MUSKEGON, MI – While most of West Michigan is cursing this winter's weather, ice fishermen in Muskegon have a brighter outlook.
"Don't like the snow, but I like the snow," said Twin Lake resident Russell Homrich, who likes to fish on Muskegon Lake.
The perfect storms
This season's reliably cold weather means that the ice pack on Muskegon Lake is reportedly as much as three feet thick in some places. The ice fishing season has already extended from just a couple of weeks to a few months – and it's not over yet. A brief thaw is forecast for this week, but likely won't be enough to melt more than two feet of ice on Muskegon Lake.
Northwest of an often-falling belt of snow, Muskegon Lake has less snow piled on it than some other lakes in West Michigan, too, said Shoreline Service Bait and Tackle Owner and Operator Bill Funk.
That makes it easier to hike around or use vehicles on the frozen body of water.
"The south of us got a lot of snow," Funk said. "There's other lakes that are knee-deep to waist-deep, and you can't fish in that deep of snow."
It all adds up to a lot better ice fishing conditions than Muskegon Lake has had for several years.
Rich O'Neal, Michigan Department of Natural Resources' Muskegon County-based fisheries biologist, said that it's not necessarily uncommon – previous years have been mild.
"It's more common to the winters we used to have," he said.
Playing in the snow
The optimal weather and drawn-out season mean more and more Muskegon residents are hitting the ice.
"You can either cry about the ice and snow or you can go out and play with it," Funk said.
On a recent weekend, dozens of ice-fishing shacks dotted Muskegon Lake.
"All the (public access) parking lots are full, definitely on Saturday, Sunday," said Great Lakes Guide Service owner Kyle Buck.
O'Neal said that the longer ice fishing season isn't expected to impact the fishery, since Muskegon residents usually make up for a weak winter by fishing earlier in the spring or later in the fall.
"They're either fishing on the ice, or they're fishing on their boats," he said.
The biggest draw is perch, although some are targeting Northern Pike -- or, for some like Homrich, Walleye.
Homrich is pretty serious about his sport. He uses a GPS application on his smartphone so he can drill down through the ice at precisely the right spot, over a lake bed drop-off or a ledge.
"You watch yourself walk around the lake," he said. "If you're not at that right spot, at that right depth, you're not going to get them."
This year, he's been able to fish corners of the lake previously inaccessible – like the Second Street access on the lake's north side.
"It's been at least 3-4 years since I felt safe going out there," Homrich said.
Previous years, he was restricted to just a couple of weeks of ice fishing. This year, the quick cold snap and reliably cold weather since have meant he lost little time fishing.
"This year, you've been able to go fishing the whole year, almost," he said.
Homrich has made it out for most of the winter so far, he said. One or two fish a day is a good outing, he said. One day, he caught his limit – five fish.
That might not seem like a big accomplishment for a day, but Homrich said it's mostly about getting into the outdoors, under the cold, blue sky.
"That's what I live for, is ice fishing," Homrich said.