Waterford ice fisherman has been fishing Elizabeth Lake for more than 70 years - Detroit Free Press
Jim Ogg, 77, has been fishing on Elizabeth Lake near his home in Waterford since 1947 when he was 4 years old.
“Most of the people around here call me ‘Jimmy the fisherman’ and think I’m the wise old man of the lake. I don’t know if I’m really all knowing but I just am what I am and I have fun,” he said.
“At first, my dad would sit me on the dock and let me fish from there,” said Ogg. Later, he learned to ice fish and loves to say: “I’ll fish on any day that ends in a ‘Y.’ "
Using his auger to drill a hole in the ice for a tip-up, Jim Ogg, 77, of Waterford, is spending another day of fishing on Elizabeth Lake in Waterford this time on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. Ogg, who is often called Jimmy the Fisherman by others, is well-known around the area and has been fishing the lake since he was 4 years old in 1947. Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press
TOP: Jim Ogg, 77, of Waterford, hooks into a golden shiner as bait while ice fishing on Elizabeth Lake. BOTTOM: Ogg sets the flag into place on his tip-up, a tool used for ice fishing, hole on Elizabeth Lake in Waterford on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022.TOP: Jim Ogg, 77, of Waterford, hooks into a golden shiner as bait while ice fishing on Elizabeth Lake. BOTTOM: Ogg sets the flag into place on his tip-up, a tool used for ice fishing, hole on Elizabeth Lake in Waterford on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022.LEFT: Jim Ogg, 77, of Waterford, hooks into a golden shiner as bait while ice fishing on Elizabeth Lake. RIGHT: Ogg sets the flag into place on his tip-up, a tool used for ice fishing, hole on Elizabeth Lake in Waterford on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022.Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press
Like any fisherman, Ogg got hooked on the experience of it all. “When I worked right up until I retired, I’d have to hurry home just to get in one hour’s worth of fishing and my wife was extremely acceptable to my lifestyle.”
Ogg has a few fishing holes he loves to set up his homemade shanty over when ice fishing. And, like clockwork, for many years when the ice is thick enough, people in his subdivision have been used to seeing him pulling his shanty from his home in early January behind his Argo, a six-wheeled amphibious buggy, to one of his favorite fishing holes.
Jim Ogg, 77, of Waterford, leaves home with a cooler full of beer and iced tea for his several hours of ice fishing on Elizabeth Lake in Waterford on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. Ogg, who is often called Jimmy the Fisherman by others, is well-known around the area and has been fishing the lake since he was 4 years old in 1947. Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press
TOP: Jim Ogg, talks with, Ian McDonald of Waterford, at The Bait Shop in Waterford on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. Ogg came into the store to buy minnows to ice fish on Elizabeth Lake, also in Waterford. BOTTOM: Ogg gets dressed for the cold before heading out to ice fish on Elizabeth Lake.TOP: Jim Ogg, talks with, Ian McDonald of Waterford, at The Bait Shop in Waterford on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. Ogg came into the store to buy minnows to ice fish on Elizabeth Lake, also in Waterford. BOTTOM: Ogg gets dressed for the cold before heading out to ice fish on Elizabeth Lake.LEFT: Jim Ogg, talks with, Ian McDonald of Waterford, at The Bait Shop in Waterford on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. Ogg came into the store to buy minnows to ice fish on Elizabeth Lake, also in Waterford. RIGHT: Ogg gets dressed for the cold before heading out to ice fish on Elizabeth Lake.Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press
Ogg will leave the shanty out on the private lake until the end of February when the Department of Natural Resources requires all shanties be removed. But that still gives him a good two months of doing his favorite pastime.
"It’s very comfortable and perfect for me,” said Ogg. “Everyone puts their own touches to how they set up their shanty. I don’t get too fancy about it, just enough of the comforts to get me through the hours a day I spend in here. I have a cooler with a couple of beers and a couple of ice teas, a porta pot in the corner after drinking all that and my bench with comfortable cushions, 'cause I’m sitting an awful lot and you need heat if you really want to be comfortable.”
Jim Ogg, 77, of Waterford, ice fishes in his shanty on Elizabeth Lake in Waterford on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. He was hoping to catch a walleye or pike but ended up leaving empty-handed. Ogg, who is often called Jimmy the Fisherman by others, is well-known around the area and has been fishing the lake since he was 4 years old in 1947. Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press
Ogg was hoping to catch walleye or pike this day but came up empty.
“I don’t care, I just don’t care. I got to go fishing,” he said. “It’s peaceful and I’m very, very relaxed, and comfortable out here. I’m where I’m supposed to be.”
Jim Ogg, 77, of Waterford, starts to load up his ice fishing shanty with bait and other supplies he'd need for several hours of ice fishing on Elizabeth Lake in Waterford. Ogg, who is often called Jimmy the Fisherman by others, is well-known around the area and has been fishing the lake since he was 4 years old in 1947. Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press
Eric Seals, a staff photojournalist at the Detroit Free Press can be reached at eseals@freepress.com and @ericseals on Twitter and Instagram
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