FINALLY, THE ICE IS RIGHT
Anglers are fired up to get going, and innovations are always a part of the scene
For those thinking ice anglers are old guys sitting on upside-down 5-gallon buckets, realize that innovations come quickly in ice fishing.
Welcome to ice fishing 2024 around Chicago. Despite days of high winds, ice fishing finally arrived in some spots and will in most spots this week.
This year, ice fishing was a good month behind usual. Greg Dickson, proprietor of Triangle Sports and Marine in Antioch, spoke for many when he said, “We are geared up. We are fricking ready.”
Just as Ken “Husker” O’Malley spoke for a special group when he posted Sunday, “Checking ice conditions in feel-like temps of -31. I’m lovin’ it!!”
Ready or not, use caution, as always. Even with the brutal recent cold, some late ice spots are behind. Jack Krupka of Jack & Lydia’s Resort said Deep Lake, traditionally a late spot to freeze, was still wide open Saturday.
The big ice-fishing area near Chicago is around the Fox Chain O’Lakes, but the issue is public access (see the side box for help). An indication of that draw is places such as Musky Tales on Channel Lake and The Boatyard on Lake Marie offering 24-hour access.
There are innovations, some of them quite inventive. Take the shuttle that staff at Lily Bug Acres, off Grass Lake Road on the channel between Bluff and Spring lakes, is considering if the ice thickens enough. They would hook up to an old boat and pull it around as a shuttle.
The Boatyard offers a hot medium-sized pizza in about three minutes from a PizzaForno vending machine 24/7.
At Triangle, Dickson said, “I finally found a tip-down I really like in Innovative TipDown and added it this year.”
Up until this one, he only saw tip-downs that guys could copy and improvise in their shops.
“You can’t duplicate this [strong word], and it stows really nicely,” he said.
Triangle also makes its own linear ice rod.
“This year our theme is Patriot: white rods with blue and red,” he said.
More proof of the rapid coming of ice fishing came from Wet N Wild Outfitters (wetnwildoutfitters.com), which started rentals and guided trips on Tuesday across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.
Wild things
Sandhill cranes were moving before and after the storm, according to friends and readers, especially in the west and north suburbs.
♦ Multiple readers reported sundogs on Sunday. I was not so lucky. Sundogs are even cooler than rainbows.
♦ Retired naturalist Carl Strang’s annually updated “Singing Insects of the Chicago Region” is out. “Most of the new information reflects what I learned from some of the small meadow katydids [Conocephalus spp.],” he emailed. For a copy, something I would advise for teachers, scout leaders and insect enthusiasts, email wildlifer@aol.com.
Stray cast
I don’t know which is worse, anglers leaving their blue bait containers behind or people who can’t figure out the difference between a large and small cart at the return.