Burntside Lake Fishing Reports---Lake Conditions

[leech~~]

The B Man, is at times, fishing with lures that no one else is using. Taking that into consideration, and Mike Stark finding stones in the trout bellies leads me to think Barack is onto to something.

I'll be giving it a try one of these days, even though it's not my cup of tea 'cause it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks!

But still, doesn't he own a camera?

[Steve Foss]

Based on what's been shared here, and a couple other sources, looks like there may be a hatch of something going on the last several days that has the trout interested. Time to hit the mud/sand/gravel today and downsize lures/rods/line. Downsizing is a good thing to do on Burntside anyway when the fish turn finicky.

The learning never stops. Thanks for the info, fellas!

Barack, did you find invertebrates in the stomachs when you cleaned those eaters?

[Great Outdoors]

leech,

I'm sure he owns a camera, but doesn't make it a secret that many of the fish are smaller.

Not many people would take a photo of 12-22 inch lakers, unless a grandchild had caught them.

[buzbunni]

I've had 3-4 fish days when only the dead/live bait rigs got the action, and other days they were ignored in favor of the jigging lures. I don't decorate the rigs with anything. Just a hook (single wide-gap 2/0) and a few split shot a foot above.

Are you referring to a 2/0 wide gap worm (bass) hook Steve?

Or a 2/0 wide gap more along the lines of a live bait or octopus hook?

[Great Outdoors]

Spent about 2 hours on Burntside this morning, and think that truck 4x4 travel is done.

Didn't get that much snow last night, but the drifts made by the high winds really hurt the lake.

Looks like snowmobiles will be the only mode of travel for now.

[Barack]

Yes I have camera on my droid sure I have a few pics and videos. Haven't had the time to figure out how to download them to this site off my Droid. Yes the fish i cleaned also had sediment and narley looking smud in its stomach. I tried something different due to the hatch and it worked out. Sure i get skunked somedays then the next. That's laker fishing on burntside. I'm no expert on burntside but I've figured out what works for me.

[Steve Foss]

We were out for 5 hours on Burntside today, and G.O. is nearly correct about conditions.

CONDTIONS: Drifts were there already in the morning, and built somewhat throughout the day. My 1/2 ton 4x4 Ram was able to get through all of it without bogging down (new Firestone Destination A/T tires), but it took some rpms, speed and commitment. And I'll be pulling the truck in the garage and thawing out the chassis tomorrow.

No slush anywhere, but all the snow getting packed in there and melted and turned to ice, well . . .

We had about a foot of snow where there weren't drifts. We stayed on the main open portions of the lake, and some of the drifts were about 20 inches deep. I have not found slush anywhere on the lake getting to and from the spots I fish, including the two/three main large basins and the North Arm. We were up the Arm yesterday and into the big bay there with no trouble.

Snowmobile travel certainly will be more effective. If we don't get more snow, and the wind behaves itself, full sized 4x4s with good tires and good clearance can still get around off the ice roads. If we get more wind or another significant snow, that will end it until we get a melt/refreeze.

FISHING REPORT: The first two hours we hit a spot with significant silt/mud over hard rock bottom. Very small lures, from the smallest jigging spoons to panfish jigs/waxies. Didn't see a single laker, though we caught a bunch of smelt. We were fishing right where a shoreline point/reef met the main basin in about 50 FOW. We also stayed close to the bottom, which is not normally the way I fish lakers.

Moved to a point off an island with a steep break alongside one edge of the point. Saw three fish over the next three hours and got one to go, an 8 pounder that hit a nearly stationary Rippin Rap sitting 12 feet under the ice over 42 FOW. And it was the guy's first ice laker ever. Always great to help someone pop a cherry!

On the second spot, we had one jigging right up on the point in 15 FOW, one jigging over about 25 FOW on the break, and another jigging over 42 FOW farther down the break. Had bait rigs in shallow, too. We saw our fish mid-afternoon but had to head off the ice by 2 p.m. because of other commitments, and that was right about when things were picking up.

MISC:

Are you referring to a 2/0 wide gap worm (bass) hook Steve? Or a 2/0 wide gap more along the lines of a live bait or octopus hook?

[Steve Foss]

The wind left Burntside alone early enough Tuesday that conditions were no worse today. We were more than half a mile off the plowed roads and had no trouble getting to our spots. We saw three other full sized pickups, also well off the plowed roads. Same amount of snow, same drifts as Tuesday.

Fishing was good. We smacked a 5 right off the bat at -22, but it was sunny and no wind at all, and that makes -22 easy peasy. I never even put on my Striker jacket. Warmed up 44 degrees by mid afternoon. Almost all our action was in the morning, when we saw about 8-9 fish. An easterly breeze sprang up after noon, and I don't know if that was the dealio, but there was no action at all until about 4 p.m., when we had a couple sluggish lookers. Had hoped for a bit of a flurry between 3:30 and 4:30 (which has been the case the last few outings), but it wasn't to be.

It was great sharing tactics/techniques, laying the groundwork for future success, and helping Dan to his first Burntside laker in a few years of trying. Laker came in from the side and slammed his jig while he was distracted. Bam! Made several runs after it got up to the hole and caused all kinds of excitement. Grins all around!

We were fishing a long main lake point that eventually drops quickly from 35 to 50 FOW before sloping more gradually to about 70 feet in the main basin. The trout in the pic came at 35 FOW, about 12 feet off the bottom. Black hair jig tipped with black/silver plastic. We saw trout from 35 to 55 FOW.

[Barack]

Same thing happened last winter around the same time. I don't know if I'm close but think it has something to due with the whitefish, sunlight, and added oxygen levels in the lakes. Anyways my 20 lber is waiting tomorrow haha maybe.

[10,000 Casts]

Hey guys, can I get around the lake on my ATV pulling my house?

Thanks a million!

[leech~~]

Hey guys, can I get around the lake on my ATV pulling my house?

Thanks a million!

Look at the snow depth two posts up. Doesn't look to good with a wheeler let alone pulling a house. I'd be on a sled if you have one?

[10,000 Casts]

I don't have a sled right now and my house is just a 2 man Frabill. The posts up about gave me some hope. So was anyone running wheelers today or see any out there? Thanks.

[10,000 Casts]

After reading the posts more thoroughly I guess I leave the wheeler at home and just use my pick up.

Also, how thick is the ice? Do I need an auger extension? Appreciate the into, thanks guys.

[Barack]

You shouldn't have a problem with a wheeler if u don't mind shoveling here and there. Guess it depends on the operator. I got sum shot tires on the chevy and still rambo around. Found sum deep stuff today. Fishing on the other hand was good the two fish i cleaned had hatch coming outta u know where. Bellys bloated big time. Looks like loon &'*-. If anyone needs a snowmobile to borrow for the bash pm me.

[Steve Foss]

We had a great day out on the ice. We popped a guy's lake trout cherry with a 28-incher, and toward the end of the day found an 11 lber.

Our primary mission was promotional photography/ But . . . . l

[Steve Foss]

Here are the pics from yesterday. It was a blast hanging with the Striker Ice and Tuned Up Custom Rods guys. Great crew! Tim Ferch, Striker pro staff coordinator and rep, caught his first ever laker, the 8 lber. Tommy HIcks (Jim Hudson's guide business partner), nailed the 31-inch 10.5 lber. Both fish were released.

[laker1]

I don't know what it is,maybe it is the sense of something extra wild,but more than any other fish I am glad to see people release,especially the bigger lake trout.

Yes I do too,love a good meal of lake trout,but it is a special resource.I pick and chose what I keep and eat the delicious fish,and what I throw back.

Thanks for the nice pictures and release.

[Great Outdoors]

Back to lake travel. We have some warm weather coming up that may really help the lake set up.

However, yesterday afternoon I was riding around Burntside on the west shore from Dollar Island up to the North Arm narrows, around State Island to the Van Vac landing and you are not going anywhere with a 4x4 pickup in those areas because of the drifting, up to 3 foot in some spots. The one snowmobile track I saw was sinking down close to a foot in the snow, and my Ranger with tracks was sinking down around 9 inches. You can double those sinking down depths for a truck. The one truck track (other than on plowed roads) went from the Van Vac landing to Brownell Island and looke like it labored to get there when I followed it's track.

ATV travel with tires ain't gonna happen soon.

[Steve Foss]

Luckily none of my spots are as deep in snow as the locations G.O. pointed out. I'm still able to travel off the roads and go cross-country. We had a little melting of the surface layer yesterday when we were out fishing, and significantly more today (it's 37 and sunny as I type this), so with several more days of nice weather ahead, like G.O. I hope it'll set things up somewhat better.

I have not encountered any slush on the main lake spots I've been fishing, but I have found some now close in to the shore of the mainland and a couple islands, and of course you produce a fair amount of slush when you drill your holes.

[10,000 Casts]

Just got back, we fished from noon to 5:45 and only marked 2 fish and got skunked. First tried 40ft off a point that dropped from shore to 100 feet and neither us or the guys 150 yds away marked anything, then I drove down to the south side where off road travel was no problem and we set up in 38 feet in a hole and didn't mark a fish and then we tried a main drop off in 48 fow and marked a couple but they weren't interested.

We tried buck tail jigs tipped with a small sucker head, air plane jigs, rattle baits, and put a Cisco on the bottom.

We did however find a handheld GPS on the plowed road, if anyone lost one or know how did, message me what kind and I will make sure they get it back.

[Great Outdoors]

Just got back, we fished from noon to 5:45 and only marked 2 fish and got skunked. First tried 40ft off a point that dropped from shore to 100 feet and neither us or the guys 150 yds away marked anything, then I drove down to the south side where off road travel was no problem....

I saw what appeared to be a burgundy colored truck near an island point while cruising around this afternoon, two (?) guys fishing. Could that have been you? I was in the Red Polaris Ranger with tracks.

If you had tried to go into the Crab Creek area or around any one of those islands, travel wouldn't have been possible. It may change dramatically in the next few days with the mid to upper 30 degrees predicted.

[10,000 Casts]

White F150 crew cab with pretty decent clearence. there are definitely a lot of areas that won't allow truck travel. Where we went off road we just put it in low and zigged and zagged around the drifts with no issues. On our last spot, we parked on the road and pulled the house about 300 yds, I think I saw you drive by at about 4:30.

What a gorgeous day to be on the lake, they don't make too many days like today.

[Steve Foss]

White F150 crew cab with pretty decent clearence. there are definitely a lot of areas that won't allow truck travel. Where we went off road we just put it in low and zigged and zagged around the drifts with no issues. On our last spot, we parked on the road and pulled the house about 300 yds, I think I saw you drive by at about 4:30.

What a gorgeous day to be on the lake, they don't make too many days like today.

We fished half a day Sunday and saw several fish with no takers. Saturday was quite a good day. As far as weather, we have been blessed Saturday, Sunday and today, and it looks like more of the same tomorrow.

I've worked out of many offices worse than Burntside Lake. Stay thirsty for trout, my friends! Lakers are the Crown Royale!

[Wanderer]

XX

[Steve Foss]

Weather on Bside today was about as perfect as it gets. Aside from the fact the NWS blew the low temp forecast by about 10 degrees (it was -2 when I got out there this morning), there was no wind, it was sunny, and it ended up somewhere around 40 degrees. Sweet!

And the trout cooperated, probably responding to the first stretch of consistent weather we've had in at least a month up here. Nice sunny high pressure for four days in a row. Full moon phase last night, too.

I ended up with a full house, 8s over 5s. Fish came through in pairs/triples over three fairly distinct time periods today. I don't mean they were caught a minute apart, but that there were two or three fish coming in over half an hour, three times.

Thought I'd throw in some pics. BTW, the new Striker Duck Blind ice suit, pictured here, is a dynamite suit for warmer weather. It's a 50-gram insulated suit, with all the features we've come to expect from Striker.

All but one of the fish are back in the lake. The one I kept I dropped by accident and it started bleeding from the gills. That meant it would be a goner, so it came home with me.

Travel conditions haven't changed much. We're getting a little melt and refreeze of the top of the snowpack each day, and that does help compact things somewhat.

[LunkerCity]

Mike Stark and I hit it early this morning and we were rewarded with my PB and a couple of eaters. Beautiful weather and awesome fish!

[Mike Stark]

Here is another pic of lunkercitys fatty 34incher. heck of a fish.

it was a good day on the ice.

[chaffmj]

Steve nice fish and good pics as usual! Do you have any more of those Striker hats, I kinda like the looks of them.

I hope the weather holds and the fish continue to bite until the weekend. I am going to attempt to get out on the ice for the first time this winter. I figure it is time to give my new knee a trail run before the Bash.

[chaffmj]

Beautiful fish Lunker and Mike. Can't wait to get out.

[Wanderer]

Wow, guys! Nice catches!