Tony Swierk found 4 inches of safe, clear ice on the east side of the main Central Avenue pier this week and caught a nice steelhead with 10 feet of underwater visibility. Submitted photo

Winter fishing on our frozen waterways continues to be a fun challenge, much like 20, 30 and 40 years ago. The cold was more intense, and snow was a regular sight. It was a time when we had to walk 3 miles to school, uphill both ways. You remember. But these challenges didn’t deter us back then, not now either. The frozen icy waters are a winter playground for hearty anglers.

Ice fishermen are not just building new ice-walking muscles, they also build a fun sense of camaraderie. The long cold spell this year has made it challenging, but with special boot cleats strapped on, they’re avoiding slipping and falling after the lake surfaces in some places received a slick coating of rain and slush-like snow and refroze. This week, anglers started walking out on Lake Erie with augers and spuds. Angers are accessing from Sturgeon Point and near the Hamburg town launch, but remember you need a Hamburg resident permit to park at Hamburg, or you’ll be saying “ba-humbug.” So, you might have to phone a friend. Anglers are walking over the rocky and hilly mounds of wind-blown and refrozen ice chucks. Finding a place where an auger will reach water is never easy after strong winds push the ice field one way or the other and the lake refreezes. But anglers know the rewards are great if they can find a place to drill a hole and drop a line or two. Giant yellow perch and king-size walleye are among the top targets. Swimming jig-style lure baits tipped with a minnow are a common enticement that anglers use.

Brave anglers carefully testing Dunkirk Harbor ice have found 4 inches of clear ice on the east side of the main Central Avenue Pier not far from the NYSDEC Argo vessel. Tony Swierk caught a nice steelhead using a Swedish Pimple jigging spoon tipped with a butter worm. Good fishing close to home is a bonus, just be careful. Wear your ice pics wherever you fish.

The most thrilling part of winter fishing is the hunt for the best spots. For non-Lake Erie angler adventurers, the Mayville end of Chautauqua Lake is a hot spot, where larger perch and crappies are being taken regularly.

Nate Green offers sound advice for everyone: carry out what you carry in. “The beverage cans and food garbage left on the lake is disgusting,” Green says.

Chautauqua Reel Outdoors and Hogan’s Hut have bait and ice fishing supplies that work. Good advice, too. Visit https://dec.ny.gov/places/chautauqua-lake for maps and online advice. The other hotspot is the Buffalo Small Boat Harbor on Fuhrmann Boulevard, which has been giving up occasional walleye, steelhead and northern pike to anglers, but more commonly, buckets of panfish and perch. Stop in to visit Captain Bob’s Outdoors Bait Shop on the harbor there, where anglers can find advice and bait for ice fishing that locale.

Silver Lake and Conesus Lake have also yielded northern pike to anglers using tip-ups and large suckers for bait. Tip-ups with large shiners or suckers are a proven tactic that works. Visit https://dec.ny.gov/places/silver-lake for maps and online advice.

Gotta love the outdoors.

CALENDAR

Feb. 13-16: Greater Niagara Fishing Expo, 101 Old Falls St., Niagara Falls, visit www.niagarafishingexpo.com.

Feb. 16: WNY 3-D Archery, league shoot, open to the public, this week at Evans Rod and Gun Club, 864 Cain Road, Angola; $15, kids 12 and under are free. Info: 716-863-7342.

Feb. 18: Erie County Fisheries Advisory Board, monthly meeting, 7 p.m., Bison City Rod & Gun, 511 Ohio St.

Feb. 22: Fisherman’s Flea market, WNY Walleye, Knights of Columbus, Hamburg, Chris Kempf, 716-400-9258.

NOTE: Send Calendar info or related outdoor news to forrestfisher35@yahoo.com.