One of the most popular states in the nation for ice fishing is Michigan. In north central Michigan—south of Grayling and west of Roscommon—lies Higgins Lake, an excellent ice fishing destination.

Houghton Lake just to the south is also a popular spot for ice fishing, but even as close together as they are, Higgins Lake and Houghton Lake differ significantly. Houghton Lake is much shallower and so can support warmer water fish. The 130 foot deep Higgins Lake is home to colder water fish who can handle its frigid depths.

The 9,600 acre Higgins Lake contains yellow perch, lake trout, rainbow trout, and brown trout. It’s not unusual to see over a hundred ice shanties on Higgins Lake on a winter weekend.

Yellow perch are found most often near the north and south shore, and around the sunken islands in the lake. Anglers have success with spikes, wax worms, minnows, and wigglers. Most of the perch caught are in the range of 8 to 10 inches, so not very large. They are very abundant, though, and it’s common for ice fishermen to reach the 50 perch limit.

Lake trout are most often found in the deeper portions of the lake, from 70 feet to the full 130 feet. They tend to be caught in the shallower end of that range early in the day, and deeper as it gets later. Smelt, blue shiners, and gray shiners can be effective for catching lake trout. They typically run 4 to 8 pounds, but you can certainly catch some over 10 and even over 20 pounds.

The rainbow trout and brown trout are usually found in shallower water than the lake trout. You’re likeliest to catch them in the first 20 feet of water. Try light lines, bobbers, wigglers, spawn or minnows.

Because Higgins Lake is as deep as it is, it tends to freeze later in the season than many other popular ice fishing destinations. Most years the ice fishing on Higgins Lake doesn’t get going until mid to late January.

Proceed with caution if there’s any uncertainty that the lake is frozen sufficiently to be safe, and remember that the ice near the shoreline tends to be the thinnest. Test the ice every few yards by poking a hole in it, so you have a sense of how thick the ice is and where.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6239006/top_us_locations_for_ice_fishing_higgins.html?cat=16

http://www.icefishinglakemanitobanarrows.com/

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Waxworms, larvae of the greater wax moth make excellent ice fishing baits. Pollen and honey as well as many years’ accumulations of larval skins. The old brood combs that have been exposed to wax moths can be placed in a widemouth fruit jar, covered with fine mesh wire screen (40 to 60 mesh) and held at average room temperature (70 to 75 degrees F.) The period of time required for development of waxworms varies somewhat, but the larval period averages close to a month. The larvae feed at first on the comb itself and are first detected by their gradual assemblage in a mass of webbing from which tunnels of web material extend through the remainder of the comb. As the tunnels are built, wax is consumed and the comb finally weakened and destroyed.

Fishermen who know the waxworm prefer full grown larvae, just ready to spin cocoons may be five days or less. Development of the waxworm after it is in the cocoon may be delayed for a week or longer if the cocoons are placed in a refrigerator at 40 degrees F. When waxworm production is completed, the old bee comb should be carefully destroyed by burning to rule out any possibility of spreading diseases that affect honeybees.

Great quantities of waxworms are sometimes produced quite by accident. A few years ago an OSU graduate student of my acquaintance, who was also a beekeeper, stored his annual crop of honey, still in the combs, in the basement of the house where he roomed. Unfortunately, heat from the nearby furnace provided optimum conditions for development of waxworms and the basement soon became infested with all stages of the greater wax moth. For some reason, the landlady took a negative attitude toward wax moths in her basement and the student was given only a few days to remove the honey, the wax moths and himself from the premises.

Ice fishing is a marvelous winter sport regardless of how seriously one takes it up. When the fish are hitting, almost everyone makes good catches, expert and novice alike. Another interesting thing is that the success rate of most fishermen improves as the season progresses and is ordinarily far better during late winter than in the early part. It has been conjectured that fat stored during the fall may be reduced by the latter part of winter so that the fish become more interested in taking food. Fish that are taken through the ice are almost always in prime condition for table purposes. Furthermore, the removal of large numbers of bluegills from ponds and lakes is highly desirable from the management standpoint since it helps maintain a proper equilibrium between bass and bluegills. But probably the best thing of all about ice fishing is that it helps abate the winter form of a human affliction known as fishing fever.

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