Ice fishing is in Walter’s blood

Kent Walter has been ice fishing in Kosciusko County since his teenage years. It’s in his blood. “It started with my dad buying poles in high school. We went to Mud Lake in Foraker. I was probably 14-15 years old. We didn’t catch anything and it was cold. I got the bug then. I really didn’t do it much until my senior year in high school. My uncle wanted me to meet up with him and my cousin to fish Wawasee. We caught some nice bluegill and crappie that night. From there on, I just bought more equipment. I go with my brother. Safety is very important. I wait until the ice is about 4 inches thick. Clear ice is the best. When the ice turns kind of a grey color, safety is a question mark. I fish for bluegill, crappie, perch, bass, northern pike and whatever else is willing to bite.

“I don’t use sonar or flashers. I’m old school. I know where to go. It’s just me and my wife Karen. We don’t keep all our fish. I like to leave fish for future stock. Every preseason when it starts getting cold, I get my equipment out and check my lures and bobbers. A couple years ago, I bought a cordless drill that hooks onto an auger and it can drill 10-to-15 holes with one battery charge. I always take a spare battery. It’s much easier than a hand auger.

“We mainly go to Syracuse Lake. There are some nice weed beds we are familiar with there. We go to Wawasee on the west end by The Frog on ‘The Slip.’ There’s a deep hole there. Pike like to come there. My brother caught a 38-inch pike there and I caught a 34-inch pike in ‘The Slip’ area. They cruise around there looking for a meal.

For pan fish, we use a light 2-pound line on a short pole. I use mousies and spikes for bait. For northern pike and bass, we use tip ups. You put your minnow on a hook and let it drop. There’s a spool with a flag. Shiners are really good. We set the bait a few feet off the bottom. They set the flag up and then the line starts unreeling and you set your hook. I caught a large mouth bass out there that was over 7 pounds back in the 1990s before cell phones. I don’t have any pictures. I caught a 5-pounder on my bluegill pole back in the late 1980s on Syracuse. I knew right away it was big. It was a 2-pound test line for a 5-pound fish. I reached down with both hands and flipped it out on the ice. I have that mounted at home.

“We use sleds to pull our stuff out there. We have a two-man shanty we use when it gets cold and windy. We use lanterns to keep warm. You can even see the fish down in the water sometimes if it’s shallow with a sandy bottom. Some guys have cameras they put in the water and you can see the fish come right up to the camera. The fish seem to bite a little better when it’s a little warmer and starting to thaw out a little bit. A south-to-southwest wind and temperature in the low 40s is good. The low pressure and high pressure fronts also have an impact on whether they’re biting. I caught a bunch of fish one evening with a northwest wind when it was snowing. I probably caught 40 fish that time, but I’ve also fished in those conditions and haven’t caught anything.

“Fish do taste better in the winter. The meat is fresh and cold,” said Walter.

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