HIT THE ICE ROAD

If you’re anything like me, you’ve got a few good friends who make up your core ice-fishing crew. Thing is, you’re also probably hitting the same handful of lakes and ponds over and over. Your home game is dialed, no doubt, so maybe it’s time to take the team on the road. Planning a D.I.Y. getaway in the coldest months definitely comes with more logistics than a summer trip. While we can’t stop a snowstorm from making highway conditions dicey, we can point you to the top destinations for lake trout, walleyes, bluegills, and northern pike that require minimal gear and modest expenses, and there’s no need to hire a guide. We’ll tell you where to sleep, where to get the best greasy breakfast and dinner, where to get on the ice, and most important, how to connect with fish so big, they’ll make your hometown personal best look like a guppy.

WALLEYES

Road-Trip Destination: Little Bay de Noc, Gladstone, MI

Tucked away in the northwest corner of Lake Michigan on the Upper Peninsula, Little Bay de Noc is renowned for its hard-water walleye fishery. In winter, troves of large adult fish move from the massive main lake to the diminutive bay. These fish are staging to spawn in the rivers after ice-out,