It’s officially fish fry season here in northern Michigan, with many local establishments featuring specials on fish on Fridays during Lent. But if you want to DIY your own Friday dinner, you can’t have a fish fry without the fish. And thanks to the unseasonably warm weather we’ve had this year, winter fishing has been challenging at best for local fishing charter services. From bad ice to canceled reservations to unusual fish behavior, it’s been a perfect storm…without the cold and snow they need.

In this week's Northern Express, sister publication of The Ticker, writer Deb Dent talks to local fishing charter services and sports store owners about this year's rough season. “Poor ice conditions, lack of ice, days of rain caused complete cancellation of our ice guiding in December and January,” says Captain Randy J. Cornell of C.A.R.M.A. Sport Fishing Charter Service. “We lost every booking we had because of weather. A weather cancellation is a total loss, and sometimes you lose the client completely.” Still, with warmer temps ahead, those in the fishing world also share some of the reasons they see for optimism in the coming months.

Read more in this week's Northern Express, available to read online or on newsstands at nearly 700 spots in 14 counties across northern Michigan.