If there is anyone happy about the sub-arctic temperatures we have recently had here in western New York, it’s the ice fisherman. Skiers like the snow, but they aren’t wild about the single-digit temperatures. The hard water anglers are loving it.
They were able to get on the ice much earlier than most years and I have been hearing about some good ice fishing taking place around our area already. To get the lowdown on where fish are being caught, I contacted our local perch expert … the “perch punisher” himself, Jim Miller. Miller was reluctant to speak to us this time, saying that his fellow perch-aholics were ready to lynch him the last time he spoke to us because he gave away their secret spring perch hot spots. He confessed, “If I give up their good ice fishing spots they will come to my house and horsewhip me … with a real horse.” I replied, “What if we blur out your face and use a voice harmonizer so anyone reading this won’t be able to recognize you?” He thought hard for a few seconds and then said, “Sure that will work.” Miller then proceeded to spill his guts.
“We have some great ice fishing going on as we speak. The ponds in Greece, in particular Long and Cranberry Ponds along with Braddock Bay, are producing good catches of nice perch. About half way down the east side of Cranberry is your best bet right now for perch and the tip-up fishermen are catching some hammer-handled-size pike and even a few walleyes are being caught while jigging for perch in that area as well.
“You will see a group of ice fishing tents about one hundred yards offshore, straight out from the houses … start there. Don’t get too close to these guys because they are very protective of their area. Aggressive fishermen who have augured their holes too close to these dudes have been known to disappear. And whatever you do, don’t mention the perch punisher.
“When fishing Cranberry Pond, the biggest problem is finding a place to park. The tiny parking lot on the north-west corner is only big enough to hold two Volkswagen beetles and a Mini Cooper, and you can’t park along Edgemere Drive along Cranberry like you can on Edgemere along Long Pond. Why these two ponds, right next to each other, have different parking rules … I have no idea. If all else fails, park on Edgemere Drive down by Long Pond and walk back to Cranberry.
“Stew’s Grocery & Deli on 18 East Manitou Road has a great selection of bait including four types of minnows along with spikes, wax worms and mousies. They also have a good selection of ice fishing tackle. Stew’s is fantastic because you can buy bait early. They open at 6 a.m., seven days a week. Sal, the owner, can tell you where the best bite is taking place.
“The ice on these ponds should be plenty safe with the cold we’ve had, but I don’t take any chances anymore. I fell through the ice on Conesus Lake some thirty years ago and it still makes my teeth chatter just to think about it. I was fishing with my buddy Scott Ballard; we’d had a decent day catching perch and were walking back to the car when we simultaneously fell through a thin spot that was covered in snow. Scott was able to pull himself up onto the ice but I could not, the ice kept breaking around me as I tried. Once Ballard got out, he then had the good sense to lay out flat on the ice to evenly distribute his weight on the thin ice. He then reached out and grabbed the ice auger I was still hanging onto and was then able to slowly pull me out. The temperature was in the teens and I started to freeze up right away. I just started running for the car which was a couple hundred yards away and even dropped my bucket of perch as I sprinted for the vehicle. Anyone who knows me will tell you that dropping a bucket with perch in it is worse than dropping my wallet. I made it to the car just as my snowmobile suit froze stiff. I striped off the frozen suit, stood it next to the car and cranked the heat onto high. The panic soon left me and I was no worse for wear other than dropping those perch … that I will never get over.
“This experience did teach me a hard lesson, not to wander off the beaten path when walking on early ice.
“There is a decent web-site out there for ice fishing info, check out iceshanty.com and look for the New York State threads. There is often some helpful info there that can help you catch fish.
“I am not ice fishing as much as I’d like to anymore because my collision business in Greece has been so busy (Five Guys Collision). I need to retire because my freezer has zero perch fillets in it now and that is unacceptable.”
I thanked the “Punisher” for risking his life by divulging his hot spots. He made me promise that if his disguise is compromised and something happens to him after this column, I would take care of his little foo-foo Shih Tzu dog, So So. I said “Why of course I would.” Lollypop Farm here I come.
With the perch population getting healthier in Lake Ontario, the ice fishing in the bays and ponds off the lake will just keep getting better and better. And with all the new ice fishing tents and heaters out there now, you can be almost as warm as you are in your living room.
I’m tempted to get into it myself. Then I think clearly again.
