when i was a kid, we'd snag suckers in a creek.  they were loco and a lot of fun.  heard early in the spring that the meat is excellent.  someday.....

For the sake of preventing the result(s) from a 'woman scorn' and, at the direction of the better half  I decided to, "get out of the house!".  I took a little journey and visited a few nearby lakes to see what I could see.  After learning the thickness of the snow pack and ice covering the lake(s) I have come to the following conclusion.  Open water fishing 'might' be, available sometime around the first week of April, 2016.
 
Disclaimer: Future temperatures, snowfall and, effects of "climate change" may require adjusting to a later date.
 
I'm thinking Spring......................  really bad!

Porktown
I've caught more pike fishing for bluegills (perch & crappie), than I have targeting them.  At least at Arthur.  I don't find targeting them boring, more frustrating.  Casting 100 times = 98 times of cleaning the weeds off of the lure or leader, and possibly one pike.  Casting 100 times for pan fish, and usually end up with 30-90 bites, 10-40 keeper sized pan fish, 10-40 smaller fish and possibly one pike.  They're seasons seem to overlap, so too tempting to catch the pan fish for me.  I'm sure if I could just keep casting away, it would pay off, like the night bite.  But going on 2 months without any fish left in the freezer, I am usually hunting for a meal early in the year.  I would much rather take home 10 pan fish than nothing.  Although, one nice pike is about the same meat and 1/4 the cleaning.  Getting sick of grocery store fish.
 

Been fishing Arthur for 3 years now and never caught a pike lol... I did have something very big blow up on a spinner 2 years ago on Fathers Day. I never seen it but assume it had to have been a ski... Felt real heavy before it broke off.
 
You guys fish from shore or from boat for these critters? Would like to maybe try this year if I don't start hitting up areas around french creek. 
 
Speaking of French Creek.. any locals here that know what the ice conditions are like? 

50 degrees today, and about 20-30 robins in my back yard plucking out worms.  Might need to do some worm plucking myself.  Definitely need to do some doggy donut plucking first.  About 2 months worth...  Saw a fox yesterday, and a few flocks of geese.  A bunch of birds in the sky, doing their migrations.  Looking forward to some plants budding and adding some green.  Not much left on my arborvitaes after this last snow.  Dang deer started messing with them in January, I sprayed with an interwebs concoction of vinegar, dish soap, cayenne pepper, garlic and old milk.  Seemed to work great, thinking maybe lose one tree, then forgot to reapply.  I'll be lucky to salvage half of the 15 that I have.  My next door neighbor is a Mt. Lebo cop, I'll see if he has any connections...  

Robins plucking worms from the grass????????? 
 
Heck I still got snow knee deep to a, 'professional basketball player'.  Can't imagine what the neighbors up north still have on the ground!
 
Did hear some geese on the beaver pond this morning but, I'm thinkin' their the resident birds I've been seeing this winter.
 
All the snow has melted on the side of my roof facing West while the East side still looking like a ski slope.
 
Speaking of, "picking up dog logs and puttin' em in a bucket" (might be a song in there) with  a Weimaraner and Short Hair Pointer  running around, I can't wait.
 
I am thinking Spring.....................  may never get here! 
 
Note: The "storing of a ice chipper, snow shovel and, brush" mentioned on another board can be considered delusional and, should be ignored.
 
 

it's coming, btdt.  saturday we saw more pairing of geese.  i haven't sucker fished since the late 60s but i'm half-tempted to greet this spring with a veiled attempt.  i just want to sit by open water and listen.   a couple of rods in y-sticks will add to the visual.  (not sure where to buy y-sticks these days...lol).  shoot, even our cats are sitting atop furniture in the sun windows.

Rap I got some wye sticks I'll sell ya at a really good price, there adjustable too. (whittling knife, not included (LOL))
 
Fishing for suckers (Red Tail) in the spring at Flat Rock, on French Creek off of 322, West of Franklin in the sixties............ What a time to remember.  And the wye sticks, well, each angler had their own style.  Heck you could tell who was there afore ye just by looking at the sticks in the ground.  Didn't dare disturb that stick either, that guy was coming back!
 
Read the other day, somebody using crab tails for sucker and carp and I mean to tell ya that brought back memories.  Never was, never will be a better bait........ 'cept my doughballs.  (and I still got that recipe (trade secrete))
 
People keep talkin' about spring and the fishin' I'm gonna tow my boat to a launch, push it off the trailer and sit in it, til the ice melts.  

lol

Not sure what kind of Sucker this is but it's a good one. Actually Spring Bass fishing with my son and this one smacked a minnow. Red Horse Sucker ?

 

Red Horse suckers have no barbels, a concaved dorsal fin, a notched caudal fin and, given this fish was caught in the Eastern half of the U.S. in the spring.  My guess will be............................ Golden Redhorse.  But, I think I see barbels????
 
Regardless, would have been a great fight landing that fish.