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Went over to the Wabasha/Kellogg area today intent on getting out on some ice. Checked Wilcox, the Dike Road, and the Wabasha Harbor. The ice was only 1″ – 1 1/2″. No one had been on the ice yet and I think a couple more days of good cold might be what is needed.
I did fish off the docks, but through the ice in the Wabasha Harbor. Got several largemouth bass, a couple sunfish, a crappie, and a perch. It was just nice to pull some fish through the ice again! 
Be safe! Use an ice spud to determine ice thickness ahead of where you will walk, and do not go alone.
Good Fishing,
Mike
Now that sounds like a smart way to ice fish. 
Fishing off of the docks at marinas with drilling holes and fishing all while you are on the dock for safety. Nice safe way to do it and ”never” step foot on the ice. 
Best of both worlds that way-safe as you ”don’t” step foot on the ice and yet you get to fish first ice period too.
I stopped out to HOF yesterday to buy my portable ice house license and came across something I just had to have, [really lots of things I had to have 
]. We all have seen those wire ice rod holders that hold your rod outside on the ice and your rod is held in the rod holder fairly close to the ice. Well Mike had those ones in stock PLUS some that are twice as tall. Now that caught my attention. As we get older and/or have back injuries we don’t like to bend anymore than we have to and when standing outside or sitting on a bucket outside or sitting on a bucket or seat inside a ice house/shack we can set our rod in this taller rod holder and be able to grab that rod when a fish is on without having to bend way over. 
Ice fishing just keeps getting better all the time ”Thanks” to Mike who is an ice fishing fanatic who spends more days on the ice than anyone I know, who does product testing of different fishing products both on ice and open water to see if its a product that will do what he needs it to do, who does testings of products to find the best lures/products to see if they are items that work best in/on the Rochester Area Lakes and Rivers and if they catch alot of fish here then he will carry that product. If it doesn’t then he will just let the other stores carry that product that doesn’t work well here. In otherwords HOF carries only the products that work well catching fish instead of products that only catch fishermen. Thats the benefit you get when buying from a guy who fishes alot more than most people do. And Mike has gone beyond that even and has RHW and myself testing products too so he is getting feedback from others who spend alot of time on the water too. This past year has been alot of fun and very educational testing out different lures and colors and different products to see what works best on our lakes. And finding which lures/products that work best here and using them on other bodies of water I have found that they work very well there too. So if you want lures and products that will catch fish for you and not just the hyped up products that are advertised that mostly catch only fishermen then HOF is the place to be at when you want/need good fish catching products. I really appreciate all that Mike/HOF and staff does to make everyones fishing that much better. Helping others to enjoy their time more on the water/ice is not only what this site is for but also is what HOF is about. Its your one stop shop for most everything you need. And run by a fishing fanatic [ ] so you get the best of the best products, service and info on hot bites.
Sorry I got so long winded here but alot of people don’t realize what all HOF and IDA do to help you catch more fish, know what products really do work, and to help you enjoy your time on the water more. An unbeatable combination.
Thanks, Bill
Now we ALL know what gets you excited. ICE. 
