GREAT OUTDOORS: Reef Runner sold; local ice fishing underway

Just after the first of the year, Hard and Soft Fishing/Acme Tackle Company of Fort Atkinson announced that it had purchased the Reef Runner Tackle Company from founder and owners Scott and Betsy Stecher of Marblehead. Acme Tackle is well known by anglers for Lit'l Cleo and Kastmaster spoons, Uncle Josh pork strips, Beaver Dam ice fishing supplies, soft plastics and Atom and Bead. The acquisition gives Acme its first crank baits for an otherwise extensive tackle portfolio. Despite tough competition from other lures in recent years, Reef Runner lures enjoy fierce brand loyalty from their customers, according to industry surveys. Stecher is not retiring but gets to step away from the daily grind of running all aspects of the company. He has signed on to serve on Acme Tackle's Research & Development team and is excited to be able to help create and introduce new lure designs and colors, including 3-D printing technology. He mentioned thatReef Runner product lines that will continue include the original "Banana-shaped" 800 Series, Lit'l Ripper, Cicada and the 44 Mag shad design to name a few. While not yet able to show his cards, he hinted that there would be new spinner rigs and vertical jigging lures launched in 2023. Hard and Soft Fishing/Acme Tackle Company's resources include a much larger sales, promotional and other staff, more industry contacts and product diversity that leads to more shelf and peg space in bait & tackle stores throughout the country. Acme Tackle President Robin Hancock has long been a fan of the Reef Runner product line and stated that, "We have been talking to Reef Runner for a long time and this couldn't be a better opportunity for both of our companies and our customers." He added, "Acme has built a reputation on quality, innovation and producing lures that actually work. We are eager to bring our capabilities to Reef Runner and our team is already hard at work designing new products for the brand." Ice fishing underway After record-warm summer temperatures and a mild fall and start to winter, conditions favorable to producing ice arrived shortly after the beginning of the year. The Miller Ferry ran its last ferry of the season on New Year's Day. During the first week of January, the shallow East and West Harbors between Catawba and Marblehead and the Sandusky Bay had mostly frozen over, except where waterfowl kept the water agitated. By mid-month, there were hundreds of ice anglers hauling in buckets of bluegill with other species mixed in, including crappie, pumpkinseed sunfish, largemouth bass, bullhead and yellow perch. Bays Edge Fish Cleaning owner Mark Cahlik reported 50-pound coolers of bluegills being dropped off by customers for filleting. His Bays Edge Tackle store just received a huge order of Widowmaker tungsten ice fishing jigs, which are gaining popularity in the area with ice anglers for their more favorable sinking speeds and lead-free content. They can be baited with insect larvae known as "spikes" or wax worms or rubber insects/zooplankton imitations to match the prey profiles that sunfish feed upon throughout the year. Ice anglers at South Bass Island also began to ice fish in mid-January, setting their shanties just out from the West Shore ice ramp, even while open water could still be seen elsewhere. For those who wait to ice fish from mainland sites, open water is still present in the South Passage between Catawba/Marblehead and the Islands. An ice/water combination is still present between Camp Perry and West Sister, and from Crane Creek to the Toledo Water Intake. These Western Basin ice fishing hot spots are likely to still be 1-2 weeks away from stable ice due to chronically stiff winds combined with some late season commercial tugboat and ship traffic. The Farmers' Almanac forecasts projected that the winter would linger deeper into March and perhaps, if true, this will allow for a long ice fishing season off the mainland shoreline once it starts.