Anyone icefish Hecker's lake? Thinking of heading there with my son and Dad this weekend. Any tips or areas to avoid? Is the only access from the boat ramp on the south side by the canal? Want to get to the small island on the north end.
There is a road on both the north and south side of the entire canal system so if the road is not blocked by snow, you should be able to use the north road to drive closer to that island. I have not ice fished it in years. I would definitely avoid the necked down area just west of the boat ramp in Heckers and where it goes back into the canal on the east side as I gotta believe the ice is unsafe in both of those areas if there is ice at all. Good luck!
Yeah you're access issue on all the canal lakes is ice quality. Open water spots have probably recently been replaced with new thin ice. I'd treat it like early ice and drill your way around.
You should be able to pull into the many campsites since there's not much snow. I do believe there is one on the east side with a makeshift boat ramp, not too far from that island. I have no clue what the ice is like up there, but I wouldn't drive on any ice right now.
Fished around the island 1/13 (walked out from campsites on easterly side) and drove by the lake 1/18. Pay attention to the areas to avoid described in Post #2 above, I saw what looked to me to be an open water area in WSW part of lake on 1/18 that I did not note on 1/13. 6-7 inch perch were it for me.