Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Thursday, January 08, 2026
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MON Report
Clear H2o Tackle will host a panfish ice fishing tournament on Jan. 7 on Eagle Lake near Edwardsburg.
Cash prizes will be awarded for the largest individual fish (by weight) in which each angler enters. Biggest crappie entry fee is $10, bluegill (including redear and sunfish) $10, perch $10 and norther pike $20. The payout will be determined by number of anglers participating. If more than 20, first will pay 70 percent of the entry for that species with second being awarded 30 percent of the entries for that species.
Hours are 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and parking will be on Brady Street and clearly marked.
The weigh in will be at the store’s east delivery door and venison chili and beverages will be available.
Ice conditions will be determined the day before the event and in the case of cancellation, all funds will be returned to anglers.
For additional information, call the store at 269 414-4131.
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By Louie Stout
Yes, there’s fishable ice.
Yes, guys are catching a few fish.
But no, not every waterway is safe to walk across.
That’s the consensus we got with random phone calls to bait shops.
Most of the fishing has been done on channels or smaller wind protected lakes. Ice thickness has ranged from 2-4 inches.
“Several channels around here are fishable,” said Steven Syzymczak of Clear H2o Tackle near Edwardsburg, Mich. “It varies from lake to lake, but I’m hearing there’s around 3 to 4 inches. Some guys are getting out on Eagle and say there’s 2-3 inches there.”
He cautioned anglers that no waters in the area are “crazy thick,” and you should use a spud to check ice as you venture out.
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By Louie Stout
If you’re geeked up about the ice fishing season, you’ll want to be at ClearH20 Tackle Dec. 12-13.
Those are the dates for the store’s annual Winter Open House and where you will find good deals on a variety of ice tackle and accessories.
A veteran ice fishing staff will be on hand to answer questions and offer the latest tips on how to catch more fish through the ice.
“We are well stocked in lures, rods and reels and electronics specifically designed for hard-water fishing,” said Steven Szymczak. “We’ll have special deals on a number of items and a drawing for prizes.”
A few of the things that will be featured include a special sled system for efficiently carrying your gear onto the ice, a new tip-down system, and all of the top forward-facing sonar electronics set-ups for viewing around the ice holes.
Hot bowls of chili and sloppy joes also will be made available to customers during the two days.
ClearH20 is located east of Edwardsburg, Mich. At 69037 Christiana Lake Road. You can also visit the website, www.clearh2otackle.com or call the store, 269-414-4131.
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Northland Tackle Report
Northland pro, Brian “Bro” Brosdahl
The serious among us are messin’ with lures nightly, organizing by size and color, and gobbling up every nugget of ice fishing content we can find. The slightly less serious are thinking about first ice from the blind or treestand. Whatever group you’re in, surely, ice fishing has crossed your mind.
Nobody counts the days – minutes and seconds – like backwoods savage and Northland pro, Brian “Bro” Brosdahl. Sure, he’ll pop a ruffed grouse or five, even sit a bit for a freezer buck, but rest assured that ice jigs are dancing in his head.
To that, Bro dishes up the intel on first ice. And we’re talking about that very first week when he’s testing and traversing what the yeti angler calls “tiptoe ice”.
READING THE ICE
For beginners, Bro packs light, at least as light as lineman can travel. “I put just the essentials in a simple Otter utility sled,” said Bro. “That includes a chisel, RAZR Ultra-Light synthetic auger on a brushless lithium hammer drill, throwable floatation on a long rope, and just a few rods and tray of Northland jigs.”
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USAngling Report
USAngling will host the World Ice Fishing Championship (WIFC) near Grand Rapids, Mich. at Lake Tamarack. The city is expecting to host teams from 12 different countries including Kazakhstan, Latvia, and Finland to name a few.
In 2024 the WIFC was held in Mongolia where Team USA won the silver medal with a Day Two comeback win for the first time on foreign ice. Captain Myron Gilbert who previously won a gold medal in 2010 and a bronze in 2013 stated, “Iʼm excited to be fishing close to home for the first time since 2013. Several of our team anglers are from Michigan, so it’ll be nice to compete on home ice against the best in the world. We are very excited to bring catch and release angling to the ice fishing World Championships. Conservation is important to all sportfisherman.”
Current Team USA members include local Michigan natives, Chad Schaub and Team Director, Steph Sissell from the Grand Rapids area who will be able to fish near their hometown. “Michigan is a great place to hold the 2025 WIFC since Michigan has some of the best ice fisherman in the country,” says Steph Sissell. Additionally, Coach Myron Gilbert who is from Brooklyn, MI and Keith Kniffen from the Lansing area, will be returning to compete in their home state.
The tournament includes three days of pre-fishing followed by two days of tournament competition for gold, silver, and bronze medals. The anglers will target two fish species, crappie and bluegill through the winter ice.
For the first time in the history of WIFC this will be a no-kill fishing event as well.
USAngling, in cooperation with USA Ice Team, has developed a system to catch, weigh and release the fish that has been effective in several of the USA trails. Mike McNett, the USAngling Freshwater Fishing Director and former ice angler team member said, “Developing a system to weigh and release the fish with a low mortality rate is critical if we want the Olympic Committee to consider our sport for the Olympics again.”
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Seaguar Report
Ice fishermen target yellow perch
Just about anywhere you find frozen waters, you'll find one particular species: the yellow perch.
They are renowned for their tasty filets, with some arguing that they are even better table fair than their cousins, the walleye. Perch are a prime target for this very reason, especially when it comes to ice fishing. Another great thing about them is that they are readily available in many waters and are generally willing to bite once you locate them.
Three Wisconsin guides who know them well are Vince Moldenhauer, Josh Teigen, and Troy Peterson. While all guide for them on the ice in the "The Badger State," they each have different approaches that will apply universally anywhere in the native range of the yellow perch.