01/07/2007

Lack of ice worries anglers

Black Lake sturgeon season in jeopardy?

BY SHERI McWHIRTER

sherimcwhirter@hotmail.com

Record-Eagle/Sheri McWhirter
Matt Felts of Cheboygan owns a bait and tackle shop next to Black Lake, which remains without any ice and, therefore, without anglers. “I haven’t even had a knock on the door,” he said.

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CHEBOYGAN — Doug Wilson is itching for ice.

His fishing shanty is ready to go, but like many ice-fishermen across the region, he's been watching ripples form across lake surfaces instead of an ice sheet.

"Usually by this time we're out there getting walleyes and spearing pike. I'd be out there right now,” Wilson said.

Unseasonably warm temperatures in recent weeks mean northern Michigan's lakes aren't ready for ice-fishing. They may not be anytime soon.

"I don't think we're going to have any ice,” said Matt Felts, who owns Black Lake Bait and Tackle in Cheboygan County.

Felts and Wilson, both from the Cheboygan area, agreed their primary concern is whether the state's special Black Lake sturgeon spearing season will be able to begin Feb. 3, as scheduled. A lot of fishermen are waiting for and worrying about ice, they said.

"I've never heard of no sturgeon spearing because of no ice. We're worried, everybody is,” said Ellie Wilson, Doug's wife and a board member of the local Sturgeon For Tomorrow group.

Felts said the sturgeon season is probably a bust this year and he decided he won't even open his bait and tackle shop, choosing instead to take the year off to renovate the store.

"What I miss are the stories. With no fishermen around, there's no stories to hear,” Felts said.

State officials are moving ahead with a special lottery to select which anglers get a license to spear sturgeon. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 12, and the drawing will be Jan. 13 at Chateau North in Cheboygan.

Twenty-five anglers per day will have a chance to spear a sturgeon through Feb. 11, or until five fish are taken and the season automatically ends.

But that's only if enough solid ice forms in time, said Tim Cwalinski, a fisheries biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources.

Cwalinski said he expects to hear a lot of questions from anglers about ice conditions at the lottery drawing next week, but state officials cannot change the season dates.

"That's like saying we're moving the deer season because it's a really ugly year,” he said. "Besides, we can get eight inches of ice pretty quick if we just get some cold nights.”