On a visit the end of December, Martin, Long and a group of sports writers set up fishing shanties at the northeastern end of the lake.
Pro Mark Martin of Twin Lakes is planning to offer one of his popular ice fishing vacation/schools on the lake in 2013.
They set up portable ice shacks where green weed tickled the underside of the lake ice.  Martin said that meant they
still produced oxygen, keeping fish active and nearby.
Long set tip-ups over a series of holes along the edge of the same weed bed in about seven feet of water while they jigged
minnow heads and artificial baits, such a Berkley Gulp.
Since the walleye bite here is typically an hour before sunrise and two hours after sunset, Long’s tip-ups had tiny
LED lights attached to each flag.  When a fish hits, the LID glows red and the flag goes vertical.  Long uses three-inch
white sucker minnows on small treble hooks behind the top fin so the bait swims free.  He set the rigs up with a three-foot leader of 10 pound
test, two-pound diameter Fireline, if he gets into a Northern, most of the time they won’t bite him off.
Long also attaches a small bobber to mark the proper depth, and lowers the bait.
Martin and the others manages to land lots of sub-legal walleyes, a good sign of the lake’s health.
By the end of the day, the tip-ups had done the trick, hooking several keeper walleyes and one huge perch,
almost 16 inches and at least 2 pounds.
Long said that the local chapter of Walleyes For Tomorrow, is working to improve the lake’s fishery.  The group
is undertakeing a five-year perch habitat project with the DNR.  With a $11,000 grant from Walleyes For Tomorrow
national headquarters, the chapter also will create rock reefs, habitat for crayfish, minnows and  snails the
walleyes love.
The group also is introducing 100,000 spot-tail shiners, with more to follow.  They are increasing the numbers
of perch for sportsmen and also creating a natural forage base for walleye.
For more information on the ice-fishing school in 2013 with Mark Martin on Lake Gogebic,
call Tim Long of the Timbers Resort at 906-575-3542.

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