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Spearing?

brock ratcliff

brock ratcliff

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My bride and I take the kids to N. MI every summer. We love it up there and have talked about buying a place there when the kids are out of school. In the winter, there are an awful lot of snowmobilers that flood the area, and ice fishing is mighty popular too. Black Lake has one of the few sturgeon seasons, they spear them through the ice. Pike and musky are caught the same way. I've never done any fish spearing, not even sure if it's legal in Ohio for anything but rough fish, but via Youtube, it looks like a boat load of fun! Anyone here ever done it?
 
brock ratcliff said:
My bride and I take the kids to N. MI every summer. We love it up there and have talked about buying a place there when the kids are out of school. In the winter, there are an awful lot of snowmobilers that flood the area, and ice fishing is mighty popular too. Black Lake has one of the few sturgeon seasons, they spear them through the ice. Pike and musky are caught the same way. I've never done any fish spearing, not even sure if it's legal in Ohio for anything but rough fish, but via Youtube, it looks like a boat load of fun! Anyone here ever done it?
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I visited a customer once in Appleton WI. They were gearing up for the annual sturgeon spearing week. You would have thought the president was coming to town as much coverage as it got. The local paper, tv news, and personal conversations was all about it. I've watched it on YouTube and it's pretty dang neat. They're certainly in to it.
 
It's nuts, really. From what I've been told there will be hundreds that show up to participate. They close the season as soon as the 5th sturgeon is speared! Those things are awesome, btw. Every morning, when the lake is flat as glass, they jump. It sounds like a body going off a bridge when they hit the water. I had one jump about 30 feet in front of my boat last year as I trolled for walleye. That was cool as it was probably 6 ft long.

I think winter would pass much quicker if I could spend a good portion of it fishing through the ice and tooling around on snowmobiles. I showed the kids a property online the other day and told 'em we were moving in March. Mason is ready, Madison not so much. :) I wish we were actually ready to move up there... tons of turkey, bear, elk, and deer. Did I mention the fishing?????
 
It's nuts, really. From what I've been told there will be hundreds that show up to participate. They close the season as soon as the 5th sturgeon is speared! Those things are awesome, btw. Every morning, when the lake is flat as glass, they jump. It sounds like a body going off a bridge when they hit the water. I had one jump about 30 feet in front of my boat last year as I trolled for walleye. That was cool as it was probably 6 ft long.

I think winter would pass much quicker if I could spend a good portion of it fishing through the ice and tooling around on snowmobiles. I showed the kids a property online the other day and told 'em we were moving in March. Mason is ready, Madison not so much. :) I wish we were actually ready to move up there... tons of turkey, bear, elk, and deer. Did I mention the fishing?????
 
If you can look past all the wolverine fans, the state is pretty to drive thru (in it's own way.) I am more a fan of the mountains but the sand and pine trees is unique for what I am used to seeing. Been a good 15yrs since I have been up to Grayling but at that time the deer numbers were ridiculous!
 
I've never done it but used to know a few that did. You can actually spear for perch up here as well and the season recently came in. I guess it helps take that frustration away when you have some jumbo's come in and just look at your lure before leaving LOL. Been in a few pike spearing shacks years ago up on Munuscong Bay in the UP and was shocked to see a 3 ft. X 5 ft. hole cut in the ice. Was like looking at a big screen TV and when the shack is closed you can see everything on the bottom.
 
Never done it but would love TOO!!! Watch a few shows on it and black lake was the lake they were on. Lot of history in that area of michigan. UAW has a lot of property with a lodge on black lake. The spears that are used have been through a few generations and are family heirlooms!!! Same as the fish decoys that they use. I think it would be a blast. Good luck on getting a place up there. The hunting and fishing is awesome!!!
 
My wife's uncle has speared some monster pike up in MI. I've never done it but it looks like a blast.
 
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