Author Topic: There is safe ice in North Jersey! (Read 10793 times)

NJ_ICE_HUNTER · « **on:** Jan 03, 2008, 03:26 PM »

Ok....tooo many guys are crying the blues on this site about no ice. So I took a drive around local lakes in Sussex county to check exact ice conditions and help you out alittle. Personally I have been on safe ice up till last Friday. This past weekend was the only time I got off cause it is too sketchy. I checked ponds around here Highland lakes, Wawayanda, Upper Greenwood lake. Most had 4-7" of nice hard ice. Stick to the lakes that are at the highest elevations and that have been froze for a while. Everything else is getting busted up by the wind. The bottom line is people just need to get out and drive and check the conditions so they can say what they are personally comfortable with. Here are some pics........so people believe me and don't send me a million PM's asking exact details. Good Luck, Be safe this weekend, and go get the ice before Monday/Tues cause it is really gonna go down hill after that.

Highland Lake Hole 6"

Highland Lake Main lake....those black spots are rocks frozen in the ice

Wawayanda Hole By boat Launch

Wawayanda Hole By boat Launch 7"

Wawayanda Looking out oward main lake (Main lake has open water......Wingdam area is safe with old holes/foottracks

KingKool · « **Reply #1 on:** Jan 03, 2008, 03:33 PM »

Very nice work!!!! I planned on checking out a couple areas tomorrow to be safe with one more night and day of freezing temps to add on to anything thats already there.

Itsallaboutcatchingem · « **Reply #2 on:** Jan 03, 2008, 03:58 PM »

Hunter...Thank you.

So should we have a get together this weekend or every man for themself?

fishking 567 · « **Reply #3 on:** Jan 03, 2008, 04:08 PM »

thinking of going on Wawayanda now but it doesnt look like the safe ice goes out very far

KingKool · « **Reply #4 on:** Jan 03, 2008, 04:38 PM »

BTW..i NEVER cry about there being no safe ice...i cry about the accuweather forecast usually!!!

NJ_ICE_HUNTER · « **Reply #5 on:** Jan 03, 2008, 05:11 PM »

Forecast wont hurt the ice through Monday. Might start getting sloppy after Tues. However, it shows on accuweather that it will cold snap again after Friday next week. I personally think the ice will hold up to refreeze again for the next cold sanp. Thats only if the D-bag weather men are correct.

*** Side note....Just to clarify cause I got email bombed with messages about this post, Wawayanda is not fully locked up but there is fishable ice in boat launch,wingdam, and around the first island . Don't venture past that. Wind was keeping it open but it may freeze by Sat.

As for good bets for Sat fishing based on my driving around the area. I will try and get better confirmation on these after I go out fishing tommorow..........
-Laurel Pond, Wawayanda
-Maybe Monksville by the trees
-Maybe Woodport in Lake Hopatcong
-Highpoint State Park Lakes
-Other small wind sheltered ponds in sussex county

Itsallaboutcatchingem · « **Reply #6 on:** Jan 03, 2008, 05:43 PM »

FYI. Webuy said Woodport IS NOT fishable yet.

doodle · « **Reply #7 on:** Jan 03, 2008, 05:55 PM »

Weather has been damn freaky so far.

fishking 567 · « **Reply #8 on:** Jan 03, 2008, 06:02 PM »

does anyone know were Laurel Pond is in Wawayanda?

Sub Zero · « **Reply #9 on:** Jan 03, 2008, 07:04 PM »

Nice job Ice Hunter, I kinda did that last year when I took a ride with Pop and posted some pics from several Morris County Lakes. Some people like to(need to) see for themselves because they just live too far from the action and when gas is 3 bucks a gallon I kinda don't blame them. Thanks!

steelchaser · « **Reply #10 on:** Jan 04, 2008, 11:16 AM »

I wonder if Woodport will be fishable by tomorrow? I spoke with DOWs and they said two days ago Woodport was pretty much open water..

KingKool · « **Reply #11 on:** Jan 04, 2008, 11:27 AM »

I would think the South End by Landing and State Park would freeze faster than Woodport but with that wind who knows...

Dizzy · « **Reply #12 on:** Jan 04, 2008, 11:49 AM »

Just popping in from my usual PA forum haunts to see what’s going on in my neighboring state and all I can say is WOW! Here’s to you NJ_ICE_HUNTER for going above and beyond the call of duty and probably being responsible for a bunch of guys calling off of work today to head towards north NJ. Fantastic post!

Now whatcha got on the PA lakes (just kidding).

Itsallaboutcatchingem · « **Reply #13 on:** Jan 04, 2008, 05:35 PM »

Stopped by Cranberry on the way home and although I didn't have my spud, I believe it's fishable.

Entire lake is locked, walked out a few hundred feet and looking at the cracks, it seems to be at least 4".

Maybe we'll meet on the ice this weekend.

Enjoy and BE SAFE.

metaliczombi · « **Reply #14 on:** Jan 04, 2008, 06:11 PM »

I stopped by Monksville and the south launch (dam side) was wide open still and the north side launch was locked up but I didn't get out of my truck to check it and the rental side has had ice for awhile but I can't give any thickness.

rowboater · « **Reply #15 on:** Jan 04, 2008, 06:22 PM »

A friend stopped by Woodport today and sent a message plus photos (but I don't know how to post):

I took today off in order to use up some carry-over vacation time. I stopped at Woodport Cove at around 3:00 to check the ice conditions. Parking at the Woodport House (formerly Oh Sullivan's), I snapped some photos from the docks. The ice looked very iffy, and had obviously taken a beating from the wind, resulting in a jigsaw puzzle-like appearance.
There was open water toward the center of the cove, and the ice adjacent to the docks was clear and thin, or nonexistant. No one was out on the ice at the time I was there.
I looks as if it may be a while before we get out on Hopatcong.

fishking 567 · « **Reply #16 on:** Jan 04, 2008, 08:21 PM »

did anyone go to Wawayanda today?

nyr114 · « **Reply #17 on:** Jan 04, 2008, 10:23 PM »

There was 6-7" on a private lake I fished today. I fished from about 9am to 4pm and only got three flags; pulled up a mangled minnow all three times

I'm headed out again tomorrow hopefully with better luck.

redwulf1 · « **Reply #18 on:** Jan 05, 2008, 01:35 PM »

I look out over Lk Hopatcong/ Bertram Island. Only skim ice in the middle lake area. This will
be gone by Sunday. We might have had a chance with this cold weather except high winds
out of the north kept wave action going.

I am dying to get to my favorite main lake point. Will try to let folks know once I see the main
lake lockup for a couple of days. Last year it was late January and even then we could not
get to any real main lake points except Chestnut. What we need for the main to lockup is
a week of below freezing during the day and teens at night with no warm days between.

Even got a new Jiffy Stealth STX 2 HP comin tomorrow. Might have to travel up to the central
Catskills to break her in.

Keep Prayin!

Itsallaboutcatchingem · « **Reply #19 on:** Jan 05, 2008, 05:26 PM »

Went out to Cranberry. 5" good ice. Got there late, but picked up a few pics. Met a few guys on the ice from down south, they started at Woodport and said they left since they didn't feel too safe.

Jig4M · « **Reply #20 on:** Jan 05, 2008, 11:32 PM »

Took a trip up to Mourningside lake in Liberty NY toady w/ShawnM. It was tough going, there was about 9" of ice, the top 2" was slushy it was all covered in about 6" of snow and the fishing was real slow. Anyway on our way up there we drove past Steenykill and it looked pretty solid with very little snow. I kinda' wish we'd stopped off there instead. Has anybody ice fished it with success? I've only fished it a couple of times in open water and it was'nt anything to write home about!

radzicto · « **Reply #21 on:** Jan 07, 2008, 09:43 AM »

I live in Hamburg NJ and can see the HIGHPOINT monument from my front window. The top of high point might be 1-3 degrees colder than my house (my lake is 300 feet away). On Saturday at 10 AM there was 5 inches and 2 guests fishing the lake. Went Sunday morning with 2 guys I invited. Don't ask about what we caught it was a slow day. The thing is, the ice from 10AM Saturday till 8AM Sunday lost 1 inch, the eight inch holes stayed open from the day before. I would say that there is more than likely no safe ice in the state, or there won't be after today. If you go, don't walk out and then start cutting, check it and check it several more times on the way out, it's no time to see if your ice picks will work.

radzicto · « **Reply #22 on:** Jan 07, 2008, 09:49 AM »

I should have been more specific, I was fishing Scenic Lakes, not Steenykill on highpoint. Those were the specific conditions I posted just prior to this.

Steenykill had some nice crappie from the few times I fished. Have observed 2-3 times that some jerks have caught and left hundreds of shorts on the ice, gills, perch and crappie. This was visable from the highway. No idea what the fishing is like since last trip was 3 years ago open water.

Bukshot · « **Reply #23 on:** Jan 09, 2008, 04:46 PM »

Cripes - This weather is nuttier than squirrell sh*t. I was gonna get my ice sled ready, but instead I'm thinking about opening the pool. Please, please, please get cold.

Itsallaboutcatchingem · « **Reply #24 on:** Jan 09, 2008, 05:14 PM »

It's going to be a while before we put some tip-ups on the Garden State lakes.

radzicto · « **Reply #25 on:** Jan 10, 2008, 09:53 AM »

My lake went liquid overnight. Scenic lake in Hamburg. Last Sunday at Noon, there was 4 inches. Now the lake has skim that is going fast on only half the lake. With what's coming tonight, it might be time to get the boat checked out for salmon on Waywayanda this weekend. I guess a ride on Friday afternoon to check the launch is called for.

doodle · « **Reply #26 on:** Jan 10, 2008, 12:23 PM »

This weahter is just plain ridiculous.

TonyTheIceMan · « **Reply #27 on:** Jan 10, 2008, 02:13 PM »

Quote from: radzicto on Jan 10, 2008, 09:53 AM

My lake went liquid overnight. Scenic lake in Hamburg. Last Sunday at Noon, there was 4 inches. Now the lake has skim that is going fast on only half the lake. With what's coming tonight, it might be time to get the boat checked out for salmon on Waywayanda this weekend. I guess a ride on Friday afternoon to check the launch is called for.

I went to Wawayanda yesterday. There is still ice between the boat launch and the dam. Otherwise the lake is open.

Bukshot · « **Reply #28 on:** Jan 10, 2008, 02:31 PM »

The only saving grace is that this was much the same situation last year. I remember open water fishing in Mid January in Middlesex county. Then it got cold second half of the month and we were ice fishing end of January and all of February. Hope the same thing happens this year. Cause this really stinks.

KingKool · « **Reply #29 on:** Jan 10, 2008, 03:26 PM »

Hopefully it is the same as last year,fished all the way up to around mid March. Looking at the long range forecast we should be out in 2 weeks. But we all know how it is,the D-Bags will be off again. Why is it when they long range warm weather they are right on but when they do it for cold weather they are way off?

I am not even going to get myself worked up over it...i am too pumped up over my Giants and their upcoming game vs the Cowgirls.
I will go back to my aggravated self if they lose on Sunday...

News:

Author Topic: There is safe ice in North Jersey! (Read 10793 times)