We recently had a deep thaw and rain which made slush all over the lake but, with the bitter cold temperatures, it's frozen back up again and will be very solid for the weekend. Fishermen have been reporting nice bluegill and walleye catches. Action is spotty, but fish being caught are of nice size. Mornings and evenings are the best time. With the fishing tournament this weekend, we want to remind everyone about the seminars at Ramada given by the Iceman team. Hamlin Grocery will have a table set up at Ramada Friday and Saturday evenings starting at 5pm both days. We'll be displaying the hottest fishing tackle and lures, along with our custom rods which have just arrived. To serve all your fishing needs, Hamlin Grocery will be opening at 5am this Saturday and Sunday. Bait shop will be open from 5am-10pm for the entire fishing tournamanet. Stop in for hot beverages and snacks and grab a sandwhich from our deli to take out to the lake. Good luck!

According to some of the 50 fishermen stopping into Hamlin Grocery this morning, there are three inches of hard, clear ice on the South Bayou. Fishing is brisk in the afternoon. Just off the shore of Wilson Hill Park on Upper Hamlin Lake, we're getting reports of good dawn and dusk fishing on 5-7 inches of solid ice. Quads and snowmobiles are running on the lake. A few bluegill are being caught with wax worms and spikes. Tequila Sunrise is the hot color.

Not much fishing going on in Hamlin Lake. Sorry to say most of the activity on the lake is duck hunting rather than fishing. Saturday afternoon anglers had been out fishing for walleye but caught a few nice pike instead. Word from the local fishermen is that they are catching steelhead in the Pere Marquette and Mansitee Rivers. We'll keep you posted on any activity, but this time of year, fishing is usually slow. Our bait shop is gearing up for ice fishing and the big tournament end of January. We hope all the fishing enthusiasts will take part in this fun activity. Meanwhile, Hamlin Lake levels are currently in the process of being lowered in preparation for winter. (Hamlin is a man-made lake and water levels are controlled by removing boards in the dam at the Ludington State Park.)

A large number of bluegills are being caught in average to decent sizes. Bass have done well, though still very few walleye and perch. Anglers are fishing with a variety of wax worms and red worms.

We are one of the participating sponsors of the upcoming Ice Fishing Tournament on January 31, 2010. Plan to stop at Hamlin Grocery for all your fishing bait and tackle needs. We'll carry tried and trusted tackle and will also be expanding our selection to include the baits and lures used by the world renowned Ice Men tournament series.

For more tournament information, see this story.

We had a couple of fishing groups stop in the store over Labor Day Weekend with some great reports. Bluegill fishing was going very well with nice sizes being caught. The bass fishing was also decent. Hot sellers over the weekend were worms and wax worms. Anglers were looking for walleye but didn't find many. Overall, the lake was full of boaters and lots of activity which may have affected the fishing.

Catches are limited due to the windy weather. However, the Bass Tournament held last Sunday on Hamlin Lake produced some good fishing. There were lots of fish caught, though smaller in size. Also reports of some really nice walleye.