Unlike salmon, brown trout don't die after spawning. So catching 10-plus- pounders, like this one, is common on the big lake. Photo by Mike Schoonveld.

Many years ago, I was heading out to go ice-fishing on a popular lake in northwest Indiana and ran into an acquaintance with a decent pile of bluegills on the ice near his hole. "Looks like you have them cornered," I said. "Mind if I drop in close by?" Ice-guys are much more communal than open-water fishermen and he was quick to accept my request.

In a short time, the subject changed from bluegills to brown trout. "My brother and I have been hammering the brown trout at the Dean Mitchell plant. Dozens of them, every time we go," my newfound friend, Ed, told me. "You ought to come with us some day."

Dozens of brown trout in a morning of fishing seemed like an offer too good to refuse, but there were some extenuating circumstances. The main problem was fishermen had to trespass to get to the fishing spot.

The Dean Mitchell plant was an electrical generating station located along the shores of Lake Michigan that pumped water from the lake, used it to cool the power-generators, and then allowed the warm water to flow back into Lake Michigan. Though the plant is still there, it's been shut down for many years. At the time of this story, however, the plant was up and running, but the union employees at the facility were on strike.

A skeleton crew of non-union workers, mostly administrative staff, were keeping the fires burning and the electricity flowing to nearby factories while the negotiators hammered out a contract between the management and workers. When the plant was fully staffed, fishermen were allowed to park outside the gate, check in with the security people, and then hike to the warmwater outflow to try their luck. It was a popular spot in the winter and early spring. In January, brown trout were the mainstay of the fishery and the browns were joined by 2 1/2-year-old cohos in increasing numbers from the beginning of February into early March.

With the plant on shutdown and with a minimal crew on hand, the administrators closed the area to visiting fishermen. That's why I was so surprised to learn Ed and Dave had been fishing there.

He made it sound like the ruse only added a bit more adventure to the sport and then told me again of the great catches of brown trout they made each time they went. To me, it was only a slight temptation, however. Not that I wouldn't enjoy a morning of landing numerous Lake Michigan browns; but I figured with my luck, the first time I decided to cross the line, it would be the day the guys in charge would decide the next trespassing fisherman they caught would be prosecuted to set an example for others. I pictured myself getting fingerprinted and having mug shot photos taken.

The point of the story isn't to show how law-abiding I am, but to spotlight what was happening with brown trout in Lake Michigan at the time. Looking back to history shows how some things never change and highlights changes that do occur.

THE WINTER COOLING
By January, most of the summer's heat stored in Lake Michigan has been lost and the water temperatures have dropped from the 40s to the 30s and most years bottoms out at 32 or 33 degrees -- just above the freezing mark. Salmon and trout are cool-water loving fish, but cool doesn't mean near frigid. Give them water temperatures in the upper 40s or low 50s and they are happy. Cooler water will slow down their metabolism, just as it does with bass, bluegills or other species; water much warmer than their preferred range can be lethal.