Sugarloaf Ice 2.3.08

Finally some safe in the SW Mi area! Headed to Sugarloaf Lake, when I parked the truck I spoke with another fisherman who had been fishing in the general area I was headed. He fished all morning and reported a poor bite. I grabbed my gear regardless and walked to my hotspot on the far end of the lake. I had the lake to myself for a change...Sugarloaf gets hit pretty hard in the winter due to the easy access.

Found some fish in 25FOW, and they were definately off the bite. Moved shallow and quickly caught a 14" Largemouth. Not a bad fish on the ice rod! Moved back to 20FOW and put 2 decent gills on the ice. There was another fish on my my Vex so I dropped down to him and immediately hooked up...but this was no bluegill. The fish started ripping drag as I battled him to the surface. A couple head shakes later my jig came loose and he was gone. I never got a look at the fish, but it was a great fight! I ended up fishing the same area for the rest of the afternoon. Matt came out to meet me around 4pm and also caught a few gills. Ended up with 19 from 7.5-8.5 inches.