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By Louie Stout
If you’ve wanted to get out ice fishing this winter, there may not be a better time to do it.
Conditions appear pretty good with decent ice being reported on most lakes and warming temperatures in the forecast. And if you want to fish in Michigan, you won’t need a license this weekend.
In fact, above freezing temperatures are expected during the daytime for the next 10 days, including low 50s in some areas by middle of next week.
Could we be nearing the end of ice season?
It might be, especially for some lakes that are spring or river fed. While most bait shops say lakes have five or more inches of good ice, there are still reports of as little as 3 inches in some areas.
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Sportsman Spotlight
Hometown: Edwardsburg, Mich.
Occupation: Full time bass pro
Favorite fish species and biggest: Smallmouth, 6-15
Favorite Michiana lake: Christiana Lake, where I grew up
Hobbies when not fishing: Golf
If you only had one lure and why: swim jig, because its so versatile in all depths and cover.
Best tip to give a new Michiana angler: Go get waders and wade down christiana creek or st. joe river (safely) and go fish. Understand why fish set up in places they are. That will teach you a lot.
Sponsors: Rec-Pro, Mod Bug Trailers, Bish’s RV, D&R Sports Center, VanDam Warehouse, Str8 Up Mounts, Garmin Electronics, Ranger Boats, Miller Tech Batteries, Whitewater Clothing, Gama Fishing Line, Shimano and G. Loomis rods and reels, Weigh Safe Hitches, and Christianson Industries.
By Louie Stout
Michiana has become spawning grounds for topflight professional bass fishermen.
The late Don Rank who was one of the first to make a Bassmaster Classic from this area. Then there was Kevin VanDam and Jonathon VanDam.
We can’t overlook Ron Nelson, who has chosen a different path with Major League Fishing where he has built a reputation as one of the top anglers in that circle of pros.
Could Bo Thomas be the next?
He’s certainly on the right path, competing in the brutal, highly competitive Bassmaster Elite Qualifier events that provide a route to fishing the Bassmaster Elites and a Bassmaster Classic berth.
Last week, Thomas finished third in the 2026 opener, the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at the Kissimmee Chain in Florida. Coincidentally, Jon VanDam also finished fourth in the event.
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Sportsman Spotlight
Hometown: Osceola, Ind.
Occupation: Steel Warehouse Supervisor
Favorite species to trap: Mink. They are less predictable in the exact route they take along a bank. I like the challenge.
Favorite trapping location: Any watershed.
Hobbies when not trapping: Ice fishing and deer hunting.
If you only had one trap and why: It’s called 1.5 coil spring. I can use it to target many different species.
Best tip to give a new Michiana trapper: Learn the habits of the animal before you try to trap it. Where they go, what they do and what they eat. I have spent thousands of hours following tracks in the snow.
By Louie Stout
Full disclosure - Chuck Powell is my longtime fishing partner.
While most anglers know him as the guy who runs the front of my boat and catches most of the fish, he’s also an avid trapper.
And a damn good one.
Nobody spends more time outdoors year-round than he does. When he’s not fishing or deer hunting, he’s either making animal nuisance calls as a side business or trapping for fur.
Trapping isn’t new to the 56-year-old Hoosier. He began trapping age 12 by catching opossums and racoons in his neighbor’s garden.
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By Louie Stout
The Indiana DNR takes a lot of heat about the weed treatments conducted by lake groups on northern waters.
While some of it may be justified, anglers should know that district fish biologists are aware of the key role that aquatic plants play in fish habitat.
Just look at the Kokomo Reservoir, where fisheries officials are trying hard to establish plant life in the aging lake east of Kokomo, Ind.
In 2020, we wrote about plans to get submergent plants like spatterdock and water lilly to grow in some of the mud-bottom flats. The project was requested by local anglers in a public meeting where fishermen expressed concern about the lack of habitat.
Biologist Tyler DeLauder said the DNR efforts appear to be working. They created fenced enclosures (to keep the carp out) and in some areas, the plants are beginning to expand beyond those areas. The DNR also has added some artificial structures in the lake as well.
“The ultimate purpose is for big and little gamefish and insects to utilize these areas,” he said. “We’re hoping the plant growth is exponential to help overcome carp issues.”
The reservoir lies on the southern most border of what we call Michiana and at the bottom of DeLauder’s district, but the DNR efforts and successes are notable. Kokomo serves as a test lake.
“We want to give it 5 or 6 years to see what works and what doesn’t,” he said. “Once we do, we may look for different bodies of water, including some glacial lakes. We have a few in the north without any vegetation.”
The fishery
The reservoir covers nearly 500 acres and is fed by Wildcat Creek which meanders out of Greentown, Ind. where one small, albeit shallow impoundment exists before narrowing westward and ultimately forming the Kokomo Reservoir that is dammed on the western end.
Despite the abundance of carp and turbid water, the lake has remained a pretty good fishery, hosting weeknight and weekend bass tournaments. Delauder said the lake contains crappie and bluegill as well.
Years ago, the state stocked tiger muskie but most of those fish have disappeared. But, in 2022, Muskies Inc. were permitted to purchase and stock purebred muskies on the Greentown end of the lake and have continued to do so with about 483 fish annually. The fish averaged 12 inches; some 30-plus inchers, likely part of the first stocking, have been caught.
The state also stocks walleye fingerlings annually, and Kokomo Tribune outdoors writer John Martino says they are being caught as well.