Martin Szeliga flies his Cessna 172 all around Saginaw Bay and posts pictures on social media and his website, TheAirborneAngler.com, showing current ice conditions and dangerous areas of which to be aware.
Martin Szeliga has been a pilot since he was in the Marine Corps stationed in Okinawa, flying operations between the Japanese Islands, serving and assisting the 30,000 American service members during his stint. But his service to his fellow Americans did not end when he left the service. Today, he continues a service that many ice anglers on Saginaw Bay are incredibly lucky to have. Martin flies his Cessna 172 all around Saginaw Bay and posts pictures on social media and his website, TheAirborneAngler.com, showing current ice conditions and dangerous areas to be aware of. It has provided immeasurable insight into ice conditions for anglers, guides, bait shops and businesses.
Martin said he was more of an open-water walleye angler when he first got into the sport of walleye fishing around 12-15 years ago. “I never really fished walleyes under the ice in the first years of fishing the bay. I would just pull spinners and bottom bouncers around the bay, catching a few walleyes.”
But in the frigid winter of 2014-2015, things changed. Martin fractured his leg, and while spending part of that winter healing, he noticed a lot of his friends were out catching some really nice walleyes through the ice. That started some regular ice fishing trips out onto the bay, and as we have all found out about Saginaw Bay and the Saginaw River in the winter, the ice changes daily. It was an instant match made in walleye heaven for this walleye fishing pilot. When he and friends started discussing ice routes around bad areas, Martin knew he could really give the group a leg up on ice conditions and shortly after, The Airborne Angler was born. Martin’s following has grown significantly each year.
Why does this help anglers?
Saginaw Bay is a big body of water. Ice on the bay can change in an hour. Big chunks of ice miles long break off and separate, creating cracks or even huge expanses of open water. At ice level, it is extremely difficult to see these cracks until the anglers are very close. Sometimes, if a crack opens the water refreezes with skim ice, then light snow can make it almost impossible to see. From the air, many times, it is easier to see cracks due to the changes in the color of the ice, or the aircraft may be able to pick up a piece of a crack running in a certain direction. It is the reason we see so many warnings of ice conditions especially when big winds blow in the direction of open water. This happened earlier this year when an exceptionally large chunk of ice separated just north of Nueman Road north of Linwood and ran northeast for miles. The Coast Guard had to rescue someone on a floe that broke off on January 22 this year.
It is so important to practice ice safety as we head to last ice. As the sun gets higher, the ice will weaken. Rivers dump warm runoff into the bay, and we see the ice start to deteriorate from underneath and on the surface from the sun and warmer winds. Cracks often do not freeze over to the extent they may in January and early February. It becomes increasingly important to watch the wind, stay on well-established trails and obviously cancel trips if conditions are not safe. An important thing to remember is the boats will be back on the water in a month. It is not that big of a deal to wait! While waiting, you can get the boat ready to go. One more important thing to mention. Many businesses have come together to help sponsor The Airborne Angler trips. Plane fuel is not cheap. If you have an opportunity and utilize these reports, take a minute to stop at one of these sponsors to thank them and utilize what they offer. They are listed on his report pages.
Here is hoping you have your best spring yet fishing Michigan’s fabulous fisheries. I will see you on the water.
