Author Topic: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.  (Read 4287 times)

Offline Water Wolf

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My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« on: Jan 06, 2014, 10:45 PM »
Hi all,
Here are my ice fishing reports for Dec. 2013 & the first trip of 2014.

Report 1.
Well, I finally hit the ice for the first time this season, and, it felt good.
The first area we decided to try was the Whitesand / Theodore Reservoir.  My uncle joined me.
We though we would try some afternoon fishing and made our way to the Regional Park.  When we got there though the roads leading into and out of the park were completely blocked by large deep snow drifts.  Rather than risk getting stuck, we had to try and find another way onto the reservoir.  Fortunately, the road into the dam area had been ploughed, allowing access. :thumbsup:
We could see a few vehicles and shacks on the ice, a good sign. We set up and were fishing by 2:15pm and fished until 4:50pm. Once on the ice there was hardly any snow at all, maybe half an inch to an inch, with a few bare spots showing.

Where we were fishing the ice was quite thick at 2 feet or 24", in both the deep and shallow waters.

The weather was mostly cloudy with a bit of a wind from the SE and temps at -13 deg C / 8.6 F.
 As it got darker the wind began to pick up, and so did the wind-chill. By the time we left it was really blowing and quite cold.

The fishing was slow.
A soon as I dropped my camera down I could see fish. Over the afternoon and into the evening I saw a dozen perch and 6 walleye.
The fish were curious but not that aggressive. They would come in and check out the camera and lure the same way window shoppers do this time of year,lol. They wanted to see what it was but not take it.
I did have one perch that grabbed the bait on my spoon and chew on it for a few second, but somehow it only had the bait and not the hook. When I set the hook I just pulled the bait out of it's mouth.  It took one more close look at the bait before swimming off.

The my next encounter occured when I was setting up my set line. I wanted to position it a foot or so off the bottom and was using the camera to do so. I had a baited hook with a weight above it. When I lowered the bait near the bottom a walleye came swimming up, looked at the bait and weight for a second and then went for the weight above the line.  He hit it good, missing my bait and hook all together, not sure what it was thinking. 
And that would be my action for the day. :whistle:
I am also a bit surprised that I never saw one pike that day. :o

My uncle, on the other hand, had better luck.  Just as the sun began to set he iced 2 walleye about 15 min. apart.
They were no giants.  They would have weighed in at roughly 1 lb so both went back to grow a little more.

The hot lure that day for my uncle was the new UV buckshot rattle spoon that I purchased a few weeks ago.
I had on similar baits and lures that rattled, but the only difference was the UV paint. I think that it did make a difference.

One other angler stopped to chat as he was leaving. He reported slow fishing as well.  He caught 2 really small walleye.
From what I could see none of the other anglers around us were bringing up fish or running for their tip-ups or set rods either.

Here are a few photos from the day. ;)

A shot across the water.


This dog was the official greeter on the ice that day.
He went to each hut and truck and checked everybody out on the ice before settling in near my uncle and I for half an hour or so.

Just as suddenly as he appeared he was gone.
I looked up from the camera to see him trotting across the ice and disappearing into the bush on the far side of the reservoir.
He seemed to know were he was going. :-\

Here are the 2 fish for the trip. :)




All in all I was happy do be out again and see the fish on camera. Although I didn't get one this time, at least my uncle did, and, we were not skunked.

I though this close to the full moon the fish may have been a bit more active, must have been some other factor. :unsure:

Hopefully the next trip yields a bit more results. ;)


Report 2.

This report is for Dec 27th.  My uncle and I give Margo Lake a try. :)

The temps from Xmas eve to Dec 27th have been quite pleasant, with above normal single digit temps. This was suppose to be the last of the nice days so we had to take advantage of it at least once.  At the lake the temp was -8 deg C / 17.6 deg F  with a cloudy sky,  fair wind gusting at times from the NE and periods of snow mixed in. A big storm was on it's way.
Hopefully this might trigger the fish to feed. :-\

When we got to the lake we saw that there was a fair amount of snow right at shore.
There was a few tracks through it, but we decided to walk out and fish.
We were set up by 2:50pm and fished until 5:45pm.

I had just finished rigging my first set rod and had it down the hole when a fellow angler came over for a chat.
Within 5 min I saw the rod twitch and then bend. I walked over and fought the fish for a min before icing it.

Man, it felt good to ice the first fish of the season for me. :woot:

This one would be the biggest one of the day at 23" and was quite chunky for it's length.

Over the afternoon I was able to ice 2 more pike and had 2 that got off just under the ice.

My uncle had a bit rougher time and only had 2 nibbles + one that also got off. :P

Two of the pike caught came on my own homemade loop rigs.

The loop rigs seemed to work well, putting a treble hook right in the corner of the fish's lip, without hooking them too deeply.

The other was caught on a lipless rattle lure from Storm.


I also saw 2 pike on camera. One came in checked out my lure, gave the camera a really close look, rubbed against it and with another glimpse at the lure left.
The other pike made a quick dash at the lure, missed and kept on going.

As we were packing up the snow really started to come down,whipping across the ice.
By the time we left and were on the road it was blizzard conditions.
Oh well, it was nice to get out and good to be getting off the ice too.

I kept the 3 pike, my first keepers since early this summer.
I also got to try out the new filleting knife I got for Xmas and it worked fine.

Over all I feel I had a good year of fishing and now I eagerly look forward to what the new year will bring.

Heres wishin you all good fishin in 2014 too. ;D


Report #3.
Well here we go again, a new year is upon us and new fishing opportunities await. :icefish:

My first fishing trip of the the new year was on Jan 3rd.
My uncle and I gave Whitesand / Pelican Lake a try, where we fished from 2.08 pm to 4:30pm.

It was a cold and cloudy afternoon with the weather forecast predicting that the temp would really fall that night and for the next week, so, this was the best it was going to get for some time. :blink:
I was hoping that the approaching storm would once again maybe make the fish a bit more aggressive.

All the way to the lake the snow was drifting, but once we got there it eased up for a time, just long enough to entice us a fair way out onto the ice.  Shortly after we set up it started to blow and drift again.  After a while, cleaning the holes became a full time job and they would drift in almost as fast as I scooped the snow out. ::)

Over the afternoon I saw 3 pike and 1 walleye.
I may have had a chance for the walleye, but, just as it was sneaking up to my lure, one of the pike shot in ahead of it, spooked the walleye off and just proceeded to stand guard, but show no interest in the lure itself!

The fishing was not too bad though.  On the first drop of the lure down the hole my uncle got a strike and fought the fish to just under the ice where it rolled off.  At least we knew that there was one around the area. ;)

Roughly 15 min. after setting up, one of the set rods gets a hit.  My uncle walks over, but, the fish lets go, only to hit it again, just as he was picking the rod up, and, he actually ices this pike.


Half an hour later I ice one on my jigging rod.

This one is my first for the new year. :)

Twenty min. later and my set rod gets a hit and pike #3 is iced.



My uncle gets another 2 on the jigging rod, but, they get off before being iced. :P

That would be it for the action and we pack up. It was a bit earlier than usual for us to leave, but, we notice that there were a fair number of anglers out on the ice and appeared to all be leaving in a hurry at the same time. Listening to the weather reports on the radio confirmed why.  Blizzard conditions were predicted for the area, with extreme wind chills { as low as -40 deg C / -40 F expected and high winds of 30 - 40 km /h.}
That was OK with us as we had a bit of fishing time and caught a couple for the table.

A lipless rattle bait and my homemade loop rig was the ticket again with the pike.

Here is a shot of what it was like not too long before we left.
The hole is covered completely by the blowing snow.

It looks like I just placed a rod and line in a snow bank. ::)

Here's hoping that the next adventure is not as windy or cold. ;)2

This evening {Jan. 5th} the weather reporters are issuing an extreme wind-chill warning with temps feeling like - 47 deg C  / -54 F   to  - 50 deg C  / -65 F.
We don't see those extreme temps very often (thankfully), and it's only a few min before frost bite happens . I hope these frigid temps are gone soon. :wacko:

WW
Looking for that BIG BITE!


Offline reddog11

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Re: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« Reply #1 on: Jan 07, 2014, 06:20 PM »
Nice
Master Laker taker.

Offline winnisquam guy

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Re: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« Reply #2 on: Jan 07, 2014, 07:00 PM »
great to be reading your reports again. good luck

Offline Water Wolf

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Re: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« Reply #3 on: Jan 13, 2014, 06:18 PM »
Thanks reddog11 & winnisquam guy. :)

Hi guys,
Here is my ice fishing report for Jan. 12th. 2014.
I though I would try a change of pace and decided to go for trout.  I knew of a spot where I should find them. ;)

I got onto the ice at 2.05 pm and fished until 5:00 pm.
The sky was mostly cloudy with temps actually above normal for a change at - 6 deg C / 21.2  F.  However, with this mild weather came the wind, and did it blow. The forecast predicted winds that could range between 30 to 54 km /h, and I think they were right on. ::)

The fishing was not too bad though.  I could see the trout on camera off and on the whole time I was there. 
I am used to seeing pike, walleye and burbot who usually come in and eyeball the lure for a bit before hitting. Not these guys, it seems the rainbows are always on the move. They dashed in and out of camera view quite quickly, taking a swipe at the lure and if they missed they just kept going. A few did turn and give it one more try. They seemed much more active in the cold than the other species I have observed.

In the end, I caught and released 4 healthy looking rainbows and lost 3 more, just under the ice. :tipup:

It seemed that they were attracted to the moving lure, but, would miss it if it was too active. Just one good hop and twitches, repeating until one finally grabbed the lure.

The hot lures that day were the PK lures, both the PK predator & a smaller PK flutter fish. The predator iced several trout, but then as the day wore on it seemed that they grew a bit wary of it so I changed up to the flutter fish half an hour or so before I left and picked up one more fish.

Here are the rainbows. :)
First fish at 11".


The big one of the day. :)


It's bit over 14"


The others, they were 12" and 14".




I also saw a few on camera that looked larger, but they refused to bite, maybe next time. :woot:

The ice was roughly a foot and a half, which is thinner than the other lakes, but this area is also aerated.

Overall it was interesting to see them on camera and I was happy to be able to catch a few of those sneaky fish.
They really put up a good fight on a light action rod and light test. @)

WW
Looking for that BIG BITE!


Offline nitram

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Re: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« Reply #4 on: Jan 13, 2014, 06:47 PM »
Gotta love those rainbows , good job.

Offline Water Wolf

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Re: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« Reply #5 on: Feb 02, 2014, 03:57 PM »
Thanks nitram, yeah those rainbows are interesting to angle for. :)

Hi guys,
Here is my ice fishing report for Sat. Jan 18th, and, last one for Jan. 2014.
My uncle and I decided to try Whitesand Lake again.  We had some luck last time we were there.

We were on the ice and set up by 2:00pm, and fished until 6:00pm.

The weather for the last few days had been above normal for this time of year, and, this day was no exception with temps at - 2 deg C  / 28.4 F and mostly cloudy skies. 
There was a fairly strong wind from the SE that kept things a bit chilly though.

With the nice weather there were quite a few anglers out in groups all over the lake.
There must have been close to 30 vehicles out on the ice, including the snow machines. :o

Part way though the day we had a plane fly over us at low altitude taking a swoop over all the anglers on the lake. :blink:
He was low enough that I could read all the number on the red and white plane.
It might have been the conservation officers seeing where they should go and check next.

The fishing was not bad for us that afternoon and no more than 10 min after setting up my uncle feels a very light tap, sets the hook, and ices the first fish of the day. @)
This walleye.


He would have the luck this day and iced an additional 2 pike, plus got a few taps that just stole the bait.




I avoid the skunk by icing this one little pike. :)

I lost one other pike when it's jaw hooked in the bottom of the hole. :P

While we fished I saw 1 walleye and 5 pike on the camera.
At one point I had 2 pike both eyeing my lure. One fish finally made a lunge and was hooked, but that's the one I lost. ::)

I saw the biggest pike I have seen all winter. :woot:  I was jigging actively near my set rod, and with my camera, could see both lures at once.   The first time I saw this big pike she came in and carefully inspected the set bait, the underwater camera, and the lure I was jigging, before finally going back to the set bait and ever so gently plucked off the smelt without even being hooked.  I think she has done that trick a few times before. She then swallowed the smelt right in front of me and decided to take up residence in the area. This same pike then patrolled our fishing area for the next 2 hours of the afternoon, going from lure to lure without ever even taking a grab at any one of them.  She would then disappear for a few min, but quickly re appear when any of the other pike came near the lures.
With her around, nothing dared enter that area. It was neat to see, but I think she cost us a few more fish.  No walleye appeared once she was around, understandably, they probably would have been lunch. :whistle:

It's really hard to tell how big she was.  I got many close looks at her and she had a belly that hung quite a ways down from her pectoral fins.  Even at a distance she filled most of the screen. She was one smart old fish. She finally disappeared about 10 min before we left. She may not have gone too far, but it was quite dark and the visibility was limited by then.

The hot lure of the day was the one my uncle had. It was a Len Thompson spoon that I custom colored. 
A smelt on a set rod caught my pike.

Right now we are back to the cold temps, but hopefully the next fishing adventures will have the milder weather return and a few more hungry fish. :tipup:

WW
Looking for that BIG BITE!


Offline pascoag icefisher

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Re: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« Reply #6 on: Feb 02, 2014, 04:00 PM »
That great! Lots of good looking fish! :thumbsup:

Offline winnisquam guy

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Re: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« Reply #7 on: Feb 03, 2014, 06:49 AM »
looks like your uncle has a new jacket. that's why he's gettin all the fish. fish like a well dressed man

Offline Water Wolf

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Re: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« Reply #8 on: Feb 24, 2014, 06:06 PM »
Thanks pascoag icefisher & winnisquam guy. :)


Posted by: winnisquam guy
Quote
"looks like your uncle has a new jacket. that's why he's gettin all the fish. fish like a well dressed man".

He has had the jacket and pants for a little while, but just never used them yet, until now.
He will be happy to hear that the fish like a well dressed man. ;D


Hi Guys,

It's been a while since I have been ice fishing, but on Feb. 17th, the family and I hit LML for the first time this season to try our luck.
We were going for anything that would bite, but were really hoping the burbot were active.
 
We got to the lake and were set up at Rowan's Ravine by 1:33pm and ice fished to 6:08pm.
 
The weather was nice with temps just at the freezing mark, a slight wind from the S to no wind at times and a mix of sun and cloud. :)
 
I was a bit surprised by the lack of people out fishing on this nice day, being that it was Family Day an all. :-\
It looked like there was no more than 12 vehicles at any given time across the lake I far as I could see and in our area only 4.
My uncle and I were the 2 anglers from our group, the other family members took in the sights and enjoyed the day with us.
 
While out ice fishing we spotted a seagull coming down the lake. I could not believe my eyes. :o
I have seen them in mid March, but this early is a first, wow. I wish I could have got a photo of it as proof.
 
While watching the underwater camera I saw 8 whitefish, 6 pike and one white sucker, surprisingly no burbot.
 
The fishing that day was what I would call "fair" for this time of year, and during our time out we iced 5 fish, 2 burbot and 3 pike.
 
I iced the first one of the afternoon, this pike, an hour and half into the fishing.

 
10 min later this burbot goes for my set rod and is iced.

 
 
My uncle then gets into the action and iced the biggest burbot of the day.

It's no giant but still a bit longer and fatter than min.
 
 
I finish the day with 2 more pike near sunset.
 
This was the big fish of the day at 30" or roughly 7.7 lbs.

This is also my biggest fish of the winter so far.
 
The last fish of the day.

 
 The lures that worked were smelts on my loop rigs, a double tail jig, a Len Thompson spoon and a lipless rattle bait.
 
One of the pike hit my rattle bait as I was lowering it too the bottom. I was feeding out line but was getting slack in mid water, so I tightened up a bit and saw the line moving to the side I set the hook and ice the fish.

The burbot I caught hit a set rod but, I didn't know it was on as it didn't bend the rod at all, it just sat there and with the hooks in it's mouth chewing on the bait. I went to check the bait and felt tension on the line, gave it a set, and fish on.
 
The 2 burbot and smaller pike stay for a future fish fry, the big pike went back.
It thanked me by splashing water my way. :P
 
Over all it was a great day to be out fishing with the family and sharing one of the warmest days we have had in a good long time.
With it nearing March, I hope the ice fishing only continues to get better. ;D

Good luck out there everyone, the March madness will soon be on hand. :tipup:
 
WW




Looking for that BIG BITE!


Offline Walleyeslayer306

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Re: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« Reply #9 on: Feb 24, 2014, 06:34 PM »
Those are some nice looking dog fish! Cannot wait to head out to Rowans in the next couple week to try snag some myself! Thanks for sharing!
born to fish, forced to work!

Offline winnisquam guy

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Re: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« Reply #10 on: Feb 25, 2014, 08:44 AM »
i see now, you gotta a jacket like your uncle's  and fish like it when you look sharp

Offline Water Wolf

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Re: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« Reply #11 on: Mar 15, 2014, 03:11 PM »
Thanks Walleyeslayer306 & winnisquam guy. :)

Walleyeslayer306, those burbot should be starting their spawn any day now, hope to be out there soon and see what's up.
I see you got some burbot on the SK form good job.

Yeah, winnisquam guy my aunt actually got both our suits at the end of the ice fishing season 2 years ago, for a good deal.
We just haven't used them until this winter. ;)


Hi Guys,
Here are my 3 most recent fishing reports. In these outing we were looking to see if the much anticipated burbot spawn had started.  The whole family along with friends like to to participate... All 3 trips were to Last Mountain Lake {LML}.
 
Report 1.
The first report is for March 4th.  My uncle, family and I returned to Rowan's Ravine on LML to do some scouting and see if the burbot have started to spawn yet.
My Uncle and I are usually the only 2 fishing, but, my mom and aunt also like to come out and just enjoy the day with us. They are also our photographers. ;)
On this day it's just my uncle, aunt and I.
 
We got to the lake at 2:10pm and ice fish until 6:15pm. As we got to the lake we saw a fighter jet coming down the lake from S to N. It passed us and was gone in a shot, neat to see, but, not the first time we have seen them out there. @)
 
We got to where we wanted to fish.  It's fairly tough going on the lake, as the main trail that everyone uses, was filled with fresh powdery snow.
There was only one other angler that I could see. He left an hour later, and another angler came into his spot for the rest of the afternoon.
 
It was a cold windy day on the lake, with temps at - 16 deg C / 3.2  F, but with the wind chill it was more like - 24 deg C / -11.2 F, according to the radio.  It's still a big change from the -53 deg C / -63.4 F we had last weekend. ::)
Due to this cold snap the ice was even thicker than the last time I was out.  I now only have 4 inches or so left on my auger extension. :o
 
There was not much action on the camera with only 3 pike and 2 burbot seen. The very first pike came in and immediately attacked my bait, but it got off half way up. A few min later another pike came in studied the bait for a second, I gave a slight jiggle, and bam,  fish on. This one was iced. The first burbot seen was just passing by in the distance and the 2nd came up, inspected the lure, and carried on.
 
Although there were not too many fish around, we still had fair luck with 3 pike and 1 burbot iced.
 
First fish of the day. :)

 
2nd pike.

 
The only burbot.

She was 25.5" and build like a little balloon with a tail.
 
My uncle iced the last fish of the day, this pike.

It's the largest pike of the trip.
 
As it got darker, the winds picked up, and, holes were filling in fast.  From the start, it would take 10 -15 min to fill a hole with snow, by the end, no more than 3 min.
We packed it up as there was now blowing snow in the air.
Our tracks were also completely filled in and it was tough to see the trail we had come out on. We almost got stuck on the old trail so we decided to make our own which worked better.
 
From what I could tell, by the burbot activity level, I would say the the spawn is not on yet.
I hope to try again possibly this weekend.  Maybe they will be starting by then. :-\
 
P.S. There are some very quiet deer in and around Rowan's Ravine Park area. A group of 4 came out of the trout pond area and crossed right in font of us as we were leaving, and, another was near the park entrance we have be cautious in that area. :blink:
 
Report 2.
This report is for March the 8th.  Everyone in our family + a friend and our dog joined us for some fun on the ice.
We decide to try a new area this time and make our way to Pelican Pointe'. When we get to the lake we see that there is no trail at the main boat launch, now what?
As we decide what to do, we see 2 trucks coming from the point over to the boat launch area. They are busting a trail all the way.  The snow is the deepest near shore. We try our luck with this new trail to the point, and with some slipping and sliding back and forth, fight our way to the area we would like to try. :laugh:
 
The afternoon was mostly cloudy skies, with just a light breeze from the S that settled later to a dead calm for a short while.
The temps were just at the freezing mark. Very pleasant indeed and a welcome change from the bitter cold that has been so common this winter.
We fished from from 2:15pm - 7:10pm.
 
 When we got to the point we noticed a pressure ridge coming right down the center of it and into the lake a ways.
I also spot what looks to be open water or at the least very thin ice at one spot so we make sure we are back a fair distance from it.
 
There were a only a few anglers out that way.  There were lots of snow machines out all over that part of the lake enjoying the nice day too.
The skies were also quite active with 3 helicopters and 2 planes passing over us that afternoon.
 
Fishing started off quite slow, until around 4:00pm.  My uncle was the first with this burbot. :)

 
Over the afternoon we caught 5 burbot, 1 whitefish and our friend, who has not been fishing all winter, ices the biggest pike I have seen our group get yet. :o
 
The action on the camera was fair with 3 whitefish, 10 burbot and 1 pike spotted. At one point I had 2 burbot coming in at my lure at the same time, swimming side by side, until one sped up a bit and hit the lure before the other could get it. It was caught and iced.
 
Here are a few other photos of the afternoon / evening. :)

 
The homemade loop rigs did their job again with a few of the fish. :tipup:

 
My uncle's whitefish, and his first one ever. @)

 
 
A few photos of the big pike. ;D

 
She was 39" x 18" and his new personal best through the ice.

 
Since I was the one who lifted her from the hole, my friend let me put her back, it was quite the feeling to hold a big pike like that.

I have done it a few times, but it's always a rush. :woot:
 
She went back after a quick measurement and a couple photos.
She powered off no problem, splashing everyone around her. :flex:
 
Even our smallest member of the team got into the action.

He like fish too. :laugh:
 
We left the lake with the howling of coyotes and the barking of dogs and lights blinking on all along the S hills.
 
The trial was a lot more packed down by the others who left the lake before us, but, near the shore, it was a bit chewed up. We got stuck only 10 feet from the solid ground. With a bit of shoveling and a pull from our friend we were out and on our way. :)
 
Report 3,
After the fun we had altogether our group decided to meet at LML but this time we would try Rowan's Ravine again to compare it with Pelican Pointe' and maybe see where the burbot might be more active. :-\
 
It was another nice day with temps in the + 3 deg C / 37.4 F range and a mix of sun and cloud, but there were also periods of strong SW winds bringing our warm temps down a bit. The trail we followed this time was a lot more solid and well used.
We set up and fished from 1:10pm until 6:30pm.
 
There were quite a few other anglers out this day, spread out all over the lake.  Where we set up, there were only a few people.
 
There were some fish around this area - on camera I spotted - 2 whitefish, 3 pike, 4 burbot, 6 white suckers and 1 crayfish.
I was able to see 1 pike and 1 burbot strike on camera.
I was amused at the antics of the crayfish as it moved along the bottom picking up bits and pieces of bait. Whenever I would move my lure close it would raise up into a defensive posture and if I moved closer it thrashed the heck out of the lure.  Finally after a few good thrashings to my lure, it moved off to find a less bothersome area to feed. :D
 
The fishing was a bit slow to start with again, but as the day began to lengthen the action started. My uncle had the first fish - a nice sized pike.
He caught it on a set rod.

It would be the biggest of the day at 31"x 14".
 
In the end my Uncle and I ice 3 pike and 4 burbot. :tipup:
Our buddy did not get a fish this time. :-\
 
Here are a few other photos from the trip. :)
This guy was long and skinny.

 
Another one goes for the loop rig and set rod combo.

 
Squirmy little guys. :P

 

 

 

 
On the way out we spot several deer all through the provincial park, just like before, we have be aware as the deer are around in good numbers. :woot:
 
Overall it was a good 2 days with family and friends, with great weather and some good laughs. ;D

I would have to say though that the burbot have not started their spawn yet, as I didn't see any signs or behavior from them to indicate this.
I think they must be very close to spawning soon though and hope to be out there when they are going strong. ;D

Oh yeah, all the larger pike were released to spawn again this spring. ;)

WW


Looking for that BIG BITE!


Offline winnisquam guy

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Re: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« Reply #12 on: Mar 16, 2014, 06:25 PM »
great report, nice to see you're hammering them

Offline Water Wolf

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Re: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« Reply #13 on: Mar 21, 2014, 06:55 PM »
Thanks, winnisquam guy. :)
yeah they are starting to get more active for sure and are feeding a bit more than they have all winter.
Hopefully they keep on going. :tipup:
Are they active your way also?



Top O' the Mornin' to you all,
Here are my 2 ice fishing reports for March the 16th and March 17th { St. Patrick's Day}

On March 16th, my group and I return to Last Mountain Lake, to see what the burbot are doing now. As we drive to the lake we are finally seeing the first signs of spring in the from of returning crows, in fairly good numbers, and, a few flocks of Canada geese.

We get to Rowan's Ravine area and ice fish from 1:32pm - 7:05pm. The temps are + 3 deg C / 37.4 F with a mix of sun and cloud. The wind is light from the N.

There are a few anglers out and about here and there around the lake. We set up near our usual spot. In the distance, to the W, we spot 2 folks who are out paragliding.

There were fish around on the camera that afternoon, but they were a little bit negative and we really had to work them to get them to bite.
In the end I saw 5 pike, 5 whitefish and 8 burbot. 

We caught 4 pike and 2 burbot.

Here are a few photos from the afternoon.






This guy was a real monster,lol. :laugh:


A pair of great horned owls could be heard hooting in the trees amongst the cabins from about 4:00pm on. Coyotes started howling just at sunset and every now and then we could hear and see Canada geese flocks moving up and down the lake.


On March 17th,my aunt, uncle and I decided to try Pelican Point at LML and see if there was a difference in fish activity down there. Being St. Patty's Day I was hoping the luck of the Irish would be with us.

We got to the lake at 1:20pm and ice fished until 6:08pm. It was another great day to be on the ice with mild temps a +2 deg C  / 35.6 F, mostly sunny skies, just clouding up near sunset, and a very light breeze from the NW. There were anglers coming and going off and on all afternoon but everyone seemed to be going to a specific spot on the very W side of the lake.

We set up, and before I could even get the other set rods out, my uncle had his first fish of the day on the first drop of the lure down the hole, this looks promising.


Not long after that he picks up another one.


The fish were quite active on the underwater camera this time, and, all total, I saw 18 burbot, 8 whitefish, 6 pike and 3 Cisco / Tullibee.

Fishing luck was good too with my uncle and I icing 8 burbot & 2 pike - our best day yet this season.
It was also my best day for another reason, as one of the pike turned out to be my new personal best ever.

Here are the rest of the fish.














This is the big pike.


She was 42.5" X 18.75."




My uncle and I both happened to see most of the set rod she hit go into the hole. I ran over and set the hook.
She gave me my best fight yet. I was very careful with her as I only had 8# lb test on that rod and no steel or heavy fluorocarbon leader.
I actually hooked her on a stand out hook and a little smelt. I had my drag set as hard as I dared and she took line freely whenever she wanted, almost taking half of my line each run. It felt like I fought her for an hour, but I think it was more like 10 min. Each time I would turn her head she would bolt. A couple of times I had to wait for her to close her mouth to come up the hole. If she opened her mouth it was wider than the 8" hole. I had the tip of her nose twice up to the top, but my uncle could not get a grip and as soon as she felt his hand, she was gone again. I think she may have done those maneuvers before. Finally, the 3rd time the tip of her jaws broke surface my uncle was able to ice her.  As he handed her off to me, the fish turned, and a few of her large teeth raked the side of his pointer finger, ouch, blood pored freely from the 4 slash marks. We took her length and girth measurements, a few photos, and sent her on her way quickly. She powered back down the hole no problem. Just to be sure she was fine, I took the underwater camera and checked under the ice, but she was gone.

Finally, finally, after all the years I have been fishing, I broke the 40" mark on a pike.
That made my day right there, anything else was bonus, and there were more burbot and one more pike to come after her.
We also got my uncle patched back up and we both continued to catch fish.

Here are the fish we kept.

A future fish fry for our family and friends.

The end to a great day on the ice.


So all in all, it was a very exciting 2 days for my family and I.  The luck of the Irish was indeed with me on St. Patty's Day.

It will be a challenge for me to top that pike, but I am more than willing to keep trying.

I hope you all had a great St. Patrick's Day as well!


WW
Looking for that BIG BITE!


Offline Grim

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Re: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« Reply #14 on: Mar 21, 2014, 08:08 PM »
grats on getting a PB pike great job!!!

Offline Water Wolf

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Re: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« Reply #15 on: Mar 27, 2014, 01:56 AM »
Thanks Grim, it felt really good to so and can't wait to do it again. :)

Hi Guys,
Here is my report for March 22nd.

We met fellow members Shawno, Jpicks and their family and friends at LML. :)
We fished together from 11:45am to 6:20pm.

It was a cold day on the ice with wind chill temps into the - 20 deg /  F,sunny skies and a fair wind from the N, - not spring like conditions at all, more like mid winter, oh well, we take what comes our way. :P

Despite the cold temps, there was a fair amount of activity on the camera with 20 + burbot, 5 pike, 5 whitefish and 2 cisco / tullibee.

The burbot were displaying more of the signs of spawning activity now moving in loose schools of 2 - 3 fish and I did see one larger school of 6, but, for the most part, they would just pass right by and ignore the lures. 
In the end my uncle and I caught 9 burbot, 5 for me and 4 for him. :tipup:

We tried to take photos of each fish, but my camera operator had a bit of trouble with the camera and only 4 photos turned out, darn. :blink:
Here was base camp for the day.


A few of the fish photos that turned out.




I was lucky, however, that the photo of my biggest burbot of the trip turned out Ok. :)

This one was 30.5" long and really chunky. She is my biggest one so far this season.

It looked like it was a bit slow out there for most folks, not much action or running for tip ups that I seen.
From what I could tell, on camera, the burbot are just slowly beginning to think about spawning.  They are starting to school up a bit, but, not in the large schools that I have seen in the past when the full spawn mode is on. At this rate they will be spawning in April. ::)

I would like to thank Shawno, Jpicks and the others for a fun day on the ice. @)
It was nice chatting with you all and hope to do this again next season, until then, good fishing guys. :tipup: ;)

WW
Looking for that BIG BITE!


Offline Water Wolf

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Re: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« Reply #16 on: Apr 04, 2014, 04:33 PM »
Hi guys,
Here are my last few ice fishing reports for our regular ice fishing season. I decided that I would finish off the last few days in search of burbot and see how, or if, the spawn ever happens, before the season ends. :-\

Report #1.
My uncle and I are back at Pelican Pointe' on March 25th.
The temps that day are -8 deg C  / 17.6 F, with a light cloud cover and a fair wind from the SE bumping the temps down a bit lower than they should be for this time of year.

As we get to the lake we see that there are a few anglers out fishing, mostly on the W side close to shore and a few are in Little Arm Bay, to the S. 

We fished from 1:15pm - 7:00pm.

I get my uncle set up, and before I could even get any of the other set rods in place, he calls out that he has one.  In less than 2 min., he ices the first burbot of the day. :)


This, unfortunately, would be the extent of his fish that day, although, he gets over 12 taps and bumps to the lure, but no more commit for him.

I on the other hand have a better afternoon icing 6 burbot and one good sized pike. :tipup:

There were quite a few burbot on camera, but it appears that they are still just in the early stages of spawning, with mostly 1 - 2 fish going by at a time and only 1 time did I see a school of 7 - 8 fish right near the start.  2 pike and 1 whitefish were also seen.

Here are the photos of the other burbot.















This pike was the big fish of the trip at 37.4" X 18", and, I was happy to catch and release her. :)


It was nice to be out on the ice.  I will continue to keep checking on the burbot to see if they ever really get into full spawn before the time is up.


Report #2.
We return to Pelican Pointe' on March 28th, but this time, decide to try a different spot and see what's around.

We get to the lake at 1:08 pm  and fish until 7:27pm.

The sky is bright and sunny, there is a fair wind from the SE and the temps are still below seasonal at -8 deg C / 17.6 F.

There were a few folks set up not too far away from us and quite a few close to the W shoreline.
I am not sure what it is about that W shore, but lots of folks seem to go there. We may have to try it sometime next winter and see for ourselves.

Geese and crows could be heard calling up and down the lake.  A smaller plane came low and banked over us, going N down the middle of the lake.
Perhaps conservation officers checking?

We tried fishing in the new spot for and hour or so, but visibility was very poor, so we moved.
While we were packing up, my set rod went off and I iced this burbot - first fish of the day.


We set up in spot 2.  It seems to be a slower day.  There is not much fish action until around 4:00pm, and then, off and on after that.

There were a quite a few fish seen in our new location, but, most were not interested at all in the offerings. I seen 15 burbot, 5 whitefish, 4 cisco / tullibee and 1 white sucker.
The ciscos, whitefish and white sucker came in when I would hook a fish and bits of bait fell to the bottom, all 3 took turns cleaning it up.

The fishing was fair for us, considering how the rest of the anglers out there were doing. Everyone I chatted with was disappointed with catches of maybe 1 fish for their time.
My uncle did get 2 burbot - the first one was his largest of the day.

First burbot and big one of the day.


2nd one.


In the end I picked up 2 more burbot and another big pike.

The other 2 burbot. :)




My big pike.
This one was even a bit larger than the other big pike I caught a few weeks ago. She had a tiny bit more girth and she is now my new personal best at 42.5" X 18.9". ;D


She took a while to maneuver up the 8" hole making several long runs. When the fish finally came up the hole she filled it completely.

My home made loop rig did the trick catching both treble hooks just in the corner of the lip.
After a few photos and a length and girth measure, she went back and was in a hurry.  She made my day.

I did hook into 2 nice whitefish, but they have really paper thin mouths, and my larger hook pulled out of them, one half way up the hole and the other just under the ice as it turned, oh well that's OK.

All in all it was another successful day on the ice and I am happy that I beat my personal best pike that quickly.
I hope to be out on the last day of the regular season to what happens then.

Report #3
Well here it is, my last report for this years regular ice fishing season! Its March 31st, at LML's Pelican Pointe'.
The whole gang gather one more time.

We get to the lake at 12:45 pm and a buddy joins us 10 min later.
We fish until 6:15pm.

Once on the lake, we see 2 other trucks a bit S of us and again more folks fishing in Little Arm Bay and on the W side near shore.

Despite the mostly sunny skies, it's another cold day on the lake and with the wind from the E.,the wind chill temps are in the -20 deg C / -4 F range. ::)

Its quite a slow day on the lake with no anglers catching fish, that I could see.
The fish were there, just not in the mood to bite. While watching on the underwater camera I saw 16 burbot and 1 whitefish.
The burbot are, finally, now starting to move in loose schools of 2 - 3 fish with some bigger egg laden females spotted.
It appears that they will be spawning for the most part in April. I guess that's OK in the long run as it will give their population a better chance to
increase undisturbed.

Even though I charged my camera from the previous trip it was cold enough that it died half way though the day. I did bring my showdown with me that day so I was not totally fishing blind, but prefer to see exactly what's up when I can.

In the end, a couple of fish cooperated, and, our buddy, caught 1 burbot and 1 cisco / tullibee. I caught 2 burbot and lost 2.
My uncle had a tough day losing 2 burbot.

My 2 fish. :)




Despite the tougher conditions for the last day, I was still happy to be out there sharing it with my family and friends.  At least the group was not skunked.

I am happy with how my ice fishing season went this year.:thumbsup:
The cold was definitely a limiting factor this season, but, we tried to go out on the slightly nicer days, and, were rewarded with fish each time.
I am excited with all the big pike we found this year. I have not seen, or caught, that many big pike through the ice. @)

Thanks everyone for sharing your stories, your words of advice and encouragement throughout this season - much appreciated. :)
I had a good time putting together my photos and reports to share with you too.

I hope you all have a great open water season.

Although our regular ice fishing season is over, there are no closed season dates for stocked trout here in SK. so, with a bit of luck, and, hopefully nice weather, I will try my hand for them at least once in April. It will probably be my own rainbows, but we will see. 
Hope to put together a few Ice fishin' overtime reports for you all yet. ;)

WW
Looking for that BIG BITE!


Offline Water Wolf

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Re: My 2013 / 2014 Ice fishing reports.
« Reply #17 on: Apr 18, 2014, 05:47 PM »

Well it looks like my idea for going for trout this April will not happen. :P 
A few weekends ago I went to try for my own trout only to find the pond sitting under several inches of water and several big cracks in the ice. No way I was going on that. :blink:
My last shot was this weekend but mother nature put a stop to that with several more inches of snow and icy roads. It's coming down hard as I type this, Oh well opening day is not too far away.

I wonder if we will find any open water by then? :unsure:

Until then, have a fun and safe time every one. ;)

Water Wolf out!

P.S - Happy Easter. ;D


WW
Looking for that BIG BITE!


 



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