The Deb Radosevich Burntside Bash

[Nate McVey]

 Quote:

We going to convoy Steve? Leave the Chalet at say 6:30am?

Did somebody say convoy? Marc, Ryan and I are ready for a 6:30 am departure.........

[Northlander]

Sounds like a plan to me guys. Chalet at 6:30 or 7am sounds good to me.

Hey Steve do you think we will be able to 4 wheeler it over to the spot we caught all our lakers last year? Remember the one before the Dead?

[Powerstroke]

I know Tom and I caught our lakers by following northlander, so if thats what you're talking about I might be right behind you.

I'm gonna print off some maps if I can and mark down a few fishy looking spots.

[Powerstroke]

 Originally Posted By: reelemin

Powerstroke, I'll be up there about that time, unless I decide to head up Thurs night. If you still don't have transportation on the ice, I'll help out. I'll have my wheeler and an extra tow bar that I made to haul another sled behind mine. We can do modifications if needed. I'll know for sure when I'm heading up by next Tues. or so. Either way, I'd be happy to help out - inexchange for some "Laker" advise.

Tami that would be awesome. I'll keep looking in case I find something so I'm not so dependant, but its nice to know that I can have a backup plan.

[Steve Foss]

Well, guess I'll avoid THAT spot on pre-Bash Friday, Steve. It was the spot that delivered the 8 and the 5 on opener for me this year, so the thought that there are numbers but not much size there, which I've heard from more than one person, is not correct.

You should have no problem wheeling there from Van Vac. Avoid the direct route through the narrows north of Blueberry Island, however, because that looked pretty slushy. That may tighten up before Bash weekend. In fact, I'd bet money it will, but I swung around the south side of Blueberry and back up to the spot in question because in my view it's better to add two minutes to the drive than risk bogging in slush.

I found no slush on my route to that spot. I was fishing a different spot well west of Van Vac when I decided to hit the pre-Dead zone, and I dropped south to the staked snowmobile trail, headed east on the trail until I passed blueberry and turned north to hit the spot. No slush anywhere along that route. I'll try to leave you a fish or two. Well, I released both fish, and maybe they are homebodies.

Gee, does that info help you guys just a little bit?

This is also a good time to point out that main lake points and humps and deep narrows and sharp dropoffs near shore, which look a whole lot like laker type spots, ARE in fact laker type spots on Bside. For every spot I've found pounding this lake winter and summer in the last six years, I know there are a dozen others holding fish. As a very general guideline, 30-60 FOW in those locations will put you right. The possibilities aren't quite endless, but they almost are, so get out your maps, mark a couple dozen fishy looking spots and stay away from the crowds as much as possible.

It should also be noted that 90 percent of the winter laker anglers on Bside don't go west of Long Island, which is itself less than a mile west of the Van Vac landing. There's a TON of great laker water west of there, but only a handful of folks take advantage of it. I think that's because the deepest portions of the lake are Van Vac Bay and the big bay west of Waters Island, and most folks associate lakers with that deep, deep water, even though winter water temps allow lakers to go anywhere they want.

Hard bottom zones aren't the only places to look for lakers, either. Most of the areas around the Dead River and Crab and Slim Creek inlets (just to name three) are soft bottomed from the thousands of years of sediment pushed into the lake by these streams, and soft-bottom zones are far more fertile than rocky bottoms. It's a food chain thing, you know? The spot mentioned by Northlander is soft-bottomed, while another prime spot (one that has given me two five-fish days in winter but never yielded a single laker in summer) is hard bottom with rocks and boulders.

[JustinG]

Find the Smelt with your electronics (they are everywhere), jig just above them, wait for a big red bar to come flying up off the bottom and set the hook. Its that easy.

Justin

[Steve Foss]

Some days it is.

[fishkid]

i dont have a wheeler or sled but i do have a clam yukon if anybody wants to hook up for that friday not tryin to find secret spots just some good places to start i have never fished for lakers before just the stream trout up here

[Northlander]

Ya last year I found a few spots with a ton of smelt and I caught fish. Never saw one on the graph though, they just flew in and railed me on the run. Man what a blast.

Best baits last year were the Rapala jigging shad in blue or green glow, caught 2 on each, a Nils jigging shad in the same and a Lindy flyer in white glow with 4" Berkley Gulp smelt on it and that got 2 as well.

Hopefully I do half as well this year.

Cheffrey make sure to bring your beverages again but hold off on mine until I get to the landing. No more sliding face 1st on the ice at 40 mph.

[Steve Foss]

I've had my best luck on Bside on the old-fashioned jigging rap in No. 9 or No. 11 in glow/green, and the best spoons I've found hands down are the Slender and the Angel Eye. Especially on Bside, where small lures are good, the Angel Eye has that sweet little slow sideways flutter on the drop.

[wayne556]

Great to read all the posts ! Steve I will be bringing up some items for the silent auction/ raffle I will try to be up there on thurs eve and meet you at the landing ready to go at 0800 if there is anybody that needs a shelter to use I can bring an extra with me. and Frank I will be talking to you about your opener.

[northwoodsdreamr]

This will be my first bash, I can hardly wait. I havent fished for lakers before but reading everyones posts has really got me fired up to catch my first. I hope to be fishing Thur,Fri,and Sat. "if I can get off work". Im looking forward to meeting some FM members at the bash, Good luck everyone.

[Jim Almquist]

Fishkid I don,t think you will have any problem catching a ride out to a spot and looking at the lake map I think there will be more then enough spots to go around. I will come back and get you once I get the wife out to a spot and if you have a 2 way radio all the better-Channel 7

[Steve Foss]

Hey nwdreamer, welcome to HSO/FM. Great to see you here. We'll try hard to get you hooked up with your first laker. And I mean hooked. Once you catch one, other types of ice fishing just can't compare.

[Quickstrike]

 Originally Posted By: stfcatfish

Once you catch one, other types of ice fishing just can't compare.

So true!!!

[Surface Tension]

Welcome FM/HSO & the Bash guys!

Wayne talk with you at the Bash.

[Steve Foss]

Wayne, sorry, missed your post. We'll welcome whatever you've got to throw in the kitty for Deb. Lots of generous people doing good things here. I've also got stuff coming from three local stores (Great Outdoors, Babe's Bait and Tackle and Blomberg's) for the drawing.

It's gonna be great.

There are so many of us coming to the Bash that if we all combine to think good thoughts, Bash day will be 35, sunny and calm.

[Steve Foss]

Here's the newest forecast.

Talk about making ice! Let's all pray for one fine warm, sunny, calm Sat., Jan. 26, eh?

Tonight: Scattered snow showers, mainly after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around -15. Wind chill values as low as -36. West wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday: Scattered snow showers. Mostly cloudy and cold, with a high near -11. Wind chill values as low as -39. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around -34. Wind chill values as low as -58. Northwest wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Saturday: Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near -16. Wind chill values as low as -58. Northwest wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around -32. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near -10.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around -26.

M.L.King Day: Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near -6.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around -19.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 5.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around -12.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 3.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around -14.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 7.

[ripstick]

Hey steve how thick do you think the ice is going to be next weekend over by the dead where NL waslast year.

[Steve Foss]

It was 14 inches today.

[fishkid]

sounds good. i dnot have a radio i got a cell phone though

[northwoodsdreamr]

Thanks stfcatfish. As excited as I am I think I may be hooked already.

[Jim Almquist]

A quick ? for those that know Burntside. I have a sportsman,s connection map book with Bside in it and they have all these numbered spots and I was wondering if these are boulders sticking out of the water. It looks like they are hazard buoys in the legend. Is it something to look out for with the low water this year ? Stfcatfish even has a picture in there of a guy holding a laker

[Steve Foss]

Jim, they are hazard buoys, though of course the buoys get pulled in October.

The buoys don't usually mark boulders sticking out of the water, but boulders/rocks just under the surface. The thinking being that anyone can see the boulder that sticks out of the water.

Some boulders that come above the water get covered with ice and snow during winter, and that can be its own hazard for snowmobilers, but I haven't had any problems with that in six winters, so it shouldn't be anything to worry about.

Then again, I never pull my fishing gear faster than 30mph.

[BD110]

Cheffrey, Northlander and crew,

I'll chase you guys as far as the Ely turn off on Hwy 169. I have to swing by our cabin on the way up and then I'll be heading over to the access point.

I'll be more then happy to pull someone out to a fishing spot if needed. I have no general area in mind and usually just head out with a few others.

I'm guessing I should be to the landing around 11:00am on Friday.

If I'm not at the Chalet when you're ready to leave just give me a call and I'll let yu know where I'm at.

[Steve Foss]

I just updated the Bside ice conditions on the final Burntside details thread.

[DEADhead]

Have fun up at the Bash this weekend; I wish I could be there!

[JustinG]

Stfcatfish,

I have Wanderer's nice donation down in my basement for you. I would like to hand it off to you sometime this week before the Bash.

Thanks,

Justin

[Steve Foss]

Hey Justin, can you drop it at G.O.'s shop? I've got to stop in there for bait anyway, and that way we don't have to try to figure out a time to meet.

[JustinG]

Yup, I can do that.