# Middle Zone Split



## tjpm (Oct 22, 2002)

Weather this weekend looks mild. Mildest report I’ve seen in years for the middle zone split. Can’t be that much ice up by Cadillac/Manistee? Any locals willing to provide an ice report for the Cadillac area. Wanted to run up Friday morning to scout but my son has a morning class he can’t skip. Any info appreciated.


----------



## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

It's locked up pretty good even Cadillac and Mitchell, friends have ice fished them Most any pothole locked. Rivers about it
Fortunate one of our river spots has loaded up in past 4 days, normally does

I love the split my favorite, pumped for Saturday got my whole crew going, it's the bulk of my wedding party this does not happen very often anymore, life, jobs, kids. But everyone is stoked. It's either gonna sound like bombs over Baghdad or 7 guys making fun of each other.


----------



## BumpRacerX (Dec 31, 2009)

Yeah, also hitting the river both Saturday and Sunday. Most everything inland but the river is frozen right now.


----------



## tjpm (Oct 22, 2002)

Thanks for the ice info. Good luck to all and be safe.


----------



## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

tjpm said:


> Thanks for the ice info. Good luck to all and be safe.


Why can't I pm u


----------



## tjpm (Oct 22, 2002)

Not sure about the pm’s. I do receive pm’s to my account from others. Odd


----------



## MIfishslayer91 (Dec 24, 2013)

Heading up tomorrow night with my wife to hunt the AuSable saturday. Super excited! Got stuck working the split last year, so this will be our first split hunt, first time hunting up north for ducks, as well as first time hunting a river so I'm pretty pumped! We're hoping to get up there before dark tomorrow, go to a spot on National forest land on the river, get the kayak and decoys ready for the morning, have a fire and some drinks, crash in the car and wake up at the river ready to hunt! For my decoys I'm putting in the faster current, should they all be attached from the front of the keel so they're facing up river? Also will the 4oz egg weights cut it in the current? Any and all tips are appreciated on hunting the AuSable or rivers in general! Pm's welcome.


----------



## BumpRacerX (Dec 31, 2009)

MIfishslayer91 said:


> Heading up tomorrow night with my wife to hunt the AuSable saturday. Super excited! Got stuck working the split last year, so this will be our first split hunt, first time hunting up north for ducks, as well as first time hunting a river so I'm pretty pumped! We're hoping to get up there before dark tomorrow, go to a spot on National forest land on the river, get the kayak and decoys ready for the morning, have a fire and some drinks, crash in the car and wake up at the river ready to hunt! For my decoys I'm putting in the faster current, should they all be attached from the front of the keel so they're facing up river? Also will the 4oz egg weights cut it in the current? Any and all tips are appreciated on hunting the AuSable or rivers in general! Pm's welcome.


What section of the AuSable? I live in Grayling (right in town + have a couple acres on the mainstream) and am hunting it this weekend as well. Just not sure if I'm going North/South/Mainstream yet. Also looking at the Cut and the Muskegeon for this weekend, as the Mainstream close to town here is pretty much toast. Lots of birds, but they are smart enough to stay by the houses. Why leave, safety plus birdseed lol.

When I use decoys on the river I go small spread, weights on the front, in a spot with little current. Gives them the "swimming" look.


----------



## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

What happened to that crazy newbie last year that was tent camping in snow drifts, breaking ice, and killing piles of prime late season birds over hand made decoys?


----------



## LumberJ (Mar 9, 2009)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> What happened to that crazy newbie last year that was tent camping in snow drifts, breaking ice, and killing piles of prime late season birds over hand made decoys?


hahah. That was me...but not quite a newbie anymore 

I'll be back at it again Friday night!


----------



## LumberJ (Mar 9, 2009)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> What happened to that crazy newbie last year that was tent camping in snow drifts, breaking ice, and killing piles of prime late season birds over hand made decoys?


https://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/threads/lumberjs-zone-2-odyssey.604176/

I just re-read my post and now I'm all fired up. ha! I'll have to make another one. Maybe live-update if I can get a signal otherwise you'll get another detailed recap.


----------



## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Please do!

I just scheduled a weekend away with the wife over the south split. Logistical failure. And it's going to cost like two spinners and a dozen real geese, I mean good spinners with remotes and the real geese with fabric on both sides to knock down the glare. Doh.


----------



## LumberJ (Mar 9, 2009)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> Please do!
> 
> I just scheduled a weekend away with the wife over the south split. Logistical failure. And it's going to cost like two spinners and a dozen real geese, I mean good spinners with remotes and the real geese with fabric on both sides to knock down the glare. Doh.


Ouch! "Cost" as in that's the cost she'll have to pay for this? I like where you're head's at. Well I hope you find enough success this weekend to tide you over!


----------



## pikenetter (Mar 28, 2009)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> Please do!
> 
> I just scheduled a weekend away with the wife over the south split. Logistical failure. And it's going to cost like two spinners and a dozen real geese, I mean good spinners with remotes and the real geese with fabric on both sides to knock down the glare. Doh.


my wife wanted the same thing, i said no way! burning two days vacation and taking her away thursday and friday instead.


----------



## StiffNeckRob (Apr 19, 2007)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> Please do!
> 
> I just scheduled a weekend away with the wife over the south split. Logistical failure. And it's going to cost like two spinners and a dozen real geese, I mean good spinners with remotes and the real geese with fabric on both sides to knock down the glare. Doh.


Be careful what you boys do at the end of December. Early October could bring you ducks.....or newborns!


----------



## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

I have kids born late September and early October. Hmm.


----------



## tjpm (Oct 22, 2002)

Ducks or newborns. Thats hiliarious. Never thought of it that way. And I can already smell the tailgate breakfast at High Bridge on the Manistee, 4 am sharp Saturday...........


----------



## waxico (Jan 21, 2008)

I'm headed to mid Michigan. Got a quid pro quo on a private property spot on a river, has some birds. I can be the guided for a change.


----------



## TNL (Jan 6, 2005)

StiffNeckRob said:


> Be careful what you boys do at the end of December. Early October could bring you ducks.....or newborns!


That ship sailed years ago. Haven't eaten frozen peas since.


----------



## tjpm (Oct 22, 2002)

Was looking at a new bow mount trolling motor 15 years ago at Gander. Wife told me if I agreed to get snipped, I could leave with the motor that day. I still have that motor on my boat........Gotta do what you gotta do!


----------



## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

I had my last one at forty, said I was done, but then, said that when I had my previous last one at 33.

I've had a great season, so taking a day off, as much as I love the split, isn't going to hurt too badly.


----------



## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

StiffNeckRob said:


> Be careful what you boys do at the end of December. Early October could bring you ducks.....or newborns!


They have three holes use the other two


----------



## StiffNeckRob (Apr 19, 2007)

TNL said:


> That ship sailed years ago. Haven't eaten frozen peas since.


Took me a minute to get that one. You can tell I've not been neutered yet. Lol


----------



## natureboy2534 (Dec 11, 2013)

tjpm said:


> Was looking at a new bow mount trolling motor 15 years ago at Gander. Wife told me if I agreed to get snipped, I could leave with the motor that day. I still have that motor on my boat........Gotta do what you gotta do!


Mine said same thing on my 40th birthday...Clipped = gifts. ..
This year will be a new harley or a walleye boat.....Decisions...


----------



## stickandstring (Jan 9, 2018)

meeting my people, 330am high bridge. green head ducks on roost. bison chorizo burritos with farm egg and goat cheese. please join. tjpm, good luck to you and your people.


----------



## TNL (Jan 6, 2005)

Hmmm...never thought about leveraging a snip and tie. Guess I missed that opportunity. Nevertheless, I love my wife, but she can feel free to have her third child with her second husband.


----------



## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

Major fight with my crew, I'm go big or go home, Texas rigging a few dozen decoys tonight. Wanna go the storage unit get 100 more, along with what they have. Have 10 Mojo's, quiver butts, decoys that quiver, jerk cords.

I like setting a giant spread, everyone else hates it. Probably because every decoy they set I move 2 feet.
All in all I'm pumped, love these guys


----------



## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

Trying to convince crew evening hunt would be more productive lol


----------



## beer and nuts (Jan 2, 2001)

Limit of mallards and one black this morning. Large lake that isn’t frozen!


----------



## BumpRacerX (Dec 31, 2009)

Mallard and a Buffie this morning. Got a late start and had to end early so we could go over to TC Christmas shopping.


----------



## Jerry Lamb (Aug 3, 2015)

View attachment 353049


BumpRacerX said:


> Mallard and a Buffie this morning. Got a late start and had to end early so we could go over to TC Christmas shopping.


3 man mallard limit plus bonus black, 1 band. Private land, creek running through it.


----------



## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

13 coho and two steelhead today. And a prime drake long tail that let us troll within 50' of him. Of course.


----------



## Jerry Lamb (Aug 3, 2015)

You wax him from the fishing boat? Sweet!


----------



## tjpm (Oct 22, 2002)

Just got signal after spending the weekend in Wellston. So here’s a late report. 

Hunted upper Manistee Saturday morning. Lots of divers flying, some geese and mallards. Ended up with three mallards and missed a couple opportunities while holding the coffee cup. Then spent the rest of the day scouting. Anyone else see the Coast Gaurd chopper go up the river early Saturday morning? Didn’t see anything on the local news. 

Sunday we went further west. Two of us shot 6 mallards. All of our shooting was between 10 am and noon. Birds literally came in one at a time. All singles. 

Not sure if it was the mild weather but hunter numbers were double what we saw last year in the area. 

Another enjoyable middle zone split.


----------



## Sofa King what? (Nov 1, 2016)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> 13 coho and two steelhead today. And a prime drake long tail that let us troll within 50' of him. Of course.


You guys are good...I know if we are trolling with long lines and all the expensive tackle for salmon....there's no way we'd kill the forward progress from the trolling motor or main engine to stop our forward progress of a craft under power to shoot a duck without risking a mess of tangled lines and lost tackle.

Congrats!


----------



## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

We were in the south zone, so no long tail shooting for us. When I drift for them my graph goes crazy with hooks, when I troll, they fly past within range all day.


----------

