Iroquois lake?

[whale1979]

Anybody have any idea how thick the ice is? And how the bite is?

[ggpr]

I would also be interested to know whats going on out there.

Thanks in advance if anyone can help!

[tfm00]

was up at big shell last weekend and there was 5-7 inches of ice

[ToonFisher]

Iroquois has slightly over 1' of ice and 1' of snow. It's really tiring to drag a sled. I managed ~500 yards from the bridge and 1 small pike in 2.5 hours.

[306redneck188]

Was out last week no fish in three hours. I heard that the leask RM put out a warning for Iroquois and grassy lake they stated they were draining water out possible unsafe ice conditions . I really can't see how they can drain so much water to make the lake unsafe. I will know more tomorow night.

[coltcurtis]

Really sketchy out there...some areas 10 inches...then 3 inches a few feet away...guy I heard also saying he was driving off ( crazy he drove on in first place) and his tracks behind were filling up with water....with warmer weather sticking around I would pass on Iroquois for a bit

[saskarcher]

they are lowering lake levels there right now, not sure how safe the ice will be.  We won't be taking a truck out there for sure.

[306redneck188]

There is about a foot of ice on the north end . I would still be very careful . That lake can have thin ice on a good year. The whitefish are beautiful there .

[ToonFisher]

Ice is not very thick and varies around the 1' mark, possibly on the weak side for driving on. The lake surface has rugged ice with little snow and is ideal for walking or driving. I saw a few trucks and shacks. This is my 2nd ever trip to Iroquois. My 1st was slow at the bridge last week when I iced one pike. This time I went to the town site and cover over 500 yards of reed line left and 500 yard right plus some deep water. Whitefish was finally located close to 4 pm and quickly filled my limit. They were 19-20" and 3-4# each and had a sweet flavor. They take darter and wireworm but I couldn't feel the bite. Flasher marked them atop the weeds and their tugging was felt by jigging every few seconds. I lost one auger bit at the beginning due to rugged ice and had to manage bumpy and noisy drills with one blade.

[North40 fisher]

Anyone been on in the last week? Ice thickness?

[coldazice]

my cousin has a cabin out there, fished last sunday and the ice was 12-18", being that inconsistent I'd be wary about traveling out to the islands and stay away from the creek that flows in from the south west side of the lake.

[FishnFever]

I was out there on Sat and Sunday.  Ice was around 1 ft.  Drilled at both big island, north shore and near bridge at south side.  Fishing was a bit weak.  We had 3 small pike in a few hours each day.  Ice is rough in a few places with very little snow.  We had skidoos out on ice...We did not take trucks.

[coldazice]

Ice is not very thick and varies around the 1' mark, possibly on the weak side for driving on. The lake surface has rugged ice with little snow and is ideal for walking or driving. I saw a few trucks and shacks. This is my 2nd ever trip to Iroquois. My 1st was slow at the bridge last week when I iced one pike. This time I went to the town site and cover over 500 yards of reed line left and 500 yard right plus some deep water. Whitefish was finally located close to 4 pm and quickly filled my limit. They were 19-20" and 3-4# each and had a sweet flavor. They take darter and wireworm but I couldn't feel the bite. Flasher marked them atop the weeds and their tugging was felt by jigging every few seconds. I lost one auger bit at the beginning due to rugged ice and had to manage bumpy and noisy drills with one blade.

At Iroquois catching anyou whitefish in water deeper than 10' is uncommon . They are not the big mouthed pigs of diefenbaker either. That said, the average size the past few years has been 3.5-4.5 lbs, taste has been second to no lake in this province.  I have for nearly 30 years fished for them by sight only. They bite softly but quickly,  if you're waiting to feel a tug you've likely let dozens pass by. They'll come in quick with mouth open and if you make a sudden move they'll shoot off. Sight helps a lot there . The walleye however are in deep basins untill later in the afternoon and in recent years have been quite aggressive to perch patter PK spoons with just a minnow head or bare. Pike, often 7-12 feet and hit well on smelts, herrings and ciscos.

[ToonFisher]

I have yet to find walleye or burbot there. I will try deep basin at my 4th trip there. The whites I found were in 9'-10' of water in weed bed as you suggested before. I never arrived earlier than 10 AM. They bite before noon and again aggressively after 3 pm until sunset. Sight fishing works but it is too dark after 3:30 pm. I could feel 1/3 of the bites. I use a spoon or darter plus a wireworm 12" above, similar to what people use in the Great Lakes. For some reason my jigging didn't spook them in the past two weekends. They are indeed better in taste.

[coldazice]

I have yet to find walleye or burbot there. I will try deep basin at my 4th trip there. The whites I found were in 9'-10' of water in weed bed as you suggested before. I never arrived earlier than 10 AM. They bite before noon and again aggressively after 3 pm until sunset. Sight fishing works but it is too dark after 3:30 pm. I could feel 1/3 of the bites. I use a spoon or darter plus a wireworm 12" above, similar to what people use in the Great Lakes. For some reason my jigging didn't spook them in the past two weekends. They are indeed better in taste.

The Burbot are hard to come by at this time of year, although they can be caught. In March you can't keep them off. Walleye are in the basins during the day, however after 3pm they move in quite shallow, I often catch them in 7-10 feet of water along sand flats. Until the last 2 years you literally couldn't catch a whitefish on anything more significant than a wire worm or an 1/8th ounce jig, even bait would make them wary. Last year I had a few great days using a 1/4 oz pk spoon with a minnow head.

In that lake the whitefish do tend to run on time cycles, they bite well from 9-10, 11-12, and again solidly after 2, I can't explain it but it's always been that way. You catch the odd one in the times between but they come quite consistently in those periods.

[ToonFisher]

The Burbot are hard to come by at this time of year, although they can be caught. In March you can't keep them off. Walleye are in the basins during the day, however after 3pm they move in quite shallow, I often catch them in 7-10 feet of water along sand flats. Until the last 2 years you literally couldn't catch a whitefish on anything more significant than a wire worm or an 1/8th ounce jig, even bait would make them wary. Last year I had a few great days using a 1/4 oz pk spoon with a minnow head.

In that lake the whitefish do tend to run on time cycles, they bite well from 9-10, 11-12, and again solidly after 2, I can't explain it but it's always been that way. You catch the odd one in the times between but they come quite consistently in those periods.

My 1/8 oz spoons (PK and Pelican Lures) fit your description. The 2" Lindy darter is an exception. Will whites become slow in late January or February?

[coldazice]

The whites actually only get more aggressive as the winter progresses, the whole lake actually wakes right up. Last year my biggest issue was avoiding the mess of 4-5" perch that seemed to love the pk spoons, when I found the areas where they weren't the walleye came right in and aggressively.

[ToonFisher]

The whites actually only get more aggressive as the winter progresses, the whole lake actually wakes right up. Last year my biggest issue was avoiding the mess of 4-5" perch that seemed to love the pk spoons, when I found the areas where they weren't the walleye came right in and aggressively.

Great to know this.

[BigO]

Heading out to Iroquois on Tuesday. Hope to catch some Whites for my in-laws. ToonFisher when you say townsite were you at the launch by the store or on the development on the North End of the Lake? I was at the store area years ago and there were a bunch of shacks set up in what appeared to be very shallow water just north of the launch. I'm pretty new to Whites but my in-laws swear by them so we'll give her a go. Thanks for tips on the previous posts.

[ToonFisher]

I left my van at the parking lot of boat launch at Pelican Cove, not the development site or Pebble Bays.

[BigO]

Thanks ToonFisher.

[ToonFisher]

I went to check out Big Shell yesterday. There was a little too much snow to drive on. The wind was brutal. So I end up driving on Iroquois using the car as the windbreak. Both lakes had 18" of ice everywhere I drilled several hundred yards straight out from the launch (at least 5 holes on each lake).

[coldazice]

How did you fair at iroquois ToonFisher?

[ToonFisher]

I caught only one pike about 2# at the first hole half way to the island in 20 fow around 2 pm. Then I moved around to the east and back, dropping camera to check bottom. The later holes were shallower. There were same stationery pikes. 

[wally wacker]

is there still access on the south side of the lake there used to be an old store and rentals there

[ToonFisher]

The resort village on the south is called Pelican Cove. Obviously the store and rental are not quite visible for the winter. The access to lake is in perfect condition. There is also a ice unsafe sign.

[coldazice]

There is no chance ice is unsafe there. Stay away from the creek a few hundred yards west of the south west access and the causeway and you're good to go. This rule applies year round every year. My uncle and cousin had ice up to 18" a month ago.

[wally wacker]

for those looking for whites and not wanting to drive on. the south road takes you east and cuts the lake into a big bay years past I have caught lots of whites 50 yards off the road just turn off the highway as if you are going to pelican cove and then keep going east till you hit the lake you can fish either side of the road in the main lake or the bay