Freek -Go ahead and ask questions, that's part of what this site is for.

There's at least 10 inches of ice on the upper bay. It's been extremely cold the last few nights, and I'm sure there will be a fair amount of truck traffic on the ice this weekend. I'd be leery of going out from Kipling or the Yellow Gate access with a truck, due to the crack. Days River and Vagabond will probably be good to go. Still, it's probably best to just use a quad if you have access to one.

Walleye fishing has been improving, but is still slow for this time of year, at least for legal sized fish. Still tons of dinks being caught throughout the bay. Tip-up fishing with sucker minnows has been more consistent for keepers, than jigging has. Most of the big fish we've heard of have been caught shallow, on tip-ups, at night, with large sucker minnows, (7 to 10 inchers.) If you want to jig for walleyes, the 30 to 45 minute period around sunrise and sunset is the prime time. Most of the rest of the day, you might as well fish for pike, perch and whitefish.

The best perch reports have been coming from the western side of the upper bay around Butler's Island, 1st Reef, and the Days River, in 10 to 20 FOW. Perch minnows and wigglers fished under a slip bobber work well. Fish them on a plain hook or tear drop. Small spoons like #2 Swedish Pimples and Forage Minnows tipped with a minnow head are good, too.

Den78 - click on the "Bays De Noc" banner at the top of the page, then click on "Lodging and Dining." All the hotels, motels and resorts listed there are geared more toward fishermen. You should have no problem finding a place to stay that's close to the water.