Good day on Birch

[Steve Foss]

Hit Birch Lake near Babbitt for the first ice time this year. Ice was iffy last weekend, but was five solid inches of clear strong ice where I was fishing about 300 yards offshore in 10 to 15 FOW today.

Had 10 flags from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the same spot I hit that big pike last year. Hooked eight fish, brought in five, kept three (all just under the starting slot length of 24 inches). Released two, a dink and one nice fat one just over the 24-inch slot minimum. One was VERY heavy, but got off before I could see her. Frozen cisco accounted for eight flags, live light northern suckers for two flags.

Stayed around for the late walleye bite, which was pretty steady in that spot last year. Snow squalls moved in around 3 p.m. and the wind switched from south to east, and that might be why no walleyes came in to play.

[chunkytrout]

What he's not telling you is he neglected to call his neighbor to see if he wanted to tag along. Go figure. Oh well, would have outfished ya anyways. How were the pike fingers?

[Steve Foss]

Dude. Figured your guys were jamming late into the night Friday getting your groove back. Found out later from a secret source that you didn't jam. Sorry man. I got up about 6 and got to Birch about 7:30 a.m. Missed your company, but figured you were sleeping the sleep of the just.

Pike fingers are among God's chosen finger foods.

[Northlander]

Steve the title of your post was Good Day On Birch but you didnt catch 1 walleye. Thats not a good day. Oh hold on I forgot you like those pesky little gators dont ya? Oh well you were from the Dakotas and Wi. werent ya?

Seriosly good to hear from ya man and see ya on Burntside.

[Steve Foss]

Yeah, I've quit trying to convert the walleye crowd, however misguided and well intentioned they are, into pike and lake trout fishermen. That's all right. If all those guys converted the state would be overrun by tip-ups and laker rods, and then what would those of us chosen few do? Probably complain like crazy.

See you at the bash, dude.

[JustinG]

Steve,

Were you fishing in the bay where those punks were tearing around on 3 wheelers? I have the spear house in that area and I think those kids drove any fish in the area away. I didn't see anything on Saturday. I hope people will have more respect of others fishing in the future. Hopefully I will have better luck this week.

J

[Northlander]

Wich Steve are you talking to. Me Or Stfcatfish?

[Steve Foss]

Hey Newbie:

Yep, I was there. They were there. They came close to my shelter. It was loud. I didn't have a gun. Enough said.

Yes, that was a joke. Seriously, I don't mind if someone wants to have a loud good time, with or without internal combustion engines. I mind that they have to do it so close to fishermen when there were miles of shoreline with plenty of safe ice and no one around. But kids are well known for attention seeking. Many never grow out of it.

Was yours the house with the woodsmoke coming out of it near the shore a bit east from the public landing? On second thought, there was a LOT of smoke coming out of that, not surprising when a guy's trying to be quiet and watch pike come in only to have dumb, dumber and dumbest fart their way up. I reckon some of that smoke was from a guy who was STEAMED.

[BEARISLANDBOY]

I WAS AT KRAMERS TOO, LANDED 12 TOOTHIES, HAD UNDERWATER CAMERA DOWN WHILE KIDS WERE 3-WHEELING AND WATCHED 2 TOOTHIES HIT AJIGGING SPOON & MINNOW, I WAS AMAZED THAT FISH WERE UNAFFECTED BY NOISE IN SHALLOW WATER

[Steve Foss]

Hey BearIslandBoy:

You had a good day for pike for sure. And I could tell you guys were having a blast over there with the fire and the gathering and all. That was a pretty cool way to spend a Saturday.

I don't want to get into a war here, I just wish you'd have directed your kids away from where we were fishing.

It didn't hurt my fishing any. Ten flags in five hours was just fine. It hurt my ears, not my fishing, when one of the 3-wheelers would come ripping by close to my shelter. And I do realize that a mulitple use resource means just that. I've used ATVs to haul my ice fishing gear, and will be doing that on a snowmobile this winter.

But there was plenty of safe shoreline ice right near where your guys were, up along the northwest shore where the bay opened out into the main channel, with no fishermen there.

As for the "dumb, dumber and dumbest" comment in my previous post, sorry about that. I was venting a bit and commiserating with the other guy (I understand why the noise bothered him. Pike spearing is a lot like bowhunting.) Didn't mean to offend.

[BEARISLANDBOY]

stfcatfish

those were not my kids, don't know who they were but i do know they were a local family out on the ice for the day.

i was fishing in the frabill closer to the mouth of the river.

[Steve Foss]

Oh, now I got you. You were two guys in the black portable, right? Pretty sure I saw you a few times when I was heading to the flags.

[JustinG]

Steve,

Yup. that was my fish house. Been having problems with that blasted wood stove so I switched over to gas today. Only 1 lonely northern poked today. Were you the guy in the portable fishing 200 yards east of me?

Please dont get me wrong here people, I am 100% for mult-use recreation. But, when you have 100 miles of shoreline with no one around, does it make sense to aggrivate 6 or 8 fishermen in one small bay for hours on end with 4 three wheelers? Just my thoughts.

J

[Steve Foss]

Justin:

There were a few portables within your sight in my direction. I was the blue Fish Trap II pullover. It was the only blue one there. There was one guy between you and me who fished off a bucket for awhile, but then put up a square black tent-type shelter. He was fishing right off the tip of the island closest to you, and I was fishing a little further to the west-northwest.

Pike rule! At least until laker season opens.

[MNRiverRat]

hey Guys,

Was wondering if I could get some advice?? I am planning on coming up to the trestle inn on saturday to ride snowmobile on the logging roads down by the old tomahawk road and was wondering if birch and or white iron lakes are safe to cruise along to get up to Ely for gas. I went to school up there, but don't know anyone living up there anymore to ask. Also wondering if there's enough snow on the lakes to make it to Ely?? A buddy said that finland and grand marais have good snow, but not sure about babbit and ely? Kind of tough to get From the trestle up that way and back to Isabella without being able to get gas... And I promise we'll stay away from your houses... j/k I know the feeling of sitting there and having machines roar by, I once was fishing out by the sea plane base on shag and had a 4x chev come by on 5-6" of ice... I thought the water coming out of my holes was going to swamp my house. I'm to this day surprised he didn't go down that night.

RiverRat

[Steve Foss]

Rat:

There's enough snow on the trails. As for lake ice for a sled, that's a bit more risky. Shorelines and sheltered bays are, for the most part, solid. But if you get too far out it's a crap shoot.