In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

2019/2020 ice fishing season thread

Discussion in 'The Game Room' started by Sean, Dec 1, 2019.

  1. Sean

    Sean

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    Are there many members getting out on the ice yet? Let me see some pics! Its just starting in our region. I was out yesterday for about 3 hours. The action was slow but thats ok. The wind picked up big time throughout the afternoon with the temp around -7c/20f before windchill. I was well dressed so the wind didn't bother me to much aside from pushing me around a bit. When I got back to the truck it was both hands holding the door so it wouldn't get pulled from my grasp. Here's a little laker that I took home for the fry pan. Ice was 6.5 inches thick.

    20191130_151731.jpg 20191130_151739.jpg 20191130_140709.jpg 20191130_140801.jpg 20191130_152040.jpg 20191130_160905.jpg 20191130_160912.jpg
     
  2. Woodsman

    Woodsman

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    Drove by the lake near us yesterday and noticed a few groups out there running tip ups. Ice looks nice. Wish it wasn’t going to get into the high 40s with rain for the next couple days - ice will get sloppy I bet. Temps plunge again later in the week so perhaps next Saturday morning I’ll get out there and drop some big bait down for pike.
     
  3. MikeInMa

    MikeInMa

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    Not an ice fisherman, but I enjoy walking out on the lake with crampons or snowshoes. My buddy and I will wander all around a pond near my house.

    Unfortunately, there hadn't been much ice over the past several winters. Local fishing derby and ice-out contests didn't happen.
     
  4. hovlandhomestead

    hovlandhomestead

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    Way to go Sean. I love that scenery and nice little laker.

    I was out yesterday on 5", but during my checking I found a few spots under 2" so caution is needed, as it always is on ice.

    I ended up seeing 3 pike...didn't throw the spear. I saw 1 fish that was certainly over 30". It come rushing in out of nowhere, hit the decoy and swam out of the hole quickly, and later 2 fish in the low 20" range were in and out of the hole checking out the decoy.

    I got set up on the lake after prime time for the morning run after sitting for the golden hour on a nearby lake that ended up being too cloudy for my liking. I couldn't even see egg shell on the bottom in 8'. I have taken some nice fish under those conditions, but it is a lot more fun to be able to see the bottom clearly and everything in-between including panfish, to see how they are biting, and especially how they react to pike and other predator fish coming into view.

    It was a good shake down trip to get ready for the 2019/2020 season, and it was great to be out again on hard water.

    We will be below zero all this coming week, so I am planning on pulling out the permanent dark house with the quad this coming weekend, then it is game on for sure!
     
  5. Sean

    Sean

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    I know what you mean. My son and I were out yesterday on 6 inches of ice and in our portable 88x88 ice fishing tent. It was just above freezing and raining. We were fishing in about 14 feet of water and could see everything.
    December 6 2019 wapiti.jpg
     
  6. Woodsman

    Woodsman

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    Drove by the lake on the way home tonight. Happy to see it’s still frozen and holding up a couple groups of guys out there. Monday and Tuesdays temps were close to 50. Thought for sure the ice would be out. But still looks good. Nice and cold for a couple coming nights. Hope to get out there soon!

    644574BD-5021-4F77-BEEA-BB6B0A898772.jpeg
     
  7. hovlandhomestead

    hovlandhomestead

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    Beautiful picture Woodsman. What you fishing for on that lake? Is it the pike lake you mentioned before?
     
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  8. Woodsman

    Woodsman

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    Through the ice we go for northern pike. Some beautiful fish in there. It’s a pretty good bass lake the rest of the year. Wife and I paddle the canoe around it a lot during the summer. August comes around and the entire edge is wild blueberries - so we also eat our way around. Haha. It’s so nice having the lake so close. Just five minutes down the road.
     
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  9. hovlandhomestead

    hovlandhomestead

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    Nice Lake Woodsman. It is beautiful. From what you said, it reminds me of our northern lakes with the blueberries and wilderness setting.

    I fish about 15 different lakes within 20 minutes of our home. My neighborhood lake is a few blocks away, and about 1000 acres in size. It is loaded with pike, with some up to 40", and lots of pike between 24 and 35", big large mouth bass, panfish, and a smattering of big walleye.

    A few miles away we have 14,000 acre Lake Minnetonka that is a fisherman's/woman's paradise. The other lakes close-by range from under 100 acres to 1000 acres. It keeps me busy!
     
    Last edited: Dec 11, 2019
  10. Woodsman

    Woodsman

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    Wow that’s a lot of water by you. How do you decide where to go?? Haha. I’ve heard of Lake Minnetonka. Can’t remember where. Probably something I read.

    We have a few lakes and a ton of sizeable ponds near us. The lake in the picture is just about all wilderness (Rare in this state). It’s always teaming with wildlife - Bald eagles, osprey, beavers, black bears, moose have been seen on its edge. It’s 250 acres. Just had to look that up. Takes us about three hours to paddle around the edge of it. I pretty much always end up there. It’s always so peaceful. Few people come this far out.
     
  11. hovlandhomestead

    hovlandhomestead

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    When you say you looked it up, do you have access to some sort of CT state department of natural resources web page? We have what is called a "Lakefinder" web page where we can pull up just about any lake for fish population survey and other data:

    Fisheries Lake Surveys - Minnesota DNR

    Lake Minnetonka is the crown jewel of the metro area lakes, among a few other large bodies of water within the 7 county metro area. Many BASS organization and other organized pro tournaments have been held there, and legendaries such as Roland Martin, Bill Dance, Al Linder, etc.. have featured the lake on their television programs over the years.

    For wilderness fishing we have literally thousands of small and large lakes, along with rivers between many of them, that are entirely within the over 2 million acre Superior National Forest and roadless BWCAW, which we regularly access from our cabin in far NE Minnesota for both day trips and extended overnight canoe trips. Another adventure is to travel across 14 miles of Lake Superior to 40 mile long Isle Royal with its amazing cold water lake trout, salmon and stealhead fisheries, and warm water wilderness inland lake and river fishing. We also have quick access to the fisheries around Thunder Bay to Lake Nipigon and across to Atikokan in NW Ontario. It is sometimes kind of overwhelming to choose where to go, in a good way!
     
  12. Sean

    Sean

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    Nice. Make sure you post some pics here when you do get out as Id like to see your trip if you dont mind. Regarding your earlier post about the warm weather. Its amazing how long ice will remain strong even when its above freezing. The downside is when you get wicked warm winds that eat away at it or real warm weather. The shot from inside my ice hut with the green bottom was taken at the tail end of a warm spell but the temps didnt get much higher than 5c/41f for about 4 days and the ice was 5-6.5 inches thick. Im always careful during early season ice fishing especially with fluctuating temps. Safety gear is a must. I like the sound of your lake especially the wild blueberries!
     
  13. Sean

    Sean

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    All I have to say to that is wow. I mean interior BC is amazing for fishing but what you describe sounds spectacular.
     
  14. Woodsman

    Woodsman

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    I live in the wrong state.... I’ve always wanted to do a canoe trip. Spend a few night in the wilderness based out of a canoe. That’d be incredible. You live in an amazing area.

    We are spoiled as far as “wilderness,” living where we do in this state. Most of CT is jam packed suburbs but out here it’s just a lot of uninterrupted forest land. Few neighbors. So we get a taste of the quiet life but it’s certainly not big wilderness.

    CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has info posted about the lakes and larger ponds in the state including bathymetry maps and fish species types that populate each lake.

    Here’s a view of NW CT and western MA that shows all the lakes. If if had to guess just by looking at the map I’d say most all of the lakes are 250-500 acres in size. A couple are larger. Compared to what you’ve got it’s very minimal but they still provide excellent fishing and paddling. The rivers are beautiful, too.

    50EAFACF-612A-4007-A147-AE3A2FCAC583.jpeg
     
  15. Woodsman

    Woodsman

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    Agree about the safety gear! I will post up some pictures.
     
  16. hovlandhomestead

    hovlandhomestead

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    That looks like a nice playground for you and your interests Woodsman. A oasis of wilderness with woods and lakes.
     
  17. hovlandhomestead

    hovlandhomestead

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    Things here, fishing-wise are getting off to to the slowest start to a season for me since 2005. At least it has been trouble free getting my, and buddy's houses set on the lake. We are on 8" of good clear ice with good snow for banking. With the warming temps it will be good to get another snowfall before too long.

    We talked to the game warden who stopped by when we were wrapping up. He said it was slow fishing all over his area.

    My home lake is cloudy, probably due to heavy rains all summer through fall.

    I have sat spearing in the dark house 10 hours over 4 different days and have only seen one bowfin, and zero pike. There are no panfish around either, at least that I can see, as I can't see bottom now in 8'. Usually I can would be able to distinguish a dime from a nickel laying on the bottom in 10'.

    A buddy got a beautiful 35" pike on a tip up about 200 yards north of my house in 12', but other than that fish, nothing else for him over the last week.

    We are fishing with our family up north during a 5 day stretch over New Years, and hopping for some nice days on the ice and around the fire on shore while we tend to tip-ups.

    Sean, Woodsman, and others, have you been getting out at all?
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2019
  18. hovlandhomestead

    hovlandhomestead

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    upload_2019-12-26_14-57-11.png
    Got one 28" this morning.

    upload_2019-12-26_14-56-30.png

    Smallest bluegill I have ever seen. I found it on floor of darkhouse after I speared the pike. Apparently she was feeding on some fry in the area. It was still alive.
     
  19. Sean

    Sean

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    I went and did a hike in lake prior to leaving for Christmas in Vancouver BC and just got back after eight days away. Fishing was slow that day but caught one rainbow. Its a pretty area so I will post a few pics when I get a minute. Hoping to go for some brookies and perch on Monday if all goes according to plan. Nice pike!
     
  20. farmer steve

    farmer steve

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    Great pics guys. hovlandhomestead. I like you gig. We had an old cast iron one we used for suckers in the spring when we were kids. To warm for ice here. If we're goin fishing we have to take our own.:)
    upload_2019-12-29_5-14-41.jpeg
     
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