Author Topic: Ice reports from my routes. (Read 6946 times)

SeisMec · « **on:** Nov 20, 2016, 01:05 PM »

I have a new job because of the oil prices. Now days I'm driving 2 out of town routes and then around BisMan the rest of the week.

Mondays route takes me to Carson, Elgin, Mott, Lemmon SD, Hettinger, Scranton, Bowman, Medora, Dickinson, Richardson, Hebron, Glen Ullin, New Salem then back into the warehouse. Just about a 400 mile, 10 hrs trip depending on the stops I make and weather.

Thursdays takes me north to Wilton, Washburn, Underwood, Center, Stanton, Hazen, Beulah, Zap, Killdeer, Dickinson, I go to almost all the mines and power plants along HWY 200 and any of the towns along I-94 from the Monday run that needs something urgently. About a 380 mile 9 hrs run depending on stops and weather.

They are going to get a little longer this winter when I stop and start asking about ice conditions. You know I'll just have to blame it on the weather!

SeisMec · « **Reply #1 on:** Nov 21, 2016, 12:30 PM »

Lunch today at the Trappers Kettle in Belfield ND. All the creeks and sloughs have ice on them. White Lake still has open water and geese sitting on it.

nd.walleye · « **Reply #2 on:** Nov 21, 2016, 12:33 PM »

That's a lot of driving!

Look forward to seeing your posts.

SeisMec · « **Reply #3 on:** Nov 21, 2016, 06:50 PM »

The Green River , Sweet Briar Lake and Crown Butte Lake are pretty much ice free. Only 376 miles today, didn't have any drops in Lemmon or Medora. Left the warehouse at 6:30am and back in by 3:30pm.

Northern Nomad · « **Reply #4 on:** Nov 21, 2016, 09:06 PM »

Appreciate your reports seismec. I can't wait to get on some ice. Hopefully the temps will start to cooperate.

SeisMec · « **Reply #5 on:** Nov 21, 2016, 09:43 PM »

The drivings the boring part except when I get to see some wildlife. Got to see 3 different buck chasing does. I saw another that jumper a fence and was trottong to cross I94, rut stupid!

It's been in the teen's and 20's over here the last few nights so that is cooling the lakes down quick. A freind that lives in the Upham, Newburg area said they have about 1 to 1 1/2 inches on the sloughs but the lakes are still open.

SeisMec · « **Reply #6 on:** Nov 23, 2016, 07:26 PM »

Thursdays north route run today. East and west Arroda, skim ice in the cattails is about all. Just about got myself a coyote just west of the lakes. Lake Ilo 99% ice free, ice in the creek where Hwy 200 crosses. Had to run down to Elgin south of I94, went past Heart Butte Reservoir (Lake Tschida) couldn't see any ice from the Hwy.

Saw about 200 out of state plates heading south on Hyw 6 on the way back into the warehouse. Figured it was the protesters heading back down to Cannonball. Figured right, Boss had to go to Fort Yates this morning and got hung up behind them when he was coming back into town.

SeisMec · « **Reply #7 on:** Nov 28, 2016, 04:35 PM »

No out of town route today.

nd.walleye · « **Reply #8 on:** Nov 29, 2016, 08:58 AM »

I'm betting after all this wonderful snow the water temps just tanked. I'm guessing we'll have good fishable ice in no time.

bmiller423 · « **Reply #9 on:** Nov 29, 2016, 04:55 PM »

Hope so. My gear has been ready for 3 weeks. Waiting patiently.

SeisMec · « **Reply #10 on:** Nov 29, 2016, 07:09 PM »

Looks like Thursdays run is on if the weather holds. I'll let you know what I see that evening if I do make my route.

On the plus side this wind will be stirring the water up and help cooling it down.

corny13 · « **Reply #11 on:** Nov 29, 2016, 07:32 PM »

Next week's forecast looks GREAT!!!!

SeisMec · « **Reply #12 on:** Nov 29, 2016, 09:21 PM »

I like it for 2 reasons and one has nothing to do with icefishing.

Bryan in iowa · « **Reply #13 on:** Nov 30, 2016, 08:33 AM »

I m sure it will hopefully send some people to warmer climates!

corny13 · « **Reply #14 on:** Nov 30, 2016, 12:21 PM »

Quote from: SeisMec on Nov 29, 2016, 09:21 PM

I like it for 2 reasons and one has nothing to do with icefishing.

bmiller423 · « **Reply #15 on:** Dec 02, 2016, 08:24 AM »

Picked someone up at the airport yesterday and he said when they got off the airplane there were a ton of them flying out.

Limbow · « **Reply #16 on:** Dec 02, 2016, 11:37 PM »

Good riddance! It's not even cold yet! It might clear out in a week.

SeisMec · « **Reply #17 on:** Dec 03, 2016, 11:19 AM »

Sorry for the later report for Thursday 12/1. That was a very crappy day out on the road, I had the F550 locked in 4X4 almost all day. I had ice, black ice, freezing rain and packed snow for most of the route. Coo-does to the hwy crews along HWY 200, most of you poured on the chemical and got the crap off the roads. BIG THANKS. Then there were other areas that didn't do Nothin'! Made it for some miserable, butthole puckering, teeth rattlin' driving.

Onto the ice: I can't tell you about Crown Butte or Sweet Briar, I had my eyes on the road and it was still dark. Lake Ilo had white and yellow/brownish ice around the edge of the lake out to ~50 ft or so from shore. West Arroda Dam, call it no ice at all. The large slough known as Mandan Lake that is along Hwy 200 has some white ice on it. Anyone know if it is a "fishable" lake?

This next week should see good ice formation with the temps dropping to single digits! Maybe it will get rid of a few more trouble makes.

SeisMec · « **Reply #18 on:** Dec 03, 2016, 11:40 AM »

Sorry fellow NODAKS. personal opinion here. I have absolutely nothing against peaceful protesting; it's part of what made this nation the great place it is. Destructive protesting only leads to mob rule, unless it leads to civil war and a change of government. Here, at this time and place; it's just destructive protesting for the sake of trying to impose mob rule. End of rant.

bmiller423 · « **Reply #19 on:** Dec 05, 2016, 12:25 PM »

Quote from: SeisMec on Dec 03, 2016, 11:40 AM

Sorry fellow NODAKS. personal opinion here. I have absolutely nothing against peaceful protesting; it's part of what made this nation the great place it is. Destructive protesting only leads to mob rule, unless it leads to civil war and a change of government. Here, at this time and place; it's just destructive protesting for the sake of trying to impose mob rule. End of rant.

Amen!

bmiller423 · « **Reply #20 on:** Dec 05, 2016, 12:26 PM »

Checks a few smaller lakes yesterday. Most had 2-3 inches of ice - kind of mushy. My guess is with the cold temps things will harden pretty quick.

DUGuy · « **Reply #21 on:** Dec 05, 2016, 02:55 PM »

I am from pa and enjoy following your ice updates. We are minimum of 3 to 4 weeks out to get a solid 4 inches. Unless something crazy happens. Keep the updates coming, fun to read about other areas when our lakes have only had minimum skim ice around the first 10 or 15 yards out. And it has been near 50 as of the last week or two.

Ranger619 · « **Reply #22 on:** Dec 05, 2016, 07:26 PM »

Really like your reports !! We're coming up to NE South Dakota the week in between the holidays !! We really want to check out North Dakota though so maybe in January.

If I can ask why are the people that were protesting flying home ? I would have figured they lived around the area effected

SeisMec · « **Reply #23 on:** Dec 05, 2016, 07:50 PM »

Another crappy day on the route. Started snowing before I got to Carson this AM and just got worse from there. Packed snow on the roads and white out conditions with high winds. I got lucky and got in behind a snow plow putting down sand and stayed there for the run from New Salem in. I made it back to Bismarck about 1 hour before they closed the interstate. I saw 10+ vehicles in the ditch from New Salem to Bismarck, including 3 semi's, 1 Ford pick that was towing a flatbed fifth-wheel and several other pickups and cars. That newish aluminium Ford had a hole in the drivers door about the size of a basketball where the corner of the trailer punched through, the door itself was caved in about 8 inches. Hope the driver is ok, it would have caught the driver in the upper thigh or hip area! Prayers for that person!

Sweet Brair and Crown Butte are icing over very well. Both have 1.5 acres or less of open water left.

SeisMec · « **Reply #24 on:** Dec 05, 2016, 08:07 PM »

Quote from: Ranger619 on Dec 05, 2016, 07:26 PM

If I can ask why are the people that were protesting flying home ? I would have figured they lived around the area effected

You would be figuring wrong Ranger. A vast majority of the protesters are from out of state and even out of country. The last numbers I saw were 575 people arrested and only 8% (<50)are from ND. The bad ones are turning the local population against the tribes with the bad things that are happening around here.

Ranger619 · « **Reply #25 on:** Dec 05, 2016, 08:17 PM »

It's funny but the media doesn't report it that way. I guess that shouldn't surprise us though right.

Bring on some safe ice !!! Enough of that political stuff

bmiller423 · « **Reply #26 on:** Dec 06, 2016, 09:22 AM »

KSTP out of Minneapolis had a satellite truck here yesterday to broadcast live from the campsite - same with several other national media sites.

A bunch of protestors were upset that hotels wouldn't let them stay there due to issues with bedbugs and lice when the snow storms rolled in. The airlines here are offering hairnets for flights out of Bismarck.

bmiller423 · « **Reply #27 on:** Dec 07, 2016, 10:22 AM »

Plan to fish Sunday - will have a report on ice conditions later that day. Little concerned that the amount of snow we received may delay the ice making conditions and accessing some of the smaller lakes.

SeisMec · « **Reply #28 on:** Dec 07, 2016, 07:14 PM »

Stay safe. Use a flotation suit or life jacket please, don't want to read about you in the paper!

IcePirateJace · « **Reply #29 on:** Dec 08, 2016, 07:56 AM »

Bmiller, I know how people are about keeping their spots secret but what general area were you checking? We fish mainly around the Tuttle/Robinson area. Was thinking might head to cherry pretty soon since that's not so deep and pretty small.

News:

Author Topic: Ice reports from my routes. (Read 6946 times)