As we all know this winter has been quite brutal. Between the sub-zero temperatures and the on and off snow events it has certainly been challenging to actually enjoy the season.
However, with the cold temps around, the lakes have locked up solid with a good amount of ice and the ice fishing this year has been top-notch. I have been able to pull some bull gills and pumpkinseeds through the ice as well as some nice slab crappies.
These fish are a lot of fun on light tackle and they often can test a person’s patience, however, there has been a bit of a hole that needs to be filled in my ice fishing season (no pun intended). I have yet to ice a golden treasure called the walleye.
Well this goal will hopefully come true within the next few weeks when I participate in walleye champion Mark Martins’s Ice fishing Vacation school. The school is to take place on Saginaw bay Michigan. This is an area that I actually grew up in, however moved away just as the fishery started to explode.
Mark Maritn is a world class walleye angler and in 1990 he won the very first PWT Tournament of Champions event held I International Falls Minnesota. At the time it was the highest cash prize in history for a walleye tournament and has earned him the distinction of being the “original champ”.
The Fishing Vacation School that Martin puts on is a four day event that brings in anglers of all walks of life and skills. This event is about teaching others how to attack large bodies of water in search of walleyes and how to be safe while doing so.
I am excited to work with the pro-staff as well as Martin himself at this upcoming event. I can only imagine the knowledge that I will gain in the process of all the seminars and on-the-ice instruction.
The Fishing Vacation school has been in existence for 20 years now and has been a huge event for both anglers as well as media. I would be afraid to even try counting the amount of years of experience combined that Martin and his staff all have. There really isn’t any way to put a number on it and do it any justice.
We will be fishing out of Linwood marina where the famous Frank’s Great outdoors is located. The first day is packed with seminars, gear review and even a trip to Frank’s to pick up any last minute needs. The following three days will be filled with some hard-core ice time in search of walleyes on Saginaw Bay.
From what I understand there will be so many different stories to share that I am sure I will have a notebook busting at the seams and my SD cards will be full of photos of all the participants and Staff as they work on chasing these elusive fish.
I will keep you up to date on the happenings of the event as it goes along and will be sure to give you a few glimpses of the fun we are having.
If you are interested in the school just go to the the Mark Martin Ice Fishing Vacation School site and take a look. Signing up is easy and I hope to see you out on the ice.
Cory Yarmuth
Legend Outdoors