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For the past few mornings, I’ve notice a thin layer of ice over a couple potholes in the Rochester area. These potholes were home to some local geese during the summer months and are decent sized bodies of water.

Man I can’t wait to be standing on that stuff. Last weekend I went to Alma fishing (Report) and had the opportunity drive the new truck over some frozen puddles. It handles ice like a dream.

Gots me a new MarCum LX-5 on the way. Picked up 5 new St. Croix Legend ice rods (looking for reels yet). Ordered a Stone Legacy Revolution rod bag (still on special this week). As RugbyGuy said, “I feel bad for the fish!”

Call me crazy, but then again… Read my signature!

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stop all this ice talk i like the open water ice is for people who don't have A.D.D.

ike

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Well, well.

I'm not going to let this thread die that easily. With the past few days of chill, the pond referenced above was ice over again this morning. There was a small section still open that the fowl were using.

BRING IT ON!

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i will bust ice 4" thick to get the boat out!!!!Stop this talk of ice. it is naughty. ike

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  • 3 weeks later...

Atta-Boy Randy.

It's suppose to get cold next week Wednesday (low of 9 degrees). I'm thinking we'll be able to fish by the 2nd weekend of Dec. I'd like to even make a few venturous treks before that.

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It's looking pretty good for you guys after the 28th of November. Seasonably cold air will be settling in...for a change, and single digit lows by the 1st of December.

You guys will have to let me know when you'll be rolling out to Foster-Arend on a Saturday. I'd like to see how well those fancypants Marcums work...and maybe get a trout or two for dinner. smile.gif

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Quote:

I'd like to see how well those fancypants Marcums work


randy, my experience with trout and flashers is that they are useless. the trout are usually in and out before their is even a mark on the flasher. maybe you guys have better techniques, or maybe those marcums really are better than the old vex? wink.gif

btw, those trout from fosters are tasty grin.gif catch one for me...

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That's good to know. I haven't been ice fishing in many years, so I'm hoping to get out a few times this winter.

Any preferred ice fly patterns, JP?

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probably a waxie or wiggler pattern. I know I saw a waxie pattern on the fly tying forum. Often times when I'm sight fishing trout through the ice, they often come in and taste my lure. I've had the best luck catching them in the winter using live bait, e.g. wax worms, wigglers, maggots/euro larvae. Minnows are the rule at fosters. Plastics are doable, but when the bite is finicky, as it often is, nothing replaces the taste of live bait. I wish I could say that I catch them on flies, but then I'd be lying crazy.gif I am in the harvest mode when ice fishing stocked ponds for trout, so I go to what works, live bait.

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even better that a waxie or minnow at fosters is the powerbait nuggets, orange,pink,green, hooked 6" below a splitshot and sent to the bottom wink.gif

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It's not A.D.D, just a lack of a b.o.a.t! The lack of softball, golf and yard work also helps out for more time in the winter.

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
    • jim curlee
      I had a guy hit me with a lightly used 1969 BAR, he wanted $1650 with an older Leupold scope. More than I think they are worth, I made an offer, he declined end of story.   You know if you look at the old brochures, a grade II BAR sold for $250 in the late 60s, $1650 would be a good return on your investment.    Why would anybody want a 50 year old gun, they are heavy, have wood stocks, and blued metal.  I guess mainly to keep their gun safes glued to the floor. lol   You can probably buy a stainless rifle that you never have to clean, with a synthetic stock you never have to refinish, is as light as a feather, and for half as much money, perfect.   I'm too old for a youth gun, although I've shrunk enough that it would probably fit. lol   No Ruger 10/44s.   Jim      
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