A-Jay's Annual Ice Out / Open Water Countdown Thread ~

[gim]

5 hours ago, A-Jay said:

rather than a permaloft gumby suit.

 

[MIbassyaker]

It's like mid-March here. Some lingering snow-piles, but most of it gone. Open water everywhere.  River is flooding.  High-40s expected by end of next week.

[casts_by_fly]

1 hour ago, MIbassyaker said:

It's like mid-March here. Some lingering snow-piles, but most of it gone. Open water everywhere.  River is flooding.  High-40s expected by end of next week.

I'd go with that too.  Its maybe not as warm as on a lot of mid march days, but we're mostly holding at or above freezing and everything is thawed.  I need to get out next week which means fresh line this weekend.

[12poundbass]

4 hours ago, MIbassyaker said:

It's like mid-March here. Some lingering snow-piles, but most of it gone. Open water everywhere.  River is flooding.  High-40s expected by end of next week.

The Grand River sure is high in GR and Ada. I have one lake down the road from me is about 30% open around the inlet.

[TnRiver46]

@12poundbassdriving by the river 

[DaubsNU1]

40 right now...high in the mid 50's. 

 

Still plenty of ice for the ice-fishermen.  

 

Sadness...

[A-Jay]

7 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

@12poundbassdriving by the river 

Out-Standing !

Love starting the morning off with a smile.

Thank You . . .

A-Jay

[A-Jay]

The Crazy continues ~

(used to be local weather pic here - but now, not so much)

A-Jay

[A-Jay]

59 Days ~

Quiet weather and mild temperatures are expected to continue for the next several days.

High temperatures for northern Michigan will continue to be well above normal for early February, along with partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies today through Monday.

At least my face doesn't hurt when I go out side.

(I know - It's killing you  🤪)

 

(used to be local weather pic here - but now, not so much)

 

"Tight Line Sunday" again.

Going with by-catch today.

This Fat-Back Pike catch ended with a clean release .

But she sure made a mess of me & my rig before she left. 

https://youtu.be/S_Owp6ZVN0U?feature=shared&t=1360

A-Jay

[12poundbass]

@A-Jay, since being here in Michigan, what’s the earliest you’ve have the Lund out? What’s the earliest you’d feel comfortable getting it out? 
 

I’ve seen a video or two of yours where you had the Old Town out when there was still ice on the water. I’m guessing that might be a possibility this year?

[A-Jay]

11 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

@A-Jay, since being here in Michigan, what’s the earliest you’ve have the Lund out? What’s the earliest you’d feel comfortable getting it out? 
 

I’ve seen a video or two of yours where you had the Old Town out when there was still ice on the water. I’m guessing that might be a possibility this year?

Yea - that was 16 Apr 2016.  Pretty wild day of brown bass.

It was also warm air & FLAT calm water.

I think the earliest open water I've seen was the last week of March a few years back.

IME, doesn't matter how early there's open water, the best fishing happens after water temps get over 40 degrees.

Some times that happen the first day of open water.

Other times it takes a week or so:

especially if we are still having a 'winter-like' weather pattern.

Which can come and go all spring and right into May.

I'll be ready either way. 

A-Jay

[MN Fisher]

35 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Quiet weather and mild temperatures are expected to continue for the next several days.

With the weather you're having, I'd almost expect some status reports on the state of ice on Menderchuck (any of them)

[Pogues2300]

Minnesota needs to open catch and release year round so I don’t need to buy a Wisconsin license every year for a few trips!

[A-Jay]

22 minutes ago, Pogues2300 said:

Minnesota needs to open catch and release year round so I don’t need to buy a Wisconsin license every year for a few trips!

 

First 8 years I lived up here, there was NO YEAR ROUND CIR.

So I would often have to wait SEVERAL Weeks after open water to bass fish.

Once that changed, it was on like Donkey Kong !

A-Jay 

 

The Michigan Natural Resources Commission voted Thursday, April 9, 2015 to approve Fisheries Order 215.15 making catch-and-immediate-release (CIR) bass fishing legal year-round in Michigan effective immediately.

The regular bass seasons do not change so there is no new bass tournament opportunity, only catch and release. But there is no longer a statewide closed bass season. You can fish for bass legally every day of the year now.

You can’t keep bass during the January 1 to regular bass openers. You must release any smallmouth or largemouth bass you catch immediately.

For most of Michigan, the possession season – regular opener (keeping bass, bass tournaments with catch-and-delayed-release [CDR]) – is the Saturday before Memorial Day until December 31. The Lake St. Clair, St. Clair River and Detroit River north of the southern tip of Celeron Island do not open for possession until the 3rd Saturday in June until December 31st. This later opener is a social delay not scientific according to MDNR bass studies. The Beaver Island Archipelago possession season runs July 1 until December 31st. From January 1 until these openers you can practice CIR bass fishing.

[gim]

2 hours ago, Pogues2300 said:

Minnesota needs to open catch and release year round so I don’t need to buy a Wisconsin license every year for a few trips!

I believe this is coming. The first step is done. The DNR conducted a study showing that there is no positive to having a completely closed season for bass. The second step is public comment, which just ended last year. I believe that by spring 2026 there will not be a closed season for bass here in MN.

 

The only reason it was ever closed in the first place was to protect the sacred walleye. They don’t want people catching walleyes while bass fishing.

 

If they wanted to protect bass while they spawn, they would implement a mandatory catch and release period during that time frame. Which is about mid May to mid June here.

 

A few years after Michigan allowed it, Wisconsin followed suit.

[A-Jay]

35 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I believe this is coming. The first step is done. The DNR conducted a study showing that there is no positive to having a completely closed season for bass. The second step is public comment, which just ended last year. I believe that by spring 2026 there will not be a closed season for bass here in MN.

 

The only reason it was ever closed in the first place was to protect the sacred walleye. They don’t want people catching walleyes while bass fishing.

 

If they wanted to protect bass while they spawn, they would implement a mandatory catch and release period during that time frame. Which is about mid May to mid June here.

 

A few years after Michigan allowed it, Wisconsin followed suit.

In preparation of said potential CIR seaon, 

I highly enourage any and all enterprising and perhaps trophy brown bass hunters, to do some extensive prefishing now.  So once the season opens and there's open water, you'll not need to waste valuable fishing time "looking" for potential early season fish holding areas.  Because IME, they might not be where you would expect.  Most of the super early season Menderchuck Magic happens shallow,  near wood, on emergent weed growth and dark botton areas. Might look different in the fall than in the spring, but the secret sauce is Less is more and look for 40 - 45 degree water.  You can thank me later.

Oh btw. Don't get your arm broke.

A-Jay

[casts_by_fly]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

In preparation of said potential CIR seaon, 

I highly enourage any and all enterprising and perhaps trophy brown bass hunters, to do some extensive prefishing now.  So once the season opens and there's open water, you'll not need to waste valuable fishing time "looking" for potential early season fish holding areas.  Because IME, they might not be where you would expect.  Most of the super early season Menderchuck Magic happens shallow,  near wood, on emergent weed growth and dark botton areas. Might look different in the fall than in the spring, but the secret sauce is Less is more and look for 40 - 45 degree water.  You can thank me later.

Oh btw. Don't get your arm broke.

A-Jay

I will be testing this plan either Tuesday or Wednesday this week. We iced out a week ago or so but I couldn’t get out. This week I have one or two afternoons open and am going to enjoy some sunshine. I’ve got the place picked and the rods rigged. I’ll be sure to share pictures of 3+# fish here as they come to hand. 
 

[A-Jay]

It happens at some point just about every spring.

Some years it's earlier than others.

Can't really say what causes the timing exactly but I know when it happens.

This wackier than normal warm winter might have something to do with it.

Either way ~ I am so tired of reading & writing about bass fishing !

Just need get out on the water already . . . . . Man !

 

55 Days to go.

Hope I make it . . . . . .

A-Jay

[A-Jay]

54 days and Things are looking up ! 

A-Jay

[A-Jay]

52 Days now ~

Temperatures over the next several days will be closer to normal compared to where we have been recently. There will be chances for flurries/snow showers each day.

 

And it's "Tight Line Sunday".

Going with a sweet spinnerbait bass .

This one comes from the 'private collection'.

Fish Hard

A-Jay

 

[Susky River Rat]

I know this isn’t your caliber of small jaw but, I for the first few of 2024

[A-Jay]

46 minutes ago, Susky River Rat said:

I know this isn’t your caliber of small jaw but, I for the first few of 2024

Nice Smallie ~

And it's certainly bigger than any I got today

Congrats

A-Jay

[A-Jay]

 After yanking the Berkley & Rapala branded jerkbaits off of the boat and out of the regular rotation, I’m left with Strike King, Lucky Craft, Smithwick and Megabass offerings. 

And I’m good with that, because they produce.

However, this minor bait reduction left a couple of small voids in my arsenal.  

Specifically in the ‘smaller’ size range.

So I did a little poking around and results are listed and pictured below.

Additions are underlined.

From the top row down . . .

(and mostly for size reference)

Row 1 ~ Vision 110 R +1

Row 2 ~ Vision 110 +1

Rows 3 (new colors), 4 & 5 ~ Vision 110

Row 6 ~ Vision 110 Silent

Row 7 ~ Vision 110 +1 Jr

Row 8 ~ X-Nanahan +2

Row 9 ~ X-Nanahan +1 Jerkbait

 

 

So let’s see how this deal goes . . .

51 Days ~

A-Jay

[Deephaven]

54 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

 After yanking the Berkley & Rapala branded jerkbaits off of the boat and out of the regular rotation

Berkley / Rapala do something business wise you don't like that I missed...or were they just not producing as well?  I love jerkbait fishing...

[A-Jay]

11 minutes ago, Deephaven said:

Berkley / Rapala do something business wise you don't like that I missed...or were they just not producing as well?  I love jerkbait fishing...

Been doing well with other baits and have never really been able to build any confidence in them.

Much of that might be from lack of fishing them.

Either way, if I'm not ever throwing them, don't need to take them for boat rides.

I don't get wrapped up in business stuff that much.

A-Jay