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Vermont => Ice Fishing Vermont => Topic started by: MadflyfishingVT on Jan 17, 2016, 03:15 PM
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Hey, I know people went on the Waterbury Res last weekend, but didn't anyone go this weekend? If so is the ice good? Hate to get over there and not be safe ice. In addition, if you did fish the res did anything bite in the afternoon or all morning and night? Thanks!
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I take it no one fished the res😬
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Might head over there tomorrow,
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I stopped by the reservoir last Friday. Very quiet, no one was fishing. There were only two shanties on the ice. Good luck!
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I fished there sunday plenty of ice but slow bite
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Place shut right off, first ice it was amazing. Maybe it will happen again this year.
Big yellows and a few Browns and rainbows.
Happens every year, good 5-10 days of fishing then shuts off???
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The trout bite has been shut off there for the last 4-5 years.
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Fished the res last Sunday. The bite was very slow, got about half dozen perch and only a few smelt. Did manage to jig up a 17" brown. So that did make the day worth while.
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Fished the res last Sunday. The bite was very slow, got about half dozen perch and only a few smelt. Did manage to jig up a 17" brown. So that did make the day worth while.
That's a good sign trout are coming back.
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Let's hope...
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Any indication that it was wild? I know the streams that run into the res can hold some very nice wild fish.
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No I believe the brown was a stocky as the dorsal vin was clipped. Although I did flyfish the brook closest to the Stowe access and cought some wild rainbows and brookies, but no Browns. I have herd of wild Browns begging cought in the brooks though.
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They're in there there's just way too much feed for them with all the smelt.
Need to be in the broad lake to catch them.
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I agree completely, but I wonder if the state stocked another predator fish in the lake like salmon or walleye. That the fishery would improve? I know the res is over 100 feet deep, so it could definitely support something like salmon. I know a lot of people would love to see walleye in the res. what's your guys thoughts?
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I doubt that too much feed is an issue. With all those smelt in there, the trout should be breeding like rabbits, and fattening up quick, especially with a couple good nursery brooks feeding in there. There's probably a few hogs in there, but give it some time and I bet there will be a lot more trout.
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With all the smelt, they don't need to work for food too hard, that's why there's not a lot of action fishing.
Before the smelt came back it was a lot easier.
Same thing on Salem lake.
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With all the smelt, they don't need to work for food too hard, that's why there's not a lot of action fishing.
Before the smelt came back it was a lot easier.
Same thing on Salem lake.
I'll grant you that, but all days with no fish might be worth it if you land a monster. Eventually, the trout numbers should rebound with that much food around... Kind of like the cycle between coyotes and rabbit populations.
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I hope you guys are right! Used to catch some Monsters!!!! Used to catch a trout every time and a 24" brown was not uncommon. Let's hope that it does rebound as it has the potential to be an amazing trout fishery.
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I have pics and measurements of a 28" male native I caught out of there years ago through the ice that I released.
Wanted to do a replica but never did.
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Never have cought a native out of the lake its self. I have seen many large native brook trout cought threw the ice though.
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Used to be a lot of walleye in there, so if the state were to stock a new game fish that'd be my first pick. I'm not sure though, if salmon and walleye together would be a bad idea. The salmon fry would be competing with the trout in the feeder streams, so salmon might not work out.
I would like to see the walleye come back.
Didn't end up being able to get away today for fishing- maybe next week.
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I'm taking some friends who are new to ice fishing out on Sunday, everyone think the ice at Blush Hill Rd. will be plenty thick? I haven't fished the res through the ice in the past; any advice is welcome! Thanks!
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I'm taking some friends who are new to ice fishing out on Sunday, everyone think the ice at Blush Hill Rd. will be plenty thick? I haven't fished the res through the ice in the past; any advice is welcome! Thanks!
Plenty of safe ice there. You should be fine.
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I have pics and measurements of a 28" male native I caught out of there years ago through the ice that I released.
Wanted to do a replica but never did.
Post that hog! It wouldn't be native since browns are not native to VT but a wild brown that size is still amazing.
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Plenty of safe ice there. You should be fine.
X2. I saw about eight guys out on the ice around noon today. Might want some cleats as it was a bit slippery out there.
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I saw a VT Fish biologist on the res on sunday and asked about putting walleye in. He said they don't have enough fry to go around. He also said they is very little, if any trout reproduction there although some of the wild trout that get in there reproduce in the feeder streams. So, as far as fishing getting much better there in the near future it ain't gonna happen.
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I saw a VT Fish biologist on the res on sunday and asked about putting walleye in. He said they don't have enough fry to go around. He also said they is very little, if any trout reproduction there although some of the wild trout that get in there reproduce in the feeder streams. So, as far as fishing getting much better there in the near future it ain't gonna happen.
hmmm. Well I wonder where all the wild rainbow parr I have been catching on the feeder brooks are coming from then...
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hmmm. Well I wonder where all the wild rainbow parr I have been catching on the feeder brooks are coming from then...
I have also cought manny wild rainbows in the feeder streams while fly fishing! Which is great, but I am yet to catch a brown in either of the two streams! Have you been able to catch a brown in one of the streams yet?
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The brooks there all have small brook trout in them and occasionally somebody catches a monster brookie that didn't stay in the brooks. They get big in the pond, but they're lazy too. When I was a kid I caught an 18 inch one while trolling for walleyes. I have also caught wild brown trout in the lower parts of the feeder streams, so I have doubts about what the biologist said.
A few years back a state biologist told me that there were only a few hundred cormorants on Lake Champlain. I told him straight out that I've personally watched clouds of them that take several minutes to pass by- easily a thousand birds.
He didn't really say much to that.
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I have also cought manny wild rainbows in the feeder streams while fly fishing! Which is great, but I am yet to catch a brown in either of the two streams! Have you been able to catch a brown in one of the streams yet?
I haven't caught any browns in there, but it's worth a shot, especially in the fall.
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I haven't caught any browns in there, but it's worth a shot, especially in the fall.
Definitely! By the way love your channel ;D!
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Definitely! By the way love your channel ;D!
Thanks! ;D
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Definitely! By the way love your channel ;D!
Did I miss a link? Post it up, my boys and I love to watch local youtube hunting/fishing channels.
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Did I miss a link? Post it up, my boys and I love to watch local youtube hunting/fishing channels.
He was referencing my youtube channel. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/user/tomatoplot
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He was referencing my youtube channel. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/user/tomatoplot
Ok, I know your channel. We've checked out your videos many times. Nice work.
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X2 nice videos! Your pal Erik works upstairs from where I live... I think I met you briefly down by the canoe access. You were taking pictures of that beautiful laker you got on the river. Hope to see you guys out on the ice some day!
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X2 nice videos! Your pal Erik works upstairs from where I live... I think I met you briefly down by the canoe access. You were taking pictures of that beautiful laker you got on the river. Hope to see you guys out on the ice some day!
Oh nice! Yeah I remember seeing you out there that day! Kind of a fluke thing with that laker! Haven't caught one in there since. Still the biggest one I have caugh to date as well! I'll see you out there on the ice someday hopefully!
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X3 Just watched several of your videos. Very nicely done. Question, were you using wax worms on your jigs for the white perch???
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It's unfortunate that the state is so authoritarian in its FW stocking programs. They should allow to regulated publicly funded stocking programs to bring species back in lakes that once had them, or would be well suited to have them. There are tons of none natural ponds and lakes in Vermont that don't have true native fish, and could be helped with sport fish being stocked. just in central VT where we have no walleye waters, I think that Marshfield, Waterbury, berlin, and elmore would be helped by walleye populations both for bringing in anglers, and in the case of marshfield and elmore, in controlling perch overpopulation. Other states allow citizens to fund stocking projects as long as they receive a permit and purchase from an acceptable source.
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Try getting lake Champlain walleye association to shed some light on what it would take.
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Keith agree Waterbury (which had walleyes) and Marshfield would be neat if walleyes were stocked but Berlin? That pond had not been touched for 60+ years till recently why mess it up?
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Can't see Marshfield Pond or Berlin Pond being particularly good walleye water. I haven't fished Joe's Pond enough to know whether that'd be a good one. Lake Groton/Groton Pond is large enough, but might be too shallow.
Waterbury used to have them, maybe there's even some still there, but there can't be many if there are.
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Any of the man made lakes should be stocked with sport fish. I can understand an argument against stocking natural lakes with non-native species, but there is no reason why we shouldnt stock the man made ones with sport fish. Walleyes are native to vermont, they are also one of the more fun fish to target so why not toss them in a bunch of man made lakes. I just came up with some ideas. I think that Marshfield would be a great candidate, but why stop with one or two places? I am ok with tossing them in all the man made water body's and seeing what happens. It would be nice to have a few more walleye fisheries in the state to take the pressure off Carmi, IP, Chit, and Salem.
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I would love to see walleyes in main made lakes, also. I think Waterbury would be the place to start as it has the smelt, and walleyes were once present. Now, we can talk about this all day, but until we as the people speak up nothing will happen.
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Something that I don't understand is how the walleye is our state warm water fish, yet you can only find them in a handfull of locations.
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I've always thought that Sabin Pond would make a good walleye habitat
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I think there's a justifiable reluctance to stock warm water predators in waters that are managed for trout. In most cases they will out-compete the trout.
I know that bass can eat trout, but trout can't eat bass very well because of the spines. It's probably similar for walleye. I imagine that walleye can inhabit deeper water than bass, and so would overlap with the trout habitat more. I could be wrong about the specifics, but the general idea is sound.
I also recognize the fact that there are already bass in there, and that it is an artificial environment. Still I respect the fact that there are limited numbers of trout ponds remaining in VT.
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I think walleye and trout could work, but maybe your right. I do know one thing and that is Vermont has way to manny bass. I honestly would rather catch trout all day then bass. It's horrible all of vermonts old little brook trout ponds now, have bass! Bass aren't even native to Vermont! Cool fact large mouths aren't native to any part of the state, and small mouth are only native to lake Champlain! So why the hell didn't the state do anything when people started stocking them ever were!
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I call bass bank fish you take them off the hook and throw them up on the bank. They are everywhere.
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I call bass bank fish you take them off the hook and throw them up on the bank. They are everywhere.
Wow, I hope your joking?
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I like bass, but agree that there are too many little ponds out in the mountains where they've been put and don't belong. The state ought to remove length rules and creel limits for a few of those and task anglers with putting pressure on the population so trout could come back or be reintroduced.
Pickerel are another fish I like, but am annoyed that they seem to have been put into every pond... everywhere.
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Yeah I hear the trout argument, but we have plenty of trout lakes compared to walleye lakes, and trout cost way more money to continue to unsustainable stock them in places they don't survive the winter. Within 25 miles of my house in East Montpelier I can fish trout at at least 10 lakes, and there is not a single walleye lake in that same area.
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I think walleye and trout could work, but maybe your right. I do know one thing and that is Vermont has way to manny bass. I honestly would rather catch trout all day then bass. It's horrible all of vermonts old little brook trout ponds now, have bass! Bass aren't even native to Vermont! Cool fact large mouths aren't native to any part of the state, and small mouth are only native to lake Champlain! So why the hell didn't the state do anything when people started stocking them ever were!
Yeah man it's pretty sad. A few years ago I hiked to a remote pond that I knew to hold brookies. Someone had put bass in there-- and that was recently. No more brookies, as far as I could tell.
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I understand that Fish & Wildlife has used electro fishing or chemicals to remove invasive species and stock new native fish. Is that true? If so why don't they do it to more.
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It's unfortunate that the state is so authoritarian in its FW stocking programs. They should allow to regulated publicly funded stocking programs to bring species back in lakes that once had them, or would be well suited to have them. There are tons of none natural ponds and lakes in Vermont that don't have true native fish, and could be helped with sport fish being stocked. just in central VT where we have no walleye waters, I think that Marshfield, Waterbury, berlin, and elmore would be helped by walleye populations both for bringing in anglers, and in the case of marshfield and elmore, in controlling perch overpopulation. Other states allow citizens to fund stocking projects as long as they receive a permit and purchase from an acceptable source.
Berlin Pond was stocked with walleye back in the the early 1900's......as well as brook trout and Smelt. Not all at the same time, but all around 1909 and a few years after that. I don't know the history of what happened to the walleye or smelt, but apparently they never took hold.
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Berlin Pond was stocked with walleye back in the the early 1900's......as well as brook trout and Smelt. Not all at the same time, but all around 1909 and a few years after that. I don't know the history of what happened to the walleye or smelt, but apparently they never took hold.
Yes, they can "reclaim" small bodies of water by dumping chemicals that kill fish. The state has done this to some smaller brook trout waters. A biologist once told me they don't do this very much because it is expensive, and sometimes because of local opposition. The chemicals also drift downstream and further affect those waters.
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I understand that Fish & Wildlife has used electro fishing or chemicals to remove invasive species and stock new native fish. Is that true? If so why don't they do it to more.
I believe it's been a long time-- maybe it was in the 1960's-- but I could be wrong. As I understand it, it's problematical. Rotenone is the chemical that was generally used for reclaiming trout waters, and it's toxic to humans as well. There aren't many ponds in VT that don't have people living on the pond or on the outflow of the pond. Rotenone breaks down pretty quickly, but it's not used when people might be exposed-- as is the case on most water bodies in VT
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Wow, I hope your joking?
Ditto !!!!
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Reclaimation is kind of a nuclear option. Once done, a pond will be years or even decades in recovery, and it might never be what it was before the process.
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Yeah I hear the trout argument, but we have plenty of trout lakes compared to walleye lakes, and trout cost way more money to continue to unsustainable stock them in places they don't survive the winter. Within 25 miles of my house in East Montpelier I can fish trout at at least 10 lakes, and there is not a single walleye lake in that same area.
I agree. It sure would be nice to have a couple walleye lakes within 25 miles of Barre/Montpelier.
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Wonder how they'd do in Wrightsville Reservoir?
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Wow this thread got off track.
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So it seems. Isn't that part of the fun with the internet though?
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I think the state put some in Wrightsville at one time? Apparently it didn't work out?
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I think the state put some in Wrightsville at one time? Apparently it didn't work out?
I've only fished there in the summer months...haven't caught or seen any walleyes there.
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New York does a lot of trout water reclamation, but they also have LOTS of remote lakes and ponds that are on state land. This makes it easier to keep people off them while they are being killed off. Vermont doesn't have that luxury since people just LOVE building their McMansions on "pristine" lakes / ponds. That's the problem with having most of our state's waterfront in private hands.
It would be nice to have more walleye options than just Carmi and Champlain, but I don't think it's a good idea to try to mix walleye and trout. I think the walleye would have a field day with them. Could make for some awesome wally's, though, as they get fat on the trout!
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New York does a lot of trout water reclamation, but they also have LOTS of remote lakes and ponds that are on state land. This makes it easier to keep people off them while they are being killed off. Vermont doesn't have that luxury since people just LOVE building their McMansions on "pristine" lakes / ponds. That's the problem with having most of our state's waterfront in private hands.
It would be nice to have more walleye options than just Carmi and Champlain, but I don't think it's a good idea to try to mix walleye and trout. I think the walleye would have a field day with them. Could make for some awesome wally's, though, as they get fat on the trout!
The Res had both Eyes and Trout (Browns and Bows) for years and I know of an 9.5 lb eye caught the same year the State Biologists had shocked and weighed what they claimed was a State Record Brown trout there in the late 70s. We used to consistently catch 5lb trout thru the Ice there in those days and there wasn't nearly the smelt population back then. I think that the Res could support both a healthy Walleye and Trout Fishery as it did before why not now?
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I think the walleyes disappeared about the time they drained it the first time and yes, there were big trout there too while the walleyes were there.
Waterbury is large enough and deep enough to support both, as long as they keep the water in it. I remember after they drained it the first time people were catching big walleyes all the way down the Winooski. I caught some decent ones near Bolton back then, so it's not hard to guess where they went.
I'd love to see walleyes back in there, Lakers would be fun too.
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Took a look out there today, there's people fishing it, but the ice looks awful, and be warned that the roads turn to puddin' after the pavement ends.
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The res can definelty support both trout and eyes. The res is over 800 acres and 100+ feet deep, so plenty of water. We know the both can be together, and a good example is island pond.
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Wow,
Fished the reservoir today there are some hog yellow perch in there.
We had a great day just got done cleaning them.
200 yards in front of the access we hammered the perch, only one trout.
The fishing is definitely getting better there.
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How the ice looking? And any size to the trout? Brown or rainbow?
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Ice is sketchy getting on white garbage, 4-6" ice.
The trout was a pretty 11" brookie, sent back down the hole.
Did lose something heavy while jigging for perch off the bottom. Never saw it assuming it was a big brown or bass.
Bring your creepers.
Great perch fishing though......
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Did you use live bait? All my perch fishing so far this year has been done with gigs.
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Just wondering if any one has been on lately. Have they dropped the water yet? Is it safe to get on and how thick is the ice? Thanks! ;)
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Never mind😂. I just found out from a friend that they are not letting the water out this year so getting on is not a trouble. Also I found out there is 8-10" of solid black ice.
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Also I found out there is 8-10" of solid black ice.
Surface is slick, too.
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The perch bite was on yesterday there.
I was there for 3 1/2 hours ended up with 35 keepers, probably cought double that including dinks.
The res has definitely gotten better.
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The perch bite was on yesterday there.
I was there for 3 1/2 hours ended up with 35 keepers, probably cought double that including dinks.
The res has definitely gotten better.
Wow sounds great! Can't wait to get out there tomorrow for some perch and Browns. What were you using for the perch?
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Minnows
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What part of The Red do you like to fish.
The state park or the Waterbury side.
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Fished today, horrible. Only a dozen perch out of three of us and only 4 were over 8". We also had about 20 tip ups up and got not a single trout of perch on them. We had shiners, and worms on tip ups a various depths. Yet no fish!
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Welcome to the wonderful fishery known as the Rez! Sorry to hear about your day. I went up to Joe's Pond. The bite was definitely slow, perch & smelt were very finicky. Did get enough for a meal for four. Saw a beautiful 28" +/- brown trout that a new ice fishing friend caught mid morning using a smelt. They have been fishing all season and this is only there second brown.
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That sucks, the reservoir is either good or bad. Never anything in the middle.
I almost went there today glad I didn't.
We got into some decent crappie on dillenbeck instead.
Don't give up on the res for one bad day, I've had many.
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I don't plan on giving up. Talked to the game warden he said the res is improving and this has been the best year in the past four. I have to agree cause four years ago you would be lucky to just get a smelt😂. I plan on going back this week cause I have a week off, but Monday I'll be heading up to Carmi for some eyes and pike!
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Mike were you one of the guys fishing just off the launch 100 yards?
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We were moving around that whole area.