For those of you who have settled in for the long winter season ahead and made up your minds to forsake soft-water angling, you are missing fantastic fishing.

The warmer weather has helped to create a flurry of excellent angling opportunities, while the local waterfowl scene, including ducks, has withered to a trickle.

Fox Chain: Excellent crappie action on Channel, Pistakee, and Bluff Lakes. Muskie action picking up steam on Lake Catherine, while the walleye activity on the upper river is gaining ground, so to speak. And if you hunger for lots of bluegill action, try Channel lake and the northeast section of Lake Marie.

Fox River: Focus on the deeper pockets near shoreline areas for smallmouth. I've received reports of side-channel action on white bass and crappie.

Lake Michigan: Monroe Street harbor decent for rock bass and largemouth. Perch action improved at Belmont and 95th Street. Off the rocks at East Chicago, the smallmouth activity has picked up. Anglers using large tube jigs as well as live bait.

Mike Jackson can be reached via e-mail at angler88@att.net. Mike's radio program is heard Sunday mornings 6-7 a.m., on WSBC AM-1240.