Hamlin Grocery is sponsoring it's first annual "Hamlin Hookers" Ice Fishing Tournament this year on February 12th. For more details, check out www.HamlinLake.com or visit Hamlin Grocery on the corner of N. Jebavy Drive and Dewey Road.

The Ice Man Tournament went very well this year. The winning team consisted of Bart Sitarz & Joe Jaworski from Illinois, who caught 15 fish with a total weight of 6.03 lbs. The best local team of David and Raymond Yeagar took 9th place with 14 fish caught weighing a total of 4.04 lbs. Because the tournament took place 3 weeks earlier this year, the crappies weren't as plentiful and the bluegill were a bit on the small side. While live bait was used, plastics and schoolbus fiskas were the choice baits for the ice men. Additionally, over 120 kids participated in Saturday's Kid's Camp event, exceeding by far the tournout for the year prior. We are looking forward to next year's third annual NAIFC Ice Man Tournament.

More slush and snow on the ice in addition to the pressure from fishing are pushing fish sizes down. Fishermen are still going out, crappies are down in numbers but there are still plenty of bluegill. Hopefully our cold temperatures will be positive and help the fish kick back in. Hamlin Grocery continues to carry live bait as well as decoys, golden shines, suckers, blues, spikes, plastics, and all other hot tackle. The store is open daily from 6am to 10pm, and the bait shop is open from 6am to 6pm.

Ice fishermen are catching nice-sized bluegill, at the moment they are easy to find. Some are looking for crappies. Icemen are also in town and have been scoping out fishing on the lake. Fish populations are under increasing pressure. The weekend will be pretty busy with the tournament; good luck to all fishermen! Go to HamlinLakeIceFishing.com for details about the NAIFC events taking place this weekend.

Fishing has been moderate since the big thaw over new year's. Since then we've gotten about 6-8 inches of good ice. Fishermen who put in the time have caught a few nice bluegill, evenings seem to be the best right now. Reports of walleye being caught came in Monday as well. Hamlin Grocery is now carrying live bait, as well as shivers, decoys, spikes, and a full line of tackle and glows in all the hottest colors.

The Ice Man Fishing Tournament has 39 teams registered so far. You can still sign up until Friday, January 8th. For more information, follow any of the links below:

Ice Man Fishing Tournament
NAIFC.com

A Hamlin Lake ice fisherman has reported catching 15 bluegills in about 1 and a half hours using red and white spikes. Most were of fairly good size, one of which being 10" in length. He said the parking lots at Wilson Hill were full, and most of the fishermen there were catching lots of fish.

About 20 went out to fish this morning, some guys are trying for pike but no reports of them as of yet. NAIFC Ice Man Tournament is coming up soon, many teams are registering. The ice is still a bit thin, so use caution when on the ice.

About 20 fishermen headed out onto the ice this morning. They are using red spikes and wax worms. If you are going for pike, be aware that we have had no reports of them being caught yet. The ice is still a bit thin, so make sure to proceed with caution. Hamlin Grocery continues to carry tackle and rods for all your ice fishing needs.

About a dozen or so fishermen headed out onto the ice this morning. More postings will be made as we continue to have cold weather and reports come in. Hamlin Grocery continues to have customized fishing poles in stock, as well as the latest & greatest tackle for Hamlin Lake ice fishing.

Freezing rain, heavy snow, and strong winds have caused hazardous honeycombed ice and slush to form. No fishing to report for today.

There were too many fishermen out to count; bluegills were caught in nice sizes and numbers. Saturday evening brought freezing rain and heavy-wet snow which prevented any more fishing.

About two dozen fishermen went out today catching bluegills in small batches. They were using Demon Glows, DJ's lures, and Little Atom plastics. Live baits were also used.

The first ice has formed on Hamlin Lake. About six brave men were spotted fishing; a shanty was also set up on the ice. Brian, the sports writer from the Ludington Daily News, went out to the lake but didn't venture out onto the ice himself.

As usual, fishing this time of the year is slowing down. As the temperature falls, fishermen are gearing up for ice fishing. Hamlin Grocery has a wide selection of specialty tackle, including Russian diamond lures that were very hot last year. We also carry Little Atom plastic baits, Fiskas in a variety of sizes and colors, and tungsten lures which have been very popular this year. If you're heading out on Hamlin Lake, keep in mind that lake levels are currently being lowered by about 2 feet in preparation for the winter.

We are one of the participating sponsors of the upcoming Ice Fishing Tournament on January 16, 2011. Plan to stop at Hamlin Grocery for all your fishing bait and tackle needs. We'll carry tried and trusted tackle and will also be expanding our selection to include the baits and lures used by the world renowned Ice Men tournament series.

For more tournament information, see this story.

We recently had a deep thaw and rain which made slush all over the lake but, with the bitter cold temperatures, it's frozen back up again and will be very solid for the weekend. Fishermen have been reporting nice bluegill and walleye catches. Action is spotty, but fish being caught are of nice size. Mornings and evenings are the best time. With the fishing tournament this weekend, we want to remind everyone about the seminars at Ramada given by the Iceman team. Hamlin Grocery will have a table set up at Ramada Friday and Saturday evenings starting at 5pm both days. We'll be displaying the hottest fishing tackle and lures, along with our custom rods which have just arrived. To serve all your fishing needs, Hamlin Grocery will be opening at 5am this Saturday and Sunday. Bait shop will be open from 5am-10pm for the entire fishing tournamanet. Stop in for hot beverages and snacks and grab a sandwhich from our deli to take out to the lake. Good luck!

After enjoying such positive feedback and experiencing a huge turnout for their first annual Monster Pike Tournament, Pere Marquette Expeditions is again sponsoring this popular ice fishing tournament on Saturday, January 16, 2010. Over 50 shanties were on PM Lake last year at tournament time and the action was impressive. Sign up today at PM Expeditions for a fun way to win cash! Entry fee is $10 and includes Sander's hot dogs down by the river following tournament. Winner takes 50% of the money, second place gets 30% and third place, 20%. Longest fish wins, and in case of a tie, weight will be the determining factor. All DNR rules apply. For more information, contact Pere Marquette Expeditions at (231) 845-7285.