the top of the line equipment to make the odds in our favor to give our clients the best experience possible. For example last year we were fishing for brook trout with moderate success following age old fishing experience and techniques. My friend had a Garmin Livescope and what we observed on this day was the brook trout were cruising at a very specific depth that was not normal, but when we adjusted our baits our catch rates went up significantly. Now this unit is not just for ice fishing as we can use this on my boat to chase panfish and be more successful.

As with last year I will be using my Ooni pizza oven on the ice for shore lunches. Last year was my first year doing this and I wasn’t totally sure how it would go so I did not advertise it as much as I should have. It went really smoothly and the clients loved it. More importantly I love using the oven at home as I am obsessed with pizza personally. The process was incredibly smooth even though there were many who said it couldn’t be done. All I do is cold proof the dough the night before in the refrigerator in the proofing containters and at least an hour before cooking I make sure they are in the insulated tent near the Mr. Buddy heater. These tents get very warm and it was perfect for making pizzas. Of course we cook these pizzas outside as you should never cook inside with a pizza oven.

I will be updating conditions over the next couple weeks as we will be venturing out daily not just for ice checks, but to fish and to garner excitment for a season that has teased us so far. Follow along on our social media accounts, which there are links to on the bottom right of my website. Come join us for your day on the ice!