ice

[urbanHog312]

just took a peak at the extended forecast for the area. we're f****d.

[Phil6]

just took a peak at the extended forecast for the area. we're f****d.

Yup. This ice season is going to suck. Really hoping we have a F*cked up "Day After Tomorrow" style february and early march. Even north of us is suffering, you wont find truly safe ice until you're 3 hours north. Im going on an ice fishing trip to Madison this weekend and were probably going to be stuck in the bay one day and heading 2 hours north the next day. I have a feeling like most of my ice fishing will be done in mid Wi this year. Bummer. I had a lot of places I wanted to try locally

That early thanksgiving ice was a big F U. Im happy I didn't listen to everyone that said "Just wait a week or two and go out, no point in risking it"

[billebob5]

Yeah I'm glad I got out, once, in November. Looking like it won't be until February around here if at all. What was it, 3 years ago when we had this same scenario? This sucks.

For the record I'm hearing reports out of counties as far north as Washburn that they still can't drive on the ice up there (trucks that is). Only sleds, quads and rangers and cars. My only trip might be 2/16/19 and that is a sad, sad statement.

[SmalliesNEyes]

Yeah. Was gonna winterize my boat a couple weeks ago, but didn't get around to it with holiday chaos. Instead I may be on it this weekend...

[Rambler]

just took a peak at the extended forecast for the area. we're f****d.

It's nature's way of telling you something's wrong...

You younger folks might need to google that one.

[Skifish1]

Haha Rambler probably only you me and RonG know that one....

[Aux Pleins]

I could get by if the rivers were not constantly swollen.

[HEDDONFROG]

Looks like it’s going to be pretty warm for the next couple of weeks. I feel sorry for you guys who look forward to ice season all year

[SmalliesNEyes]

Looks like it’s going to be pretty warm for the next couple of weeks. I feel sorry for you guys who look forward to ice season all year

Was super excited for ice season since I couldn't fish much during the warm weather months, but I'll take being on the boat crappie fishing in January, which is what I should be doing tomorrow.

[Phil6]

Looks like it’s going to be pretty warm for the next couple of weeks. I feel sorry for you guys who look forward to ice season all year

Almost regretting not being a fairweather fisherman during the sally months this (last) season

[Rambler]

Haha Rambler probably only you me and RonG know that one....

I'll bet joetrain knows it too.

[vman01]

Sing it

It's nature's way of telling you something's wrong...

[Rambler]

Sing it

Sure thing. But only if you harmonize.

[joetrain]

Haha Rambler probably only you me and RonG know that one....

I'll bet joetrain knows it too.

“ It’s natures way of telling you in a song.”
~JOE~

[Rambler]

All together now -

It's nature's way of receiving you,
It's nature's way of retrieving you,
It's nature's way of telling you something's wrong.

BTW - where are Jay Ferguson & Randy California now that we really need them? Haven't heard from Jay since he went out on Thunder Island.

[JasonN]

I was going to make my first valiant effort to get ice fishing gear and get out some this winter probably gonna hold off for now. Might seek out some open water this weekend.

[RonG]

Jay F. left on a shakedown cruise, never to return.

[crankybass]

Haha Rambler probably only you me and RonG know that one....

I was talking to my doctor, Dr. Sardonicus, and he told me that he has had Twelve Dreams.........

[mack]

BTW - where are Jay Ferguson & Randy California now that we really need them? Haven't heard from Jay since he went out on Thunder Island.

As nature goes, RC died late 90s while swimming. The story told is JF said hold on "I'll get a line on you", alas is was not to be.

[Phil6]

damn seniors with cabin fever cloggin up the ice fishing thread

[Aux Pleins]

Pond outside Gurnee Mills had ice this morning. I think y'all are just scared. Plenty of ice out there.

[BassCaster]

They were ice fishing on Deep lake yesterday

[Rambler]

damn seniors with cabin fever cloggin up the ice fishing thread

Ah grasshopper, someday you too will be a senior suffering from cabin fever. It will come sooner than you think.

[Woohoodude11]

Pond outside Gurnee Mills had ice this morning. I think y'all are just scared. Plenty of ice out there.

Pond at work today I was able to punch holes tossing a rock on it lol. Not far from Gurnee.

Don't worry. The 6 degree days will be here.

[catchafew]

Typical pleistocene as I drove onto a river slough today 3,000 miles south of the north pole and 300 north of Chicago.

20190106_092543.jpg

[billebob5]

I'm looking forward to that scene in about a month, catchafew. thanks for the great photo.

[urbanHog312]

Typical pleistocene as I drove onto a river slough today

is it safe to say that 99.9% of the population up in those woods participates in ice fishing?

[Phil6]

Typical pleistocene as I drove onto a river slough today

is it safe to say that 99.9% of the population up in those woods participates in ice fishing?

Sure seems like the further north you get the per capita increases. You start noticing perms in everyones yard about 3 hours north

[SmalliesNEyes]

Should finally start building some ice middle of this week.

[catchafew]

is it safe to say that 99.9% of the population up in those woods participates in ice fishing?

It's pretty popular up here though it will likely go the way bowling in years to come with kids under 30 more interested in opioids or meth than the outdoors.

All jokes aside it's a way of life up here, something to do after deer season who aren't into trapping or predator hunts. I don't do fb but my girlfriend said she knows about a half dozen folks in her small circle of local friends who do. Not uncommon to see augers, tip-ups and buckets filled with jigging rods in the back of trucks. When in Rome do as the Romans do.

[Rambler]

Typical pleistocene as I drove onto a river slough today 3,000 miles south of the north pole and 300 north of Chicago.

Probably an inconvenient truth that as global warming takes greater effect hard water fisherpeople will have to travel further & further North to get their fix except in years when El Nino causes polar votices...

[billebob5]

Typical pleistocene as I drove onto a river slough today 3,000 miles south of the north pole and 300 north of Chicago.

Probably an inconvenient truth that as global warming takes greater effect hard water fisherpeople will have to travel further & further North to get their fix except in years when El Nino causes polar votices...

I'm just here to applaud you on the correct use of the word "vortices"

[BassCaster]

Like they say

ice.png

[LZ Rascal]

This may be the ice fishing season that never was......I went out once about mid December.....nada since then

[Rambler]

I'm just here to applaud you on the correct use of the word "vortices"

Thanks! I pride myself on trying to use the glorious English language properly. Except of course, when I don't.

[urbanHog312]

checked blackwell yesterday afternoon. i was the only one on the ice. i drilled 4 inches about 10 yards from shore. crept further out and drilled a solid 2 - 2.5. plopped the vex in and saw i was only in 5 fow. moved over about 40 yards and drilled another solid 2 inches and saw i was in 25 fow. proceeded to fish for about 30 min with a few sniffers but that was it for me. not enough ice to pop up the shelter and get comfortable so i bailed. hopefully tomorrows rain doesnt jack it up too bad because the weekend looks promising.

[billebob5]

checked blackwell yesterday afternoon. i was the only one on the ice. i drilled 4 inches about 10 yards from shore. crept further out and drilled a solid 2 - 2.5. plopped the vex in and saw i was only in 5 fow. moved over about 40 yards and drilled another solid 2 inches and saw i was in 25 fow. proceeded to fish for about 30 min with a few sniffers but that was it for me. not enough ice to pop up the shelter and get comfortable so i bailed. hopefully tomorrows rain doesnt jack it up too bad because the weekend looks promising.

No open Geese Holes?? I would think with last nights temps, and those later this week we should be gaining good ice out there. I may give it a shot Sunday if I am not too hung over.

[SmalliesNEyes]

Copying over my post from another site to here.

Was out on Heritage Quarries(Lemont Quarries) Sunday from 9am-4pm. Consumer's was basically wide open. The rest all looked locked up pretty good. Didn't check the ice depth on them, though. We fished Great Lakes. Ice was 3-4 inches in the majority of places, but lots of "slush" areas that had snow on them that we had to avoid/walk around, as when we would spud it, it was super soft, with only about an inch of ice underneath it. Me and a buddy spudded our way around the entire lake yesterday, but with minimal fish results. Lots of marks but we just couldn't get them to bite, no matter what we tried(and we tried everything). Managed two little bluegills at like 9:30am out of the first hole I drilled... Highlight of the day(in a bad way)... some moron who gives all of us icefisherman a bad name(and risks getting ice fishing shut down on lakes). Me and my friend are sitting in the shanty trying to entice a mob of marks up out of the weeds, when we peek out the windows, and see some clown who had just gotten on the lake barreling across the ice(straight across the lake), no spud, no safety spikes(that we could see), not a care in the world for the ice/conditions around him. Me and my friend look at each other and both say "wtf is he doing just walking across like that?" and before we even had a chance to yell out to him, he went plowing through a slushy snow area, and through the ice he went. He managed to catch himself around waist deep(but not completely submerged) and drag himself out. He promptly turned around and headed back to the car. Shitty for me and my friend to see... as we could have potentially watched a guy drown with very little we could do. The area he went through was about 10-12 feet deep. There would have been no way for us to get out of the shanty, and spud our way to him in time, and no way to just run to him, as the ice wasn't in good enough shape everywhere to allow for that, because of the risk of one of us also going through. We would have had to slowly spud our way to him while he drowned. He was about 100 yards away from us. There were some other guys closer to him, but I still don't know if they would have gotten to him quick enough, and safely, if he had gone all the way through. They checked on him, so we never bothered to leave the shanty.

Be careful out there with the early ice, guys. A spud and safety spikes are your best friends. Pay attention to what you're walking on. No one likes an icefishing tragedy. If whoever went through the ice on Great Lakes Quarry yesterday is reading this, use your [email protected]#$ brain next time. These lakes were wide open 10 days ago... You got extremely lucky you didn't go all the way through.

[Aux Pleins]

Sketchy river ice up in lake co, 2 or 3 inches. Not as sketchy at northpoint, 4 inches.

[Phil6]

Made it out locally on friday afternoon, 2 inches of pretty sketchy ice, caught a load of gill and crappie. Grabbed another friend and headed north to the channels for the storm. Real slow fishing but fun being out there, 6-8 inches ice. Friend lost his iphone. We found it under 5inches of snow, lost it when he went pee. Thank to "find my iphone".... it was at 1%. Lucky.

[billebob5]

Sketchy river ice up in lake co, 2 or 3 inches. Not as sketchy at northpoint, 4 inches.

anyone setting tip ups in the harbor?

[Aux Pleins]

I had a combo platter under the ice. 1 spawn sac, 1 XL roach, 1 Large Sucker. No takers. There were a total of 16 tip ups set out there this afternoon, no flags. The water was noticeably cloudy compared to last week. That snowstorm messed everything up. A lot of water on top of the ice, especially under snow drifts.

[Phil6]

Milwaukee Harbors?

[Aux Pleins]

Milwaukee Harbors?

North Point Marina

[joetrain]

That old shanty is paying off.
~JOE~

[Aux Pleins]

That old shanty is paying off.
~JOE~

Found another piece of history in the old shanty while un-rolling the door flap. It was a sticker receipt type thing that was dated 1991. Its read:

From: Roth Enterprises Edwardsville, Michigan

To: Triangle Sports Antioch, Illinois.


First review: Shanty is incredibly light, almost fold it and carry it one handed like a briefcase when I lift in and out of the truck. On the other hand, the canvas type material is heavy duty. Reminded me of a really old smelly tent we got from grandmas house when I was a little tyke. I like it because it's really warm compared to the thin, swiss cheese shanties I've had before.

[Skifish1]

1991 probably not flame retardant probably some petroleum based fabric sure use your little buddy heater would be cool to make a big orange glow on ice and a mushroom cloud.

[Phil6]

Milwaukee Harbors?

North Point Marina

I think a friend asked me to come out there last winter, said they go for big pike in there... does that sound right? Hows the salmanoid fishing in there? Seems like a good alternative to milwaukee

[SmalliesNEyes]

Milwaukee Harbors?

North Point Marina

I think a friend asked me to come out there last winter, said they go for big pike in there... does that sound right? Hows the salmanoid fishing in there? Seems like a good alternative to milwaukee

Pretty sure you're right. They target big pike on tip-ups, and/or lakers doing the same, as well as jigging for em.

[Aux Pleins]

Phil- you won't find anywhere that can rival the stocker numbers at Milwaukee. They even disregard the biologists and do their own thing when it comes to dropping huge numbers of salmon and trout stockers into their harbor. The fishing is down right easy at times. Only problem is dealing with the regulars, they're very territorial. Even had a guy ask me to move my tip ups because he was a guide and "everyone knows that's his spot". When I refused, he drilled his holes within 5feet of my tip ups on purpose.

As for northpoint, it's the largest marina on lake Michigan. But you can only ice fish between the first 2 docks. Pike fishing is alright, salmon are there. Mostly browns and some steelhead. But if salmon is truly your target, I'd hit Milwaukee. For salmon, even kenosha or racine before North Point, only because north point is so large and you are only allowed to fish a tiny portion. Kenosha by the ramps is money. Small channel, loaded with browns.