March, my favorite month of the year, is just around the corner and soon the days will become noticeably longer. Winter is far from over but the earth-warming month ahead of us should begin to make the outdoors a little more enjoyable.
The blizzard that hit Cook County last Sunday left many roads and driveways impassable with high winds creating major drifts that filled in driveways and sidewalks.
I have broken more shovels this year while throwing snow than the past 10 years combined, and the snow blower in many cases has been just as useful as a plow truck. It might be July before the snow finally melts, but I predict the lakes are going to go fast.
Anglers have been reporting anywhere from 18-24 inches of ice on many of the inland lakes, which is less ice than we normally have by this time of the season.
The heavy snow coverage has insulated the ice, hindering it from growing deep during the bone-chilling month of January, which means it will not take as long to melt. It could also mean a high-water spring, with the extra runoff to feed the lakes, and ideal conditions for good walleye spawn in May.
Lake Superior has been making enough ice to allow ice anglers to fish the harbor area on top of 12 to 18 inches of ice, depending on where you drill a hole. Some local anglers reported fishing closer to the Canadian border near Pigeon River, and they are catching good numbers of lake trout with an occasional herring.
Lake Superior ice is very inconsistent and constantly changing, sometimes by the hour, so take extra caution when traveling across the ice and choosing an area to fish. I have always wanted to fish the crystal-clear waters of Lake Superior in the winter, and this year it sounds like I can.
Leave a Reply