Jordan Beck | Daily Press Gladstone resident Ron Deault climbs into an Argo ATV at the Kipling boat launch Thursday. Local ice fishing enthusiasts have been faced with challenging weather conditions during the winter of 2019-20.

ESCANABA — Ice fishing has been relatively strong this winter, and fish in the Bays de Noc have been biting. However, the area’s ice fishing enthusiasts have been faced with challenging weather conditions during the winter of 2019-20.

Greg Sanville, a fisheries assistant for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Escanaba Customer Service Center, said anglers have had some luck on the ice recently.

“Perch catches have been fairly good … walleye numbers are very high, but most of them are undersized fish,” he said.

Sanville added projections for local walleye populations two to four years in the future are strong.

Fisheries Unit Manager at the DNR Escanaba Customer Service Center Darren Kramer said ice has tended to be thicker in northern areas of the Bays de Noc, including areas near the Kipling boat launch. That said, ice conditions can change quickly.

“As the ice develops and thickens, anglers are definitely chasing walleyes in newly-accessible areas,” Kramer said.

On the whole, though, ice on the bays has not been ideal for recreational activities so far this winter.

“Ice conditions every year seem to get a little worse than the year before,” Sanville said.

According to Sanville, the thickest ice in the area was about a foot thick as of Thursday. Because of its thickness, Kramer said vehicle usage on the ice this winter has largely been limited to ATVs, snowmobiles, and the like.

Local snowfall has been a key factor behind the current state of ice on the Bays de Noc.

“The heavy snows that we have had have really negatively affected … ice thickness,” Kramer said.

Despite these conditions, anglers have been heading out on the bays this winter. While participation in the current ice fishing season has been low from a historical perspective, Sanville said it has been healthy in comparison to 2019 and 2018.

“If you compare it to the last two or three years, it’s been pretty good,” he said.

Kramer noted local residents and tourists alike have been out fishing in the area.

Both Sanville and Kramer warned anglers to avoid certain dangerous areas while out on the ice. These spots include the mouths of rivers, areas near drainage ditches and the narrows between Gladstone and the Stonington Peninsula.

“The ice never forms as thick in those areas due to water currents,” Kramer said.

Sanville said people should think twice about visiting these areas, regardless of what they have heard about ice conditions elsewhere.

“Anywhere there’s moving water is considered a dangerous area, even in a good year,” he said.