Boulder Lake

[northerneyes8]

Finally getting a full day to get out fishing.  My goal is to try some new water so thought about trying boulder lake.  I grew up fishing the apostle's and know that ice changes daily if not hourly.  However, having never been on boulder before are there any areas that are consistently poor ice every year to stay away from, as I know it's a reservoir?  

Plan on taking my wheeler and punching holes all day, as that is how I like to fish.  Anybody know what is the main forage for fish in that lake?   

Thanks for any insights and good luck this weekend if you get out!

 

 

[Surface Tension]

  The access is by the dam so swing wide and you should be fine.  Not a ton of snow on the lakes but of coarse deeper where there is drifting and slush here and there.  As far as forage,  I take it your going after walleyes or crappies. Pretty basic got to, half a chub tipped on a pimple and for the 2nd line a chub on a tipup.   Crappies same deal but smaller and use crappie minnows.

[northerneyes8]

Thanks for the reply Surface Tension.  Is there an access to the lake at Silver Fox campground?

weather looks great for the weekend, long Friday to get though first!

[Surface Tension]

  I've never used it other then snowmobiling in but yes there is a pay access at Silver Fox.

[jwmiller33]

Have people been driving trucks out from the public access?

[jwmiller33]

Follow up - I was out last Saturday and found anywhere from 12-14 inches of ice out in the main lake area. There is a road out from the damn about a quarter or half mile and nothing after that. Driving beyond that is doable but watch out for areas of slush and thinner ice. 

 

Have to mention this... I was with a group of friends and we had 3 vehicles on the ice between everyone in our group and we were all fishing right next to each other. We were in the middle of the lake with not another person visible in any direction. About 9 AM and a guy comes out around the corner from the public access on a snowmobile with a portable and circles us and then sets up no more than 25 feet away from us. My jaw was on the floor. He had a snowmobile so he could go anywhere on the lake he wanted but chose to set up right next to us (we were fishing a shoreline break so it's not like we were on a small piece of structure that would justify how close he was). Unbelievable. I come to expect that somewhere like fish lake but not on Boulder where, like I said, there was not another soul in site. 

[northerneyes8]

jwmiller33, I agree that is ridiculous to have people setup that close to you when fishing.   Did you talk to the person?   I've had good success with rational conversations on the ice.

I fished Boulder hard last weekend, punching over 40 holes.  First time on that body of water and found some structure, marked a few fish, but only caught one small eye.   I used my wheeler and traveled around OK, but there is some slush out there.  Good luck if you get out this weekend.  

[reinhard1]

The bite seems to be best after 3 pm up to dark but not much after that, I have found.  These cold fronts have messed things up as usual.  Boulder on the Silver fox side is much like a bowl where the "Otter Side" [dam access] has the most structure.  I have done well on the Silver Fox side down toward the Environmental are near shore in around 8 or 9 feet of water also.  We used to rent cabins there when It was Norbergs Resort way back.  good luck.

[loadmaster]

22 hours ago, northerneyes8 said:

jwmiller33, I agree that is ridiculous to have people setup that close to you when fishing.   Did you talk to the person?   I've had good success with rational conversations on the ice.

I fished Boulder hard last weekend, punching over 40 holes.  First time on that body of water and found some structure, marked a few fish, but only caught one small eye.   I used my wheeler and traveled around OK, but there is some slush out there.  Good luck if you get out this weekend.  

I agree with people fishing  to close, but how much area were you staking out with your 40 holes