three mile

[63110]

Going to head down.  Have a buddy said we can use his snowmobile.  Figure we would be okay, but figured better check with guys that have fished it lately.  So you guys think it is safe?

Are they still biting?  Don't need specific areas, but water depth and lures would be a great help.

Thanks guys! 

[toothfish]

I was on it last Sunday. Ice is great. Many trucks on the ice. We used a 4 wheeler .
Fish were scattered though the trees . We concentrated on the creek channel out from the north ramp. (Don't use this ramp)
Many 8" crappie . There are some nice crappie in the lake but the biggest we got was 10".
Had one "big fish" on ...came unbuttoned. Didn't get to see it.  Probably was a 5lb+ Bass (LM or Wiper) 

[63110]

What ramp are you guys using.  Only been on the lake a couple times.  How were the trucks getting along with all the snow? 

If you don't mind me asking, what depth where you fishing?

[holdem]

Toothfish, why not use the north ramp??

[toothfish]

Use the east ramp (with shelter house) . We tried to go up to the north ramp and found the B road had not been plowed. There may be a road coming in from the north but east ramp will put you on the ice. (nice lot for trailers) Last Sunday there wasn't that much snow on the ice. Any 4x4 will work great. We got along fine with a 4x4 4wheeler.
Up there we found the channel 20 -21 fow. We fished it and some 17' trees just off the channel. This was my first trip north on 3 mile . Normally ice fish the south end. Crappie are everywhere.... tried something new.

[holdem]

Thanks for the info...ya there is a gravel road that comes from the north also. That level b road sucks when the weather is dry and 75 out. Where do you live?

[jmccullo]

Has anyone had any luck with the walleyes?  I want to head down to 3 Mile sometime and try my luck at some walleyes and crappies.  I have heard alot of good things about 3 Mile.  I have only fished it during the summer so I dont know much about the lake.  I have only been ice fishing 2 times and both times have been at Big Creek and I havent caught a thing.  I just bought my own ice fishing poles on Friday night so I am hoping to put them to alot of use before the ice melts.  If anyone is heading out to 3 Mile and wouldnt mind a ice fishing rookie to tag along let me know.  I am trying to put together enough money to buy my own auger, shack and flasher but we just had our first little one so the funds are tight right now.  I wish I would have picked up ice fishing before I turned 28 so I would have all the equipment I needed by now.  Hopefully I will be able to ice my first fish here within the next few weekends!  Good luck guys.  Hopefully I will be able to meet up with someone and catch a few walleyes and crappies at 3 Mile!

[TRCrappie]

Definitely a good place to ice your first  fish.  Finding keepers is the tricky part with lots of sorting required

[jmccullo]

Honestly I really dont keep the fish that I catch.  I am more of a catch and release guy.  I love eating panfish and walleye but I dont like to clean fish that much.  I would probably just throw back any fish that I catch.  I finally just got my ice auger today from the wife for valentines day so with or without a shack or vexilar I think that I will make my first trip to 3 Mile next weekend.  Hopefully I can find a used shack to buy this week sometime so I can get out of the elements but I am just going to go try my luck without a flasher.  If anyone has any suggestions on where to go down there and how deep of water I should fish in it would be appreciated. 

[TRCrappie]

If that is the case I would fish by the buoys out from the main boat ramp.  Should be between 24 and 36 feet deep depending on where you drill and their is always fish around their, they mark the roadbed.  I would just drive right out if it were me.  Use your truck for a wind block if you don't get a shack.

[bassrat]

jmccullo....if you're going without a flasher ("fishing blind")...you would probably do better hitting some of the ponds around ankeny, dmacc, or even the ponds in jester park...lots of nice gills and crappies in all of the aforementioned...plus they're a lot smaller as far as patterning fish goes...you could probably find fish in any of them in 20 holes or less, and be on a good bite in under an hour.

[pis]

I am from NW Iowa and am going to Stuart Iowa this weekend.  I have a college roomate that has never gone ice fishing and he lives in ANkeny.  Where would be some good places to take him??  Where are the ponds around ANKENY???   Where is Jester Park?

[toothfish]

Jester Park?   I have ice fished one of the ponds in Jester.  Don't waste your time.
Ankeny ... Big Creek . Sunday there is a tourny.
Badger creek may be your best bet . SW of west DesMoines .

There is many lakes between DesMoines and Stuart.
West lake
three mile
twelve mile
 I know I'm missing some of them.,,,,

[jkwildhunting]

Leave the good lakes out Phill 
I knew i had you trained well.

[jmccullo]

thanks for the info guys.  I think if I come down this weekend I will be coming with someone who has a flasher so luckily I wont be fishing blind.  From what I hear having a flasher is pretty much a must have for fishing in a bigger lake, but if you are fishing blind how do you decide where to go?  Do you just look at the DNR map and look for structures  and pick out where there are the roadbeds are?  I am sure that I will be doing some fishing blind until I can afford a flasher so I am going to need some tips or I wont be catching nothin but a cold!

[TRCrappie]

Roadbeds always hold fish, try moving a slip bobber up and down in 2 foot increments so you have your depth marked where you catch fish, that way you don't lose it when you reel up.  Fished that way with a schooley and just pulled them in by hand so I didn't lose my depth for years.

[ripNlips83]

Heading down tomarow morning. Gonna try to fill the bucket again went down last week and pulled out 50 crappie between the 2 of us with the biggest one 13". I saw what i thoght was a muskie on the cam, does anyone know if there in there? Also heard someone caught a 17.5" slab out of Twelve Mile!

[dnyelator]

Roadbeds always hold fish, try moving a slip bobber up and down in 2 foot increments so you have your depth marked where you catch fish, that way you don't lose it when you reel up.  Fished that way with a schooley and just pulled them in by hand so I didn't lose my depth for years.

I use the schooley rods all the time.  They come with a little pin that goes into one of the 4 holes on the reel.  You pull the pin, lower the jig to the depth you want to fish, then put the pin in.  Then you just reel up the line normally and put it back down, the line stops at where you had set the pin.  Works great.  I have a dozen of them, all rigged with different lures, so I never have to rig out on the ice.  Good luck!

[bassrat]

Jester Park?   I have ice fished one of the ponds in Jester.  Don't waste your time.

yeah, actually 2 of the 3 near the road have some REALLY nice fish in them....if you're going on the ice, i'd start with the one by the golf course maintenance shed. also, i see that you're from granger...when i lived in grimes a few years back, there was a couple ponds about 4 miles straight south of there that had some really nice gills and crappies in em'...if ya could get past the 12" bass and occaisional northern.

[holdem]

Heading down tomarow morning. Gonna try to fill the bucket again went down last week and pulled out 50 crappie between the 2 of us with the biggest one 13". I saw what i thoght was a muskie on the cam, does anyone know if there in there? Also heard someone caught a 17.5" slab out of Twelve Mile!

Did you have any luck ripnlips....

[ripNlips83]

Went down Thursday pressure was kinda high fishing was a little slow. we set up in our spot from 8 Am to dark and managed our limit again with the biggest one being 12". They are really good early, didnt have many bites through midday. We set up on the middle roadbed tying for some eyes, but no luck just dink crappies. I have tried walleye fishing several times hard/open water and i have never had luck, the only eyes ive ever caught were by accident. think ill stick to crappies. Snow is really deep on the lake. Had a hard time in the power wagon but she never lets me down!

[holdem]

How will a 4x4 atv get around...

[jmccullo]

I am heading down on Sat. without a flasher.  I know it will be a tough task catching fish but does anyone have any advice on where to head and how deep of water to fish?  I have done some research online to find out about the structure and contour of the lake.  I am just tired of ice fishing around Des Moines!!  If anyone could PM me and let me know where to go it would be appreciated.  Keep in mind that I have a car so I wont be driving on the ice and I also am just a beginner with the ice fishing so I dont have a sled to pull all my stuff around with.  Just looking for something closer to shore within walking distance.  Any help would be good.  Thanks guys.

[jmccullo]

BTW, if anyone feels like going down there with me just PM me before I leave at 0830

[TRCrappie]

The roadbed is easily accessible.  By the buoys it drops off in the channel to about 34 or 36 feet.  Have caught catfish by the bottom and crappies up higher would fish one pole towards the bottom and another 5 or 10 feet off the bottom.  Would go but have caught way to many marginal crappies out of that lake.  Good lake to go if you just want to catch fish.  Good luck.

[reddiwhip]

I use the schooley rods all the time.  They come with a little pin that goes into one of the 4 holes on the reel.  You pull the pin, lower the jig to the depth you want to fish, then put the pin in.  Then you just reel up the line normally and put it back down, the line stops at where you had set the pin.  Works great.  I have a dozen of them, all rigged with different lures, so I never have to rig out on the ice.  Good luck!

Schooley Rods-

Same here.  I have been using schooley rods for quite some time.  These are by far the best pan fishing rods you can buy.  I typically like to keep around 5-6 rigged up with a different set-up so that I can easily adjust to what the fish are hitting on.  For years my friends always laughed at the simple old school rods, however now they all use em, and they spend a hell of lot less time messing with tangled line and reel issues. 

I would highly recommend these rods to any beginner or experienced fisherman looking for ease and simplicity.