Predictions

[Fish48]

Lake George will be late January or early February unless snow or wind conditions dictate otherwise.  Water temperatures are still in 40s.  Entire lake may not freeze over but bays will likely freeze up.

[62&done]

Seems like we're between a rock and a hard place.  No weather for ice, but if it was cold, we'd be buried in snow. Yuck! I guess I'll force myself to be patient and spend my time working on restoring the canoe.

[UofLCARDS]

Seems like we're between a rock and a hard place.  No weather for ice, but if it was cold, we'd be buried in snow. Yuck! I guess I'll force myself to be patient and spend my time working on restoring the canoe.

thing

I was thinking the same thing this morning - really want the cold - but don't want the 2 ft of snow that we would get this weekend if it were cold....plus if we just had a couple inches of ice it would "never" freeze with that much snow on it ....

[Iceman1899]

X3. Hit up a couple of my “early ice” spots to take a look after work yesterday and surprisingly found almost an 1” of ice. A foot of snow would have made more of a mess than just another restart. I’m starting to feel a little more optimistic though with the extended forecast after Monday. It might be a while before we get on the big stuff but I’m really feeling optimistic about getting on some smaller lakes and bays before new years. Gonna sneak in a bit more hunting the next weekend or 2 and keep 🤞 for some cold temps

[62&done]

Looks like a little drop in temps coming along. Fingers crossed for new years   

[Jake1]

feels like Deja vu of last year. hard to justify a dime on gear when I only use for a month or not at all last year. maybe time to move to Minnesota...

[62&done]

I feel you're pain Jake. I was just thinking today, we'll be lucky if we get 8 weeks    REAL lucky

[pmac3]

I have a 16-day window from tomorrow when I’m back in state, and that might not even happen. Hopefully the end of the week of New Years. Sucks.

[62&done]

OK all bets are off. I'm just hoping we have A season at all. I checked a small southern Adk pond this morning which is usually my go to for early ice. I found barely 2" with 4" of snow and 1" of slush on top. 2 hits with a spud and it went thru. Went back to the coffee shop while I was still dry.

            This stinks

[UofLCARDS]

Heading out Sunday, getting my bait tomorrow- a buddy checked the lake we fish last night and it had 3" of hard ice - should be almost twice as thick by Sunday....my bait guy said he has a lot of people picking up bait tomorrow too....

[T-Rok]

Hah! I said the same thing Wednesday.  Ice is 3in by sunday it will be double. I went out today and 3.5 inches but past 20 yards its 2inches and spud goes right through. Warm weather coming next week. This isnt just a repeat of last year.. it looks to be worse. I didnt want to believe global warming is real. I still dont want to believe it, but the reality is getting hard to ignore. If you ice fish in NY you know everything should be frozen by now and it just isnt that way anymore. Ice fishing might just be coming to an end in NY, at least I dont think it will ever go back to the old normal.

[UofLCARDS]

Hah! I said the same thing Wednesday.  Ice is 3in by sunday it will be double. I went out today and 3.5 inches but past 20 yards its 2inches and spud goes right through. Warm weather coming next week. This isnt just a repeat of last year.. it looks to be worse. I didnt want to believe global warming is real. I still dont want to believe it, but the reality is getting hard to ignore. If you ice fish in NY you know everything should be frozen by now and it just isnt that way anymore. Ice fishing might just be coming to an end in NY, at least I dont think it will ever go back to the old normal.

Last year I was on the ice in Mid December (my earliest ever on the lake I fish in my memory) in CNY and my last trip was the end of March ......now the ice forms a couple weeks later and ice fishing is coming to an end in CNY ?  LOL  The ice on the lake I fish gained another inch by Thursday night.....ice formation depends on the wind and snow cover as much as the cold.....the "warm weather" next week will only add to the ice on lakes where its decent now

[trapper2000]

hey if  anyone  wants  to sell their gear  let  me  know   

[T-Rok]

Please explain how warm air and rain adds to ice? That is the first I have heard of this.

[UofLCARDS]

Please explain how warm air and rain adds to ice? That is the first I have heard of this.

Melts the snow and/or runs off on the ice - sits on top of the ice and freezes into more ice .....do you have any idea how long it would take a few hours of 40 degree weather each day to melt an inch of ice ??  By the time it starts melting the freezing temps at night will be back making more ice.....The "warm air and rain" (I'm see a showers in the forecast) won't even melt the few inches of snow we have have never mind an inch of ice ..... as a matter of fact the little bit of "rain" will probably get soaked up by the dry snow we have on the ground .....I've been ice fishing for 60 years - but you don't have to believe me - thats fine ....

[UofLCARDS]

hey if  anyone  wants  to sell their gear  let  me  know   

Crap - I should have thought of that ....

[Rugburn]

Put a cup of cold water and a cup of warm water in the freezer. Who goes solid first? Fun experiment.

[T-Rok]

Well I guess if warm air and rains makes ice, we shoulda been ice fishing in July. Lol. I dont understand how spring makes ice disappear. Does cold and dry make ice melt? .. c'mon. You can deny reality, but the fact is rain and warm melts ice. It doesnt make it. I dont need Bill Nye the science guy to tell me that. Even if the water sits on the ice and melts the snow, you will still need cold to re freeze it. And there will be less ice. I will revisit in a week and see if there is more ice next weekend or less. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say less.

[T-Rok]

...I dont think anyone on here will say they will be counting on there being more ice next weekend than today. 

[trapper2000]

warm water will  freeze  first  every time  because the  molecules  are  spread and  active it's a  fun  experiment,  and  theres  no sence in  fighting  in a  week  we'll all know  who was  right...also  thanks  to a  very  extreme  el  nino  which was proticted  all summer   we  lost   a few  weeks of  fishing ....  also  we are about to  experience  a  jan thaw   both are  very  natural and  have  been  going on  for  millions of  years   relax the  end  of the  world  isn't  comeing ...well unless   brandon  pushes the red  button thinking it's  the  elevator

[Iceman1899]

Lmao. Funny how our government starts in with this global warming fear mongering stuff the last 3 years and we get a couple less than desirable icefishing seasons and all the sudden it’s the end of icefishing. I do know one thing for sure this weekend is better than last weekend and I believe next weekend will be better than last weekend as well. There is plenty of fishable ice around if you do some homework and looking. Elevation also plays a big role in what will be frozen and what won’t. I will not be sitting around complaining. Had a killer morning today and will be back at it again tomorrow while it’s around. Good luck all

[trapper2000]

Lmao. Funny how our government starts in with this global warming fear mongering stuff the last 3 years and we get a couple less than desirable icefishing seasons and all the sudden it’s the end of icefishing. I do know one thing for sure this weekend is better than last weekend and I believe next weekend will be better than last weekend as well. There is plenty of fishable ice around if you do some homework and looking. Elevation also plays a big role in what will be frozen and what won’t. I will not be sitting around complaining. Had a killer morning today and will be back at it again tomorrow while it’s around. Good luck all

 oh see this  is  exactly  what  the  preseant  addminstrations  hates  is  someone running around  spreadding the truth and  making sence

[Iceman1899]

 oh see this  is  exactly  what  the  preseant  addminstrations  hates  is  someone running around  spreadding the truth and  making sence

Don’t get me goin man! We’ll be censored before we know it 😂

[trapper2000]

you  do  know  biden  has  big money  invested in tulsa

[BUCKSKI]

I predict if I read anymore of this crap- I will go on a state wide killing spree.

Bills win tom.

[Iceman1899]

you  do  know  biden  has  big money  invested in tulsa

You mean like Pelosi pretty much owns Pfizer?

[Rugburn]

Trapper you crack me up  !  After the Bills win tomorrow, I'll get back on higher elevation small water Monday and catch a panfish meal. Just a prediction is all.

[T-Rok]

I hope your right and global warming is a total fraud. That would be best case scenario. Owasco lake where I live used to freeze the entire lake every year and had the best laker jigging around. Now you cant even barely ever perch fish at the south end through the ice. It's a very rare occurrence. Seems like a long string of bad ice fishing years now. I havent fished through the ice for lakers on owasco in at least 7 years maybe more.

[UofLCARDS]

Well I guess if warm air and rains makes ice, we shoulda been ice fishing in July. Lol. I dont understand how spring makes ice disappear. Does cold and dry make ice melt? .. c'mon. You can deny reality, but the fact is rain and warm melts ice. It doesnt make it. I dont need Bill Nye the science guy to tell me that. Even if the water sits on the ice and melts the snow, you will still need cold to re freeze it. And there will be less ice. I will revisit in a week and see if there is more ice next weekend or less. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say less.

Same principle as ice skating rinks ....they spread water on the ice as they scrape it, freezes in 20 minutes before the teams come back out ....the water spreads on the the surface of the lake ice and it freezes it.....the rinks are at least in the 50's temp wise too - whether there will be more or less ice will depend on a lot of factors - how long the temps will be in the 40's - if there is sun - the body of water being affected....how much ice is on the lake etc ....you sound like you haven't ice fished very long...I'm very familiar with the lake I fish - I know how it reacts to all conditions .....

[UofLCARDS]

I hope your right and global warming is a total fraud. That would be best case scenario. Owasco lake where I live used to freeze the entire lake every year and had the best laker jigging around. Now you cant even barely ever perch fish at the south end through the ice. It's a very rare occurrence. Seems like a long string of bad ice fishing years now. I havent fished through the ice for lakers on owasco in at least 7 years maybe more.

You can't judge "global warming" (which even the climate wackos refuse to call it any more - now its climate change - LOL) looking at weather over the last 7 years or 10 years or 50 years or 100 years .....there have been long warm periods and cold periods and average periods in the earths history and there will be more of each going forward .....all climate change is is a money making joke for rich people