My wife and I arrived at the public launch just before 7am. We took our Toyota Corolla there for the first time. And if we had known the condition of the parking lot and ramp area we would have drove our 4 wheel drive Explorer. There are deep ruts on the short road and the snow is compact and icy. And once you break through it becomes very loose and slick. We got stuck as we approached the launch area to turn around. I suggest parking under the large tree as it has just a dusting of snow/ice. But there is only room for one or maybe two small vehicles. We also saw a 4 wheel drive Suburban stuck, but managed to get out with a bit of work. The conditions were very windy, 20-25mph, and needless to say, very cold. The temp on arrival was 18 degrees. We brought our ice hut out, otherwise we would have not stayed long or even fished at all. I suggest using some type of traction soles on your boots because the ice is very slick. Now on to the fishing, which was very mediocre at best. There was one other gentleman that arrived shortly after we did and I owe him a big thank you for helping us get our car unstuck. I wish I would have got his name to thank him properly. It's nice to see there are still a few good fellow fisherman willing to lend a hand now and then. He didn't let the ice freeze under his feet, after about an hour or so of nothing but small perch, he left and headed for Sprauge Lake. But my wife and I are die hards and maybe even a little mental when it comes to fishing, we stuck it out until 2:30pm. I would say we ended up catching 25-30 perch but we only kept 8 of the small larger ones. This must be a turnover year at Silver for perch, because we have heard of nothing but small ones so far? We felt last year was that way for crappie. We caught a ton of them but very few, if any, met the minimum size requirement of 10". We caught every single one on or near the bottom. And when I say near, I mean like a couple three inches at the most. We had them picking our jigs up right off the bottom. We had our best luck using Rat Finkee's, size 4 & 6 in yellow chartreuse and lime tipped with a maggot or two. The lake got pretty busy in the late morning and early afternoon. There were still a few coming in when we left. I think we will try down the shore from the pay launch at Picnic Pines next time for crappie. If you have never used Rat Finkee's for ice fishing, they are awesome! My wife's dad swore by them and believe me he caught a ton of perch on them! Very balanced, and good size & color options for all panfish. They offer an outstanding selection of lures. Stay safe and don't hesitate to offer up some knowledge now and then to your fellow anglers. After all, it's not just about the time spent on the water, but the time spent with family and friends sharing fish stories.

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