IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Canada => Ice Fishing Saskatchewan => Topic started by: engineman on Nov 13, 2014, 11:55 AM
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Wont be too long!!! ;D
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Will it be 4" this Sunday in the shallow?
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going out tomorrow for a look will check most areas of the lake and report back tomorrow. 4" would be great but not likely. its been fairly windy out here the last 4-5 days even over night. that's not good ice making conditions. anyway i will let you know.
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Northend froze over in the last couple days. One spot still open in the middle in front of golf course. It always seems to be the last area to freeze up?
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thanks corney, i'll still get my walk on report .if there is walk on .checking different areas.
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I didn't even know there was a golf course at Shields, all these years of fishing at Blackstrap! I guess you do learn something everyday.
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was out at the strap today and all looks pretty good for the first walk on. 3" most everywhere i checked didn't venture to far out but did happen to find 10-12 fow with 3" of ice in a few locations .shoreline in places is crusty most of its solid.I did not check the very north end don't fish there. anyway the forecast looks good over the next little while so the ice should thicken up nicely.think I will head out this weekend for a couple hours in the evening.. just be careful and don't take anyone's word on how the ice thickness is including mine always check for yourself take it slow and have a great hard water season.
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Hope it will be not too windy to have a try on Sunday.
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I didn't even know there was a golf course at Shields, all these years of fishing at Blackstrap! I guess you do learn something everyday.
Probably doesn't look like a golf course if you only fish there in the winter?
Still some geese sitting in an open spot out there. I always wonder why they hold out so long. If I was a goose sitting out in the middle of an iced over lake on a day like yesterday I would have started flying South!
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Will it be 4" this Sunday in the shallow?
It was 4' last February! Was in the garage yesterday and noticed my auger sticking up about 6', reminded me how much fun it was drilling holes last year.
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Hope the fishing is better then it was a month ago, usually fishing is good right to the bitter end. Was out in the middle of Oct and even the pike didn't want to bite, which is odd. Was all over that lake and froze my butt off and nothing, first time all year.
Good luck on the fishin
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I also found it slow at blackstrap in october (only went out once there) but the rest of the soft water season was pretty good for me this year again. I think i have got blackstrap soft water figured out but i have had poor luck ice fishing out there the last two years. Maybe this is the year i can figure out blackstrap on the ice. I have tried being very mobile and fishing a bit after dark but had minimal luck. Last year on the ice we mostly fished the south end near evans road and the provincial park boat launches. I am thinking of trying some spots i had success in september for early ice and maybe more in the north end this ice season.
Does anyone have any tips for depth or structure at this time of year?
I am thinking i will walk out next weekened if the ice holds and gets thicker this week. With the current forecasts it should definitely keep growing the ice, although maybe not as fast as last week.
Does anyone who went out this weekend have any reports on ice thickness?
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Took a little drive on Saturday in the hurricane winds. That blew me to this lake and ventured on for a quick peak with the ice auger. Drilled a few holes very sketchy only maybe 2" of ice, not clear black and needs a few more days yet!
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4-5" of black ice under 2" of loose snow at Evans Road now. There is no open water in sight. Not many fish though.
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wow.... 5" I can smell the 2 stroke already.
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Drilled a line of holes with Ion and hand auger from 15' to 24' 30-50 yards from shore. The blades were blunt last year for both systems. The hooks are not sharp either, probably safer for the fingers.
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Sounds like the only thing sharp was the fisherman?
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not either. lost 3 out of 4 half way.
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Looking to be quite warm this weekend. Anyone pounded any holes lately?
Might be time to fix up the ice shack this weekend. It rolled across my yard last spring in a plow wind!
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buddy and i were out yesterday south end did a morning fish and an evening. walleyes were active more so in the evening caught 5-6 in the am lots on the graph in the evening we landed around 15 no perch or pike. kept our limit of course.
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how's the ice?
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where we were 6"- 7" good ice
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good stuff....should hold ol plus size me!! ;D
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thanks for sharing
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NO problem.
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Got soaking wet with half an inch of water over six inches of seethrough ice near Shields late afternoon today. Fish was rare on the flasher. Got one perch and two walleye on chubby carter.
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i was out from 5-8 pm on the north end of the lake by the dam on wednesday evening. There was 7 inches of ice at that time and also there was a pressure ridge a few feet back from the rocks at shore on the dam. I saw some spots with open water in the pressure ridge, cross at your own risk and do so very carefully if you do.
Sadly we didnt even see a fish on the flasher or camera. There was a TON of little beetles with wings/flippers coming in for the light on the camera.
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Every year I see less and less fish on the flasher at Blackstrap. Too many idiots taking small fish home or going over their limits. I try to stay away from the Strap buts its so close which is the problem also. Last year their was so much garbage at the end of the year, it was sickening. I prefer to head north and get away from the idiots, sorry for the rant.
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I think the fish count are stable since I started there in 2011. Fish will concentrate as winter progress.
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I think there are definitely still decent numbers of fish in blackstrap. As i said earlier in this thread, my open water fishing at blackstrap the last two years has been pretty darn good considering all the obvious reasons for it to have worse fishing than say an average northern lake that isnt hit too hard. If i recall correctly i remember reading somewhere that blackstrap isn't even stocked with fish? It's pretty crazy considering how busy it is that there would be any fish at all haha. I only ever do blackstrap on week nights in the summer, or sometimes I start earlier if i can get off work. It is generally pretty busy, I can't imagine what weekends look like these days in the summer. I have done a couple saturdays out at blackstrap in the winter before and that shanty village at the north end can get pretty large.
If the fish will be concentrating for the winter i can only assume that if you happened to find them and they were active/feeding that could make for some really good days. My experience ice fishing at blackstrap (only been ice fishing regularly 3 years now) generally consisted of 2 to 6 people spending 3-10 hrs on the lake, and usually we would relocate the tent if no fish were caught after 1.5-2 hrs (if weather wasnt too insane). On the nice days we would drill a ton of holes trying to locate structure and hole hop giving each hole maybe 5-20 min. At any rate i think the best we have done is 5 pike over the course of say an 8 hr day. Although i am always learning more about fishing the more i do it and i am becoming more successful so perhaps i should maybe use one of my full weekend days that i am free to go fishing and just stick around blackstrap and do my "homework" on that lake so i am more prepared for shorter after work outings.
What does everyone consider a good ice fishing day at blackstrap (clarify if it would be for a full day or half day etc) ?
All that being said i prefer to head north too beachcomber. I find Diefenbaker and the Saskatchewan River systems to be among the best options for good fishing within 60 minutes of Saskatoon (for the summer, i still haven't got diefenbaker in the winter figured out, thats my plan for this year though!). I wish that some of the lakes i wanna to get out on up north weren't so damn far making a day trip not practical (from saskatoon). Having a little 2 year old son doesn't allow me to get away for as many over night trips as before but as soon as he gets old enough i expect me and him to be able to go away any weekend we want if he stays interested in fishing!
Does anyone have any recommendations or favorite lakes that are close to saskatoon that would be good for ice fishing? I am thinking this year i will be trying to hit up diefenbaker (hitchcock area and south, always did coteau and pumphouse bay in the past), lake lenore/st brieux, and maybe some of the lakes in the blaine lake to shell lake stretch. I also will definitely be trying last mountain lake at least once, hopefully more than once although it is pretty far for a day trip from saskatoon and i am not sure if the fishing would stay good all season in the etters beach area, i know the fish migrate through the lake from spring until summer, not sure what goes on during the ice season.
How about some recommendations or favorites for any northern lakes that are good for ice fishing and would fall into a reasonable day trip from saskatoon? Mine currently would be bittern and whiteswan (sadly the only time i was at whiteswan was a bit of a slow day and the limit of 1 kinda hurts for me when i don't have the luxury to fish for lakers regularly) . i haven't really ice fished too much in the north yet. I would also like to try montreal lake, piprell and maybe either little bear or east trout. I really wanna do lac la plonge too but i think i would probably have to do that as a overnight trip and make two days of it to get the best out of it.
Sorry for my long winded post! Perhaps the second half of my post should be its own thread.... The discussion just got me thinking about that stuff haha.
Have a good one everyone!
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Blackstrap is the Proving Grounds! If you can consistently catch fish on Blackstrap you can catch fish on any lake, lol! I tend to do better on Blackstrap by staying portable and drilling lots of holes, electronics is a big bonus as well!
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Every year I see less and less fish on the flasher at Blackstrap. Too many idiots taking small fish home or going over their limits. I try to stay away from the Strap buts its so close which is the problem also. Last year their was so much garbage at the end of the year, it was sickening. I prefer to head north and get away from the idiots, sorry for the rant.
I agree about the garbage, it's where I live. Sure be nice if whomever left all the busted up and up side down shacks would clean up their mess. I would think that a few @$$holes are going to ruin that access for everyone soon?
As a local I would also agree there is no fish in BS, so go elsewhere. Lol
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It sure would have taken a die hard to sit on a pail out there yesterday! :cookoo: :cookoo:
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i also live at blackstrap and have been fishing there for over 35 years and i can tell you that the fishing there hasn't really changed much in the amount of fish i see and catch. i mainly target walleyes and do good in the spring and fall and of course the hard water season for walleyes and pike. don't fish much in the summer because of all the boat traffic.we go up north a few times in the summer and winter to different lakes also. I'm sure there all lots of people that do great here for catching and have their places and times and lures they use to be successful spring, summer, and winter.and some that are not about to give up their secrets. anywhere you have a crowd of people like the northend or even Evans road there will be garbage left behind or just cleanliness around their areas. i see it all the time.they need to be charged as for the people leaving their busted up shacks on shore at the northend. well my take on all this is that if the DNR or RCMP or whoever has the authority and I'm sure somewon does would do some investigating and find out who these people are that are doing this and charge them some outrages amount of cash like $4,000 and make them clean it up.I'm sure it would soon stop.lol anyway as for the people that say the fishing here sucks and theres no more fish well there are other lakes go try them and quit complaining..i here their biting at ??? where was it again......... as for the rest of us that know what they don't know.............. FISH ON !!!!!!!!!
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Blackstrap has always been good to me, but I guess I don't know what I'm talking about either. I've been "informed" by many people that there's nothing in there....so....have a nice trip somewhere else. ;D
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I was targeting whitefish near shore this afternoon and caught just one that was 21" 4# and packed with fat. Then I switched to the usual three species near sunset and caught one 2# jack right away and then missed quite a few including a big fish on tip-up baited with the whitefish head. Ice was safe to walk on at Evans Road. I didn't measure but it looks like 6-7".
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Good to hear that they are biting around evans road, may have to check it out after work some day.
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Hows the snow cover on the ice after this weekend? Just wondering if it's enough to cause a bunch of cracking under the weight and flooding, or if it blew clear. I tried looking on the blackstrap web cam, but it's zoomed into the road instead of showing a good chunk of the sound end like it used to.
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out for a couple hours tonight slow start around 430-5 caught a couple small eyes then at around 530-6 they came in and put the smack down on my spoon caught 6 in the 2 to 4 pound range and 1 huge mark on the lx7 that came in hot and had a look could almost feel his vibration on my line then gone....what a evening hole hoping
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There was ~2" of snow on Sunday, perfect for walking without worrying about slipping.
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Glad you had a good time ripnflutter, Do you mind sharing the depths you were fishing at and maybe even general area of the lake? How late did you stay until? I ask because I might be able to make it out again after work this week and last time we fished from 5-8:15 pm in about 15 fow near the north shore dam and didnt see any fish at all. Obviously it was not the greatest spot at that time.
I am also wondering if anyone can comment on if there becomes a time after which it might be too late to expect to catch many fish? I recall reading another post on iceshanty where a vetern member (from manitoba) mentioned it wasnt worth fishing after dark (at least in the area local to him, which i was thinking should be similar to saskatchewan). I know that i can catch fish all night in the summer but i am not too sure about ice fishing. i know burbot can/should be targeted in the evening (have caught some then too) until spawn and i would have assumed pike and walleye (especially) would be alright too.
With sunset at ~5 pm plus the little bit of twilight before it goes pitch black i don't have much time after work with light to fish during. I got no problem fishing in the dark if it is manageable but just dont wanna waste my time if my chances of catching fish drop significantly.
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was fishing just north of the boat launch. drilled 10 holes from 5' to 23' in a fairly tight area for that depth range. most of the targets were in that 12-15 FOW. but did get 1 out in 22'. they were probably shallower but its hard to move when your marking and catching in a certain depth and by yourself. it really slowed or almost stopped around 6:30 which it usually does for me anyway. i really had no success staying late I'm only out there for 2-3 hours am or pm or both but not all day i go home and and come back in the evening. unless of course I'm flagging pike then i stay out there all day. but of course i live here.its pretty easy. hard not to go back to that spot but I'm going to try a different area tonight that was productive last year at around first ice. hope this wind dies down for tonight.this aggressive bite wont last long as winter settles in so do the walleyes then i go to plan "B".
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well wasn't like the other night but did manage a few walleyes and 1 pike. lost another 4-5 pound eye at the hole wrapped up in the transducer went to lift her up with just the line and .....#@$%$% that's my second decent one lost at the hole.well most of us have been there.anyway fished shallower 7-10 foot moved around a little but the wind and snow was a bit crapy so sat in the flip.good area i think i could have done better. going to try Thursday.
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when i used to fish blackstrap i noticed the marks on the flasher would quit about 1/2 hour after dark. up here it's about the same unless you're targeting burbs - then fish until the beer runs out!
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lol.right on the money ran7ger nothings really changed.there will always be that time in the evening when they roll in and if your in the right area and your set up for it it can be bang,bang and it doesn't last long. i always stay a little later because you never know. but not like 7pm later this time of year. at least not where i go.got back tonight and did OK for numbers not lb,s.fished from 4 til 6:30 weather supposed to be crappy for the next little while. see how it plays out.
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I went to blackstrap today after going to the "boys lunch out" with some guys from my buddies work, very interesting event by the way :) By the time we set up it was about 4:30 and we fished until about 6:30 but again never saw a single fish. I must admit that we didn't move around at all, we just hid out in the shelter and had one tip up outside of it. We were set up in 12 fow just out and a bit to the north of the northern provincial park boat launch. Tons of bugs again after the camera light went on.
There is beginning to be a decent amount of snow on the lake or mainly the access to the lake. The ramp was pretty snowed in with some large drifts forming. the lake it self wasnt too too deep, it could easily be driven on once the ice is thick enough assuming we dont keep getting these huge snowfalls!! We had to make a few attempts at getting up and out the ramp in my buddies tacoma but sticking the middle of the ramp these was the shallowest snow and it wasnt too bad in 4x4. I couldnt see getting up that ramp in anything without 4x4 as it currently is.
Good luck with your fishing everyone!
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"Boys lunch out" was interesting! Any idea on how thick the ice was over there?
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?? those damm bug,s and camera lights. there was none of those where i was fishing. ::) well maybe a few bug,s.
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3 days and no report.? c'mon people not everybody works.!!!..lol........ it,s not that cold i know , i know it,s the wind......... or you'd be there..... looks like a break in the weather starting tomorrow. ice should be doing fine, little sketchy getting around with the drift,s in some area,s i would think.got some time Monday eve, and Tuesday are my next trip.
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Waiting for my NilsMaster Auger to arrive then I'll head down there. :P
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Anybody out there today ain't right, not right at all!
That howling cold wind has to make the ice thicker?
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yeah, nothing,s easy in these conditions. forecast looks doable for tomorrow night.
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Anybody out there today ain't right, not right at all!
That howling cold wind has to make the ice thicker?
I'll take that as a compliment. It was cold, I just hunkered down in the tent and stuck it out for a few hours. I'd like to say that I was rewarded with some great fishing but I pulled a big fat skunk. Set up shallow for pike (5-7 FOW) as I knew I wasn't going to be moving around to find fish, so I figured go after something that might come to me. No sign of any pike, but two of the biggest walleye I've ever seen in Blackstrap cruised by under my hole, likely in the 7-8lb range. No interest in my lures whatsoever unfortunately.
Ice was about 11 inches, measured with the handle of my scoop. I was in the area of the park boat launches.
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Least you were out fishing in a tent.
I was out in the cold and wind clearing snow for about 4 hours!
11" is promising, I suspect there will be vehicles out driving next weekend.
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Has anyone been to the North end launch? Is the access road blown in? I went out Nov 21st and the ice was about 7-8" at 20 FOW. Thinking of taking the shack out friday.
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The south side has lots of snow along the shore this evening. It is over 1' in drifts. The ice should be ~10" but I didn't measure with ruler. I set up at 15 FOW and fished for a little over an hour. No fish was marked during the first half an hour. A few walleyes came by just after sunset around 5:00 PM. First one was 15", second one felt a bit heavier but was lost, and the third was 22" and really chunky.
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nice.................. was out tonight 2 small eyes 1 pike that took my spoon.all part of the game. i knew it was a pike right away when i marked it on the lx7. just by the way it rolled in and positioned.especially in the graph and vertical zoom mode.what a cool piece of electronics.
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how's the ice? ;D
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ice is around 12- 14" in alot of places.
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personally i wait til theres around 2' but that,s me. ::) i'm in no hurry.
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Fished yesterday out from the park entrance got 4 walleye 2 small ones 1 21 inch and 1 23 inch I fshed from 2:30 till 5
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12 to 14 in do think a guy can drive on it this Saturday I like to bring the shack out
plenty of ice for a small SUV, however I'd be cautious when adding a 500+ lb shack behind it. Last couple of years along with banks of the north end there was a lot of thin ice.
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do you mean where that truck went through coming off the rocks..? lol that was a classic.plenty of ice in some areas, but not everywhere. to each his own this time of year. i just don't like telling people it,s good to go. nor should anybody. that would their decision.
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do you mean where that truck went through coming off the rocks..? lol that was a classic.plenty of ice in some areas, but not everywhere. to each his own this time of year. i just don't like telling people it,s good to go. nor should anybody. that would their decision.
That is definitely a good example. Most importantly the "to each his own" can get you in trouble. People are way too confident when the ice is 2' thick seemingly everywhere and they forget about creek entrances and exits, Iroquois lake where I've fished for nearly 30 years has had many fall victim to this, as has constance lake, I've drilled late January in these lakes to find spots just 6" thick for a considerable distance.
When in doubt, drill holes, lots of them, stay away from shoreline drifts as they've been inhibiting ice development.
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Because I'm a total information geek, here's a copy of the Highways Ministry "Winter Roads Handbook".
http://www.saskmining.ca/uploads/news_files/79/winter-roads-handbook-for-safe-operations.pdf (http://www.saskmining.ca/uploads/news_files/79/winter-roads-handbook-for-safe-operations.pdf)
Pages 17 and 18 have tables that give a very detailed specs on the load bearing capacity of clear/black/blue ice (metric & imperial units). Other pages detail how to account for variance in strength due to ice composition, defects, and temperature swings. I was surprised at how strong ice really is, and anyone who's seen Ice Road Truckers knows that you can load ice up quite a bit before it gives.
As discussed above though, it's the unpredictable nature of freeze up that mandates caution. According to the handbook, 12 inches of good ice can sustain a 12,000lb+ load, but the handbook doesn't tell you how thick the ice is 100 feet away or whether there's a big pressure crack under that next drift. My rule of thumb is never be the first truck/shack out at freeze up, and never be the last one off at melt.
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like you said 12-14" is plenty of ice for some people to drive on. just not for me.
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12 to 14 in do think a guy can drive on it this Saturday I like to bring the shack out
Probably if you take your time
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wow that,s alot of informative reading Angus. good job. :thumbsup:
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Because I'm a total information geek, here's a copy of the Highways Ministry "Winter Roads Handbook".
http://www.saskmining.ca/uploads/news_files/79/winter-roads-handbook-for-safe-operations.pdf (http://www.saskmining.ca/uploads/news_files/79/winter-roads-handbook-for-safe-operations.pdf)
Pages 17 and 18 have tables that give a very detailed specs on the load bearing capacity of clear/black/blue ice (metric & imperial units). Other pages detail how to account for variance in strength due to ice composition, defects, and temperature swings. I was surprised at how strong ice really is, and anyone who's seen Ice Road Truckers knows that you can load ice up quite a bit before it gives.
As discussed above though, it's the unpredictable nature of freeze up that mandates caution. According to the handbook, 12 inches of good ice can sustain a 12,000lb+ load, but the handbook doesn't tell you how thick the ice is 100 feet away or whether there's a big pressure crack under that next drift. My rule of thumb is never be the first truck/shack out at freeze up, and never be the last one off at melt.
This is very good info, the key at this time of year is obviously inconsistent ice thickness due to drifts and other factors, also... People need to slow the heck down. Way too many people hit the ice and take off down the lake at 50km/h, this causes waves than can spell big trouble for the people in that vehicle or others.
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How about parking several trucks within 5 yards to the next to start a party?
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going to head out today try an afternoon, evening fish. see what the boat launch is like it was drifted in the other day i know they do plow but of course not til the ice can hold the loader or back hoe. i will post tonight.
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I would drive on if it's that thick. But I always drill first and take my own measurements. I had my diesel truck on 10-12" measured with tape measure and drove for a km or two.
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think of the commercial guys back in the day that used to run horse drawn sleighs out on 4", planes have landed on 6". ice is incredibly strong, and elastic...that being said i still wait for 2ft before driving on simply due to lack of consistency and the fact that it's fishing.. not life or death.
and despite what most guys think, walking won't kill you! a doctor told me so.
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not alot of action tonight did some hole hoping. beautiful evening moon was bright. did manage a couple 1.5lb eyes.some came in on the graph that looked but that's it. lost one right at dark think i hooked the bottom of the ice with my blade bait. no perch. seen a huge whitie maybe 7-9 lbs. slowed down from the last 2 weeks that's for sure.
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Anyone driving on the lake today? Hoping to drop the shack off at the north end tomorrow.
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There was one vehicle out on the North end of the lake yesterday. Smaller SUV.
Some shacks out at North End by the dam.
I would take the above advise and check it out as you go and make you own decisions.
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i dont even think of driving on tell Christmas. Rather have my truck in the driveway then sticking halfway out of the ice.
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You might need an extension by Christmas. Lol. Joking. Most ice on the reservoirs is a foot thick. Bradwell is even thicker.
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15" everywhere we drilled- Evans road and the north end today. A few trucks and shacks out there; Not much biting what we had today.
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I saw some whitefish in the morning but got skunked at the south end of Blackstrap. Then I drove to Brightwater at noon and got non-stop action there until I left at ~4:00 pm. Ice was slightly over 1' and trucks were on. I iced 8 pikes in the 17-29" range, 2 small 4" perch, and lost over 5 pikes that either spit the lure or cut the fluorocarbon leader. I also saw buckets full of pikes nearby.
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Fished from 1:30-5:00 at Evans Road, no sightings on the sonar....really slow.
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Fished from 3till5:30. Out from the park entrance caught 4small walleye
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out on the south end last night, 2 pike on the flag, 4 small walleyes.couple bigger marks rolled in but just lookers.
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right on, any thing to worry about as far as ice conditions with this warm front coming? was hoping to try this weekend
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a few people driving on from the boat launch. mostly 15-18" everywhere Ive been fishing. I'm still walking on.warm weather will soften it up
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I drilled in the middle of the lake through a large drift and still measured 13" so should be good. Everywhere else I drilled 16-17 in the north end. Caught 2 eyes and 6 perch from 3:45- 5:00. Caught nothing through the day but a Sun burn. 😊
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So do think a guy should drive a truck on the Ice at the north end with this weather being the way it is
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I'm gonna wait it out. for me its just not worth the risk. I'm doing fine right now walking on and catching. i like being mobile anyway don't have a permy to haul out.
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If I do make it down there this weekend I will probably just park on the road and walk in. I just wanna fire up my brand new auger! Lol!
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have we lost much ice with this weather?
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have we lost much ice with this weather?
I was at Evans Road 4-6 PM and fished between 20 and 25 fow. Ice was still ~15". Snow was gone except for a few patches of slush. There was little water except for the shore which gathered snow melt streaming down the slope. Ice was mostly wet but with little standing water. My boots stayed dry. Jumbo 10-12" perch and pike in the 20+" range were biting from 4:15 pm to 5:15 pm, but I lost most of them in or near the hole. Last bite was probably from a heavy bottom-hugging walleye at 5:45 pm. Again, I lost it. The ramp was wet and almost too slippery for my van.
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Thank you. ;D
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went out yesterday for a couple of hours ice cleats on and ski poles in hand no gear just my handheld depth finder. lots of ice 12"- 15" walking shorelines looking for weeds or baitfish scurrying. crazy S.E wind and bare ice with water on top. not ideal for fishing but great for scouting.and checking depths.seen lots of small baitfish on a couple particular shorelines and to my suprise some standing greenish weeds in around 6-9 fow.with a nice dropoff into 22'close by going to give that an early am or evening fish. for those who have a permy out there i would be walking to it after the last few days of this weather. be safe............
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How much water is there sitting on the ice? I was thinking of hitting the lake this weekend with my little guy in the warm weather, but a sopping wet snow suit will curtail any fun in a fast way. Hoping that it will all refreeze by Sunday, might be fun for him to try his skates out.
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by the look of the temps the next few days there will be water and slippery conditions. i allways put some kind of helmut on my little girl whens its like this. but yeah dry close is a must for the little ones.
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did a early early morning fish today 2 hours south end. fishing 7'-9' fow caught 4 walleyes 1 was 3lbs in the dark. missed a few, fairly steady action for around 1/2 hour on the graph. then they just quit. tried deeper 15'-23' after the shallow bite stopped and nothing doing. will be trying an evening fish.
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did a early early morning fish today 2 hours south end. fishing 7'-9' fow caught 4 walleyes 1 was 3lbs in the dark. missed a few, fairly steady action for around 1/2 hour on the graph. then they just quit. tried deeper 15'-23' after the shallow bite stopped and nothing doing. will be trying an evening fish.
You beat me to my favorite parking spot which has an easier slope to get sled down. I got there close to sunrise and saw one whitefish at the beginning in my tent. That's the only fish I noticed this morning. I started packing up when I saw you leaving. It was a bit wet and too slippery for my hunting boots.
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where were you fishing toonfisher? i didn't see anyone where i was.
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Went out today and got 5 and half pound pike and lost one at the north end lots of trucks driving on the ice
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I was at the south dam looking for sunrise whitefish in the shallow. There was another truck farther along the dam. The fisherman left just after 10:00 am.
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Made the maiden voyage for this year with a friend who had never fished before. We walked on from the park boat launch and fished about 20 fow, without luck. We moved shallower to about 12 fow, and things really picked up, although I think it had more to do with time of day rather than the depth change. Finished with 3 jack, and 4 walleye kept one for the pan.
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yeah toonfisher that wasn't me. i was farther north. did you get or see any Whites
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I saw lots of whitefish in November, fewer and fewer in December, only one this morning.
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Whos silverado broke through the ice in the middle if the lake yesterday?
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Not sure you will get the brave soul who did that to admit to it.
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wow do u know where abouts on the lake mehow......, brave soul wouldn't be the word i would use. not after the weather we've been having.
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We may use different words but I think they have the same meaning. I would not have drove out before this warm weather let alone the week of warmth and wind we have had.
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I know when I went out Friday afternoon till 5:30 there was really thin spots around the shoreline. I was at the second boat lanch in the provincial park. I stepped on weak spot in the shallow and got a wet leg and I even parked in the parking lot and walked out with my gear. Once u got 10 feet from shore was all about 14" of ice. Did manage to get a couple pike and a couple perch at least.
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Won't catch me driving on for at least three, four weeks of cold weather that's for sure.me and buddu wanna get our perminate shack out but I'll jus continue to hike out with pop ups after that.
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The south launch at the park is a mess. Had to walk around an open spot to get on, not sure if there was ice under a few inches of water but looked very questionable. Around 13-14 inches of solid but soft ice, the auger was bringing up some really soft stuff in the last couple inches before water. Still a few trucks driving out to Evans, though.
Slow-ish day, came home with one pike on the tipup. Two hammer handles released in the tent. Perch were just window shopping. Better than my last two skunky outings. Very slippery out there and one of my cleats broke pulling it onto my boot. It was like curling with a slider.
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That open spots prob the one that opened up when I Walked out on Friday. Looked good took a step and down my leg went into the ice. Glad it was only in the shallow.
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Whos silverado broke through the ice in the middle if the lake yesterday?
Where was this?
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Not sure exactly. Someone said the rocky point maybe.
From the pics I saw first it looked like the middle of the lake. New picture you can see shoreline maybe 100ft away.
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Is anyone going to post a couple of pictures of this incident? I'd be interested in seeing how bad the truck broke through.
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(http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah124/Niceguy_rick/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps61f59ae3.jpg) (http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/Niceguy_rick/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps61f59ae3.jpg.html)
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That's just a photo I saw on facebook was not there nor do I know who the owner of the truck is or anything.
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ABANDON SHIP !!!!! Looks like its across from shields, and that's why i don't drive on tell January. Cant seeing that suv helping to much except to get the hell off the ice.
I like fish but i wont trade my truck for a couple pike or walleye.
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I tried by the parking lot, by the entrance to the provincial park. Walked out almost to the middle, and the ice thickness there varied from 8"-10" tops, measured not eye-balled. Closer to shore it was up to 12". The bottom of the lake at this spot had 1 1/2 feet of a silt cloud, made it hard for the sonar to read bottom or see your hook. No luck there so went to the boat launches. The first launch had 4 vehicles parked down there so we went to the other launch and found the big hole there. It was covered with maybe 1/2 centimeter of ice, I took a practice step because it looked suspicious and was right, I easily broke through. So we went around and south, fished for an hour got nothing wind picked up and went home. It'll be until Christmas in my opinion before people can safely drive on.
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I went out with a buddy yesterday between 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Didn't want to risk driving on so we went to the north end dam and walked on. There was thin ice close to shore but I felt comfortable because it was only a couple of feet deep there and so we scurried across. Drilled a bunch of holes and found a perfect spot! So I turned around and started walking for the truck when I though "oh yeah, check the ic...." SPLOOSH! Down I go to my thighs. Lol. Got undressed and under a blanket in the truck to assess the situation. Decided to borrow my buddies second pair of pants, ring out my wool socks, take the liners out of my boots, head down the dam to slightly safer ice, and keep fishing! If it were any cold I would have went home but in the tent with the heater going I was alright. The wool socks definitely helped too. My buddy hooked one fish, probably a pike, which he lost and we saw a couple of other pikes. The ice only seemed to get weaker through the day as the relatively safer ice was now cracking more getting off. Saw another guy get soaked on his way off. We shuttled across on a borrowed sled just to be sure. Not only that but driving back to Saskatoon hit a patch of ice on the highway and slid into the ditch. What a day! I probably won't be fishing again until 2015. Just no time lately and more ice would be nice.
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I tried by the parking lot, by the entrance to the provincial park. Walked out almost to the middle, and the ice thickness there varied from 8"-10" tops, measured not eye-balled. Closer to shore it was up to 12". The bottom of the lake at this spot had 1 1/2 feet of a silt cloud, made it hard for the sonar to read bottom or see your hook. No luck there so went to the boat launches. The first launch had 4 vehicles parked down there so we went to the other launch and found the big hole there. It was covered with maybe 1/2 centimeter of ice, I took a practice step because it looked suspicious and was right, I easily broke through. So we went around and south, fished for an hour got nothing wind picked up and went home. It'll be until Christmas in my opinion before people can safely drive on.
yeah I wouldn't suggest using the provical park south launch (closest to evans road) we were out on sunday and a truck put his one tire through. Another guy was stuck on a ridge at the north launch and I gave him a push and he got on but where we drilled it was only 10-12 inches of ice and I didn't want to risk it so I walked on. Did finish the day with 4 walleyes and 3 jumbos between my girlfriend and I.
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I wouldn't be bringing my truck anywhere near that ice for at least another week of colder weather. It looks like he went through at the rocky point on the north end. No fish is worth me sinking a vehicle, and maybe a person. Use your heads folks...it's on your shoulders for more than a parking place for your ears!!!
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me and my buddy went to north end saturday and planned on walking out but there was an open strech of water all along the shoreline of the dam/rocks so we had issues trying to get on, so we went over to the north launch there and checked there and the ice was solid, so we drove the truck on very slowly and cautiously as i was the first vehicle on the ice in that area. A tonn of other trucks ended up coming on later and seemed way less concerned than i was as they were going a lot faster. where we ended up fishing had 16 inches of good ice. Also i've never seen blackstrap water so clear. We were in 20 feet of water and could see EVERYTHING. got skunked though. did not see a single fish - had 1 on a tip-up but lost it before getting it to the hole.
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lol that totally makes no sense doorman. let me see if i understand. you tried to walk on but had issues with no ice seen open water but then decided to drive on. ??? ??? ??? ??? its no wonder people are going through . following leads like that. ::)
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Thinking of heading out today, going to take a rod out of the boat and maybe do some casting off shore. lmao !!! Wont bother for a while yet. I like seeing the fish on the bottom of the lake on the camera, not in person.
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lol that totally makes no sense doorman. let me see if i understand. you tried to walk on but had issues with no ice seen open water but then decided to drive on. ??? ??? ??? ??? its no wonder people are going through . following leads like that. ::)
Yes exactly, the very north shore along the rocks had a ridge of open water, but off the boat launch we walked on first and drilled holes to measure ice and it was solid and thick, so we drove on, by the time we left there was about 20 other 1/2 tonnes on the ice, one little area i saw looked to have a group of 3-4 trucks all right next to each other.
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Walked on the north end saturday, along the east shore. Fishing in all depths, two pike in about 4 hours of fishing. 1 on the rod and 1 on the tip up. Had two fellas come cruising all the way across the lake to see how i was doing. Couldnt believe how fast guys were driving on the lake, 8-12" everywhere i drilled but the shorelines were soft, was not sold on driving anywhere yet. guys i talked to said there more than enough ice, lol. I did also notice the water is quite clear, hopefully it stays that way later in the winter this year.
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So last week there was 16-17" on thursday solid ice measusered with a tape measure. This was the warm day. I drove to the center of the lake in the north end real slow and drilled through a big drift and ice was 12-13" black ice. This was the thinnest I could find that day. I understand thinning at shore and in the shallows and have heard some slushy ice. But where did you find 8"??
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I was out at evans road on saturday about 40-50 ft from shore and it was about 11“ but crystal clear water! After seeing that i didnt believe anywhere was 16“ yet
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went for a late afternoon,evening fish yesterday checking out a new area. bit of a walk to get there but the weather was great. anyway drilled some holes different depths set the flip up in 22' fow sat in there for awhile 2 walleyes came in caught 1 missed the other one on the rattling flyer. 1 pike 4lb caught in the shelter never got my spoon this time ha,ha. waters clear could see the walleyes in 22'. had a flag set in 14' just before the brake nothing on that. hole hopped the rest of the time. caught 1 more 2 lb walleye around dark using my Lindy frosty spoon glow. worth going back there today.
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Nice job ripnflutter!!. So we lost almost 40% of our ice from Thursday night till it froze again . Crazy. I won't be driving on then for a while.
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yeah, the ice was 10"- 13" where i was. good ice in most places but white or cloudy with air pockets in other places. but not driveable for me anyway. like i said in an earlier post I'm still walking on and catching fish. ;)
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was out on the south end of strap on sunday, caught 9 perch ( 5 nice keepers) 2 small walleye and 2 pike. it was slow and cold.
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was out on the south end of strap on sunday, caught 9 perch ( 5 nice keepers) 2 small walleye and 2 pike. it was slow and cold.
you should have stayed a little longer right after you left we caught 4 good eating size walleye.
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it was a slow afternoon/evening yesterday. set up again in 22' punched some shallower holes nothing going on walking holes from around 2pm til 4pm sat in the flip from 4 til 6 had one walleye do a fly by. decent size as i looked down the hole after marking him on the lx7 again pretty clear water to see 22'. had a couple 2 lb adolesent pike come in. got the chance to pull away from them.that don't happen to often. save on some hardware.lol. and another which I'm sure was a walleye at around 5pm as quick as i seen the red blow up on the screen it hit. thought i had a good set but 2 seconds later >:(. allways nice to be out. was using the rattling flyer again (glow red) tipped with a minnow head. heading out again Thursday area unknown.
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got out a little late last night, set up around 3:45 in holes 10- 15 fow. had one come in at 4pm and bit nice 2 lb walleye. on the Lindy frostie perch glitter.1/4 oz ( glow).( kept for supper) and a couple more marks after 5pm but nothing committing. wrapped up at 6pm. lots of little perch around 4''-5'' good to see, walleyes shouldn't be to far from them. no pike tonight.......
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Piles were biting around noon today at Evans road. The biggest is 32" on a Swedish pimple. My 5# line was up to the long fight.
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Hey guys, just wanted to throw this out their but I'm new to ice fishing and I am looking for a mentor of sorts, don't laugh I'm serious. I have a decent shack made from a camper that I intend on dragging to Evans road today now that I have an idea of where it is. I've fished for probably 25+ hrs this year on Zelma and caught 1 fish. Been on the strap for a couple days now and didn't see one fish so I'm starting to think I need some instructions on how to fish in the winter. I'm a guy who likes eating so I'm looking to take home a couple nice jack a day or walleye. I don't want to have to fry a half dozen perch for a snack but I'll fish and release them all day if there biting. Anyways this is an open invitation to stop in, I was sort of a regular in the Zelma fishing community so I hope to meet some people at blackstrap. And if you want to exchange some trade secrets I'll try to keep some cold drinks in my nice warm shack to repay you. Stop by if you see my shack it's the only one with a doghouse on the front. And I drive a dark red 2011 Longhorn 2500.
I'll be out today and the next few days this following week. I hope to catch some fish and meet some regulars.
Thanks a lot.
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welcome to blackstrap. alot of people fish Evans road once you can drive on the ice.I'm sure you will run in to someone with some experience with ice fishing blackstrap that will give you a few pointers. evans road probably a good place to start. I'm usually out there on weekdays Mon, Tues, Thurs, if I'm in the area ill stop by and see how your making out. good luck
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Soon as I can get my shack out, blue and square, just pop in if I'm around. I'm good to visit as I wont drink all your refreshments..lol.
I'm going to be just out from the first boat launch a bit, maybe 150-200 yards
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Well I'm out overtop of Evans road in 20?? Ft of water. Been fishing for at least 1.5hrs and I have one jack cleaned and hoping to pick up another one. He got snagged on a jewel eyes spoon with a smelt and now fishing with that setup and a small silver spoon with his eyeballs on it so I'll keep you updated to whether or not I get anymore. Ps I'm pretty sure I was down by you this morning or at least my shack was by a blue Pop up. I dragged it right past you. How's fishing on your end?
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Hey Darcy jl. I have fished strap for three four yeArs and am not a pro but always manage enough. I find even road or anywhere around the boat launches in 20 ish feet works good. I always find 8 till noon and 4 till 6 they bite and in mid aft nothing really to interested. Hope that helps. As for myself I hirt my back last week and won't be out there in my Pop up till x mas eve if I'm lucky.
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I have most my luck with jig heads at the strap. I also use to live in Watrous about 5 years ago and had tons of luck in Zelma in summer for nice walleyed and jack. But have never ice fished there. My best friend caught a 52" jack which weighed 30 lbs on a pickrell rig on the west edge of Zelma where the road runs along the lake.
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A few bites and none iced today.
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Well I'm out overtop of Evans road in 20?? Ft of water. Been fishing for at least 1.5hrs and I have one jack cleaned and hoping to pick up another one. He got snagged on a jewel eyes spoon with a smelt and now fishing with that setup and a small silver spoon with his eyeballs on it so I'll keep you updated to whether or not I get anymore. Ps I'm pretty sure I was down by you this morning or at least my shack was by a blue Pop up. I dragged it right past you. How's fishing on your end?
Wasn't me. Mine will be a blue hard side
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Got one more jack by 4 and could of had another but didn't bite hard enough on my hook I guess. Seen close to 10 fish so not to bad for double my years catch in a few hours. Seem to like my jewel eyed spoon. I'll have to pick up some walleye lures if I can figure out what they like. Filled my stomach at least. I didn't see anyone near me catch anything so I would say I'm learning. Man does that Evans road get packed though. Wow there was people all across the lake. How would I go about targeting burbot? I'm hoping to put some of them in the pan this winter as well.
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was out from 8 till 1130 am near evens road...was first one out.found my area i wanted and set up pop up...ice was only about a foot but the water was super clear for my camera...2 jack day...saw a real big boy (8 lb ? maybe) cruise by below but he wasnt interested at all..lots of people were out around 11am...nice day out....came home for football
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Me and my buddy iced 3 pike around 4:30 on evans road. It was a nice day to be out.
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tried out in front of thode yesterday. set up shelter in 23 fow nice drop off into the basin with a flat just 10 yds away that was 14' at the edge. drilled some holes up there in the shallows.looked to be a nice cruising area. caught some nice perch midday and 2 walleye. from 4 til 6 there was lots of marks coming through. some big some small some bit some didn't. at the end of the day caught 5 perch, 6 walleyes, no pike which really don't hurt my feelings. didn't really try the shallows in the evening to much action in the shelter to leave..... gotta hate that. ;D lol. caught everything on the Lindy rattle flyer yellow/ green glow pattern.
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Nice!!
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Near north end of the lake yesterday, out from Shields . In 22 feet of water approx. on a shelf I think as I set up tip ups at 15 meter intervals from the shack and first one was 17 ft depth and second 12 feet. Caught 2 smaller pike 3 lbs and 1.5 lbs from in the shack. Saw one pickeral and a few more pike. What depth have people been landing most of their fish in ? Not new to Blackstrap just new to hardwater fishing on the strap, thanks.
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set up in the same area yesterday at thode. nothing biting late afternoon,evening. fished up more in the shallows 10-12 fow.not to much action up there either caught 1 walleye about 1lb few more marks on the graph but nothing committing. just thought i would walk some holes check out the shallow evening bite or non bite.you never know......... back to deep water today as i did fairly good on sunday in 22-24 fow.fish were moving through all evening in that depth..great weather for walking holes.
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back in 22-24 fow last night. didn't even punch any shallow holes from what i seen fishing the night before. from 4:30 til 6:30 caught 7 walleye 3 were keepers at 2lbs 4 were 1lb and under. 4 perch keepable but let them go. 1 pike 3 lb perfect release at the bottom of hole lol. lots of smaller perch,walleye moving in the area. again great to see. fairly steady action on the flasher for 2 hours. was using the red glow 1/4 oz rattle flyer and the gold and glow little cleo.tipped with minnow head. not even seeing a mark late afternoon from 2 til 4-4:30 walking deeper holes so basically its a 2 hour fish where i am anyway. gonna give it a morning fish next outing. another beautiful day on the ice. cant wait to get back there.
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back in 22-24 fow last night. didn't even punch any shallow holes from what i seen fishing the night before. from 4:30 til 6:30 caught 7 walleye 3 were keepers at 2lbs 4 were 1lb and under. 4 perch keepable but let them go. 1 pike 3 lb perfect release at the bottom of hole lol. lots of smaller perch,walleye moving in the area. again great to see. fairly steady action on the lx7 for 2 hours. was using the red glow 1/4 oz rattle flyer and the gold and glow little cleo.tipped with minnow head. not even seeing a mark late afternoon from 2 til 4-4:30 walking deeper holes so basically its a 2 hour fish where i am anyway. gonna give it a morning fish next outing. another beautiful day on the ice. cant wait to get back there.
That's the pattern I have seen in many sunset trips there. They would hear the dinner bell and come. I tried once in <10' of water without marking a single fish.
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yeah in my 30+ years of fishing blackstrap the last couple hours of the day are when you want to be set up and ready .if your in the right area and if there are fish around...... but have done good in the early am also. i know its like that at most lakes blackstrap is pretty featureless its not like you have a whole bunch of rock points or islands or any other fish magnets ( well there are a few )that other lakes have.we go up north and catch walleyes all day long on different lake bodies. its not that hard.if you know the lake. its a whole different kinda of bite up there. Evans road, north end,long arm bay,( i call it anyway) in front of the boat launch is where you will find most people why? because their the most structure you will find at blackstrap.at least in the winter with all the weeds brown and down. .i personally never fish those areas. over the years i have found other somewhat productive spots.for me i enjoy trying new areas through the hard water season just not one to sit in one area and wait for the fish to come to me.
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I won't even go out there until late afternoon. You will get skunked some days unless you stay till it's dark and I mean dark not 4:30. I find it a waste of time to fish there during the day. The other reservoirs produce better during the day then strap. I agree with the feature less bottom. And that's probably a good part of it. Pike seem to bite when ever though.
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exactly, bigjumb unless your flaging pike on the flats morning,midday waiting for the evening walleye bite.
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Hey which end of thode have u guys been fishin North or south. I had decent luck at strap and last few times tryin thode by the North point and near the middle jus not finding em on camera or sonar. Much better luck by park launch or very south end.
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what do u call the north point ? if you have much better luck elsewhere why move. ?
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The last little point at thode before the road that goes across. Have had good luck in the area I called thode North point in summer so though it was worth a shot. Don't try u don't know.
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ok........
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I went to Evans Road to test my new Lx5 flasher. Only two small pikes were iced in 2+ hours after 3 pm. It was cold. I only fished one hole in the tent. A total of less than 5 fishes were marked.
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anyone driving on at shields? Thanks in advance
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Going out today just wondering if I should be able to drive on the ice or just do the walk out thing
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Ice is inconsistent still...I'd be walking.
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We've bin driving on since November. I quit driving on for a week around that warm up though. North end launch was around 18" and we fished middle of lake every where we drilled it was 15+. I never drive over 10-15kmh. Keep it slow. And drill if you think it's thin . If you find anywhere under a foot take a picture cause I won't believe you. Lol
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Was at Shields today. Walked on. Fished in 25 FOW. The four of us ended up catching one small walleye and 5 perch. Saw a couple pike and another walleye on the camera. Saw lots of other perch on the camera. They were not aggressive at all. Fished until 6. Fun day. Glad we had heaters. It was -30 with the wind. I really enjoy the underwater camera.
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very slow last night, 2 small walleye 6" small. no perch, no pike, but lots of small marks on the graph. pretty cold next little while. stay warm............ :icefish:
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FYI ice is just over 12" at Shields
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fished from 3-6 yesterday, more small marks coming through. nothing interested it was flipping cold. could get a break on Wednesday on the weather all be it 1 or 2 days. great time to get to cabala's and cash in those gift certificates.
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Out from shields in 22 FOW. Approximately 15-20 pike in last 3 days . No walleye. Tip ups in 10-12 FOW. One 8 lb and one 5.5 lb pike are the biggest pulled out so far this year. All between 1pm and 3pm. Maybe will try and stay till dark next time .
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15+" everywhere we drilled in the Northend out in front of golf course. Had perch biting in about 24' fow. Was really cool out there in the wind, in the shack it wasn't bad though!
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Walked on from the park gate on Saturday. Ice was only 10-12" where we fished. Iced four perch, 3 decent pike and half a dozen or so walleye.
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Took the shack out this afternoon. Ice was 16" thick North of the golf course. Saw some on the camera, but couldn't get anything to commit to my offerings.
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Went out today. Didn't see/mark many fish. Buddy caught a small pike in his new tip up.
Fished from 9:30-2:00. Fish not hungry at all.
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Fish yesterday morn at the main park launch. Saw a ton of perch and eyes on camera but nothing but the jack would commit. Was out from 8 till noon.try again fri.
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Was out this afternoon right in front of park gate. Lines in the water by 3. Saw nothing until 4:45. Buddy caught a couple small walleye. The others we were with caught a small pike and a small walleye. 16 FOW.
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Dropped the shack off yesterday at the North end. Fished from 1:30 till 6. Caught 2 smaller eyes and 6 perch.
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we were out in front of launch this morning and saw 4 walleye and caught a small jack not much moving along the drop off
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Was out this morning in front of Thode, lot's of fish on the flasher, not much in the way of action though.
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Was out from 8 am till 5 pm. Little point jus North of the North boat launch in the provincial park. Caught 3 walleye and 3 pike. Never saw many perch. All three eyes were caught around noon. After noonish there was nothing but jack in sight on the angers. Drilled 4 holes in my tent n hunkered down in the snow and wind. All and all was an alright day.
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Had planned on going out today, Nah that would be stupid!
I looked around the lake and didn't see any movement on the Northend. Good because it was stupid cold out there!
STARS landed by the Hole in the Wall about 3:45 PM today. I hope that wasn't one of you fellows in there? I also hope that whomever was In there is OK!!!
Impressive to watch and everyone should support STARS and our local ERP groups. Someday my family, friends or myself may require this assistance!!!!
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was out for the afternoon yesterday, cold yes, stupid ...well it all depends on your set up.i suppose if your sitting on a pail in -35 with a 25km wind with no shelter or heat that might fall into the cookoo category..lol. helps that you can drive on also to get to your spot.that in its self makes it more tolerable.fished out in front of the hill.22 fow. from 3-6 caught 2 pike seen a handful of targets come and go.now that I'm comfortable with driving on i can get to my prime spots i like to fish.... my prime spots not yours ;D lol.. anyway don't let a little chilly weather stop you. get out there and get your fix. good luck.
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I heard through the rumour mill that it was an old guy that had too much to drink and crashed his snowmobile... hopefully he's okay.
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Was out in front of shields today 11-3pm . Brought in a nice 7lb pike in 22 FOW. Lost another at the hole and a few more bites. Cold outside but warm in the shack . Moving a little shallower maybe 15 FOW so we can see fish on bottom easier . No perch and one walleye this season , lots of pike . Need a change .
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out for another evening fish last night, north of the main beach area.nothing marked from 230-4 in 21fow from around 5 til 6 had quite a few marks show up most were of the smaller variety.did have a few bigger marks throughout the hour landed 1 bigger walleye like 1.5lb big. the rest were looking. caught on the Lindy flyer perch glow...worth another trip in that area,seems to have a darker,softer bottom also. ;)
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Anybody been catching any perch lately?
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The last two times I went out I have not seen many. Where as a month ago where I fish is see schools of em all morning and evening. So me personally I have not been catching em the last two weeks. Lots of jacks.
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Perch tend to stay deep in mid-winter. Go deeper and farther away from shore and sunken structure and you will find them.
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Evans road today. Slow is a good word to describe it. Caught this guy, and lost another like him at the hole. Was hoping for perch or walleye. Oh well!
Anybody caught any walleye recently?
(http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee325/flandersander/20150108_154209_zpse9423fdf.jpg)
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Out again today 10-2pm. Drove on from the north end for the first time with my truck. Measured the ice in front of Shields with ice scoop. Ice scoop is over 15 inches , all the way in the hole and didn't feel the bottom of the ice . Brought up one pike about 2 lbs. Slow Slow Slow. Will be moving shack shallower next week when it warms up . In 22 FOW right now. Had my HiDef underwater digi cam on the bottom of the lake today . No fish , no structure . Flat and silty, bit of vegetation . Will see next week .
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not quite sure what people are calling structure or looking for structure in blackstrap in the middle of winter? theres not a whole bunch to choose from.summer time yes you will have weed lines, weed pockets,and weed points.in winter all the weeds are dead and down. its a flooded valley. you will have drop-offs like in front of Shields and other parts of the lake. evans road,theres rock structure in front of long arm bay,across from shields a poplar place .the north end attracts anglers but theres really no structure. some points and there not really points just extended contours.I've even found soft to hard bottom transitions but that's not structure. its a fairly consistent depth at the strap if you look at a topo map. you wont see anything close to what you would find in other lakes even last mountain has what i would call structure.if you look at a depth or contours map.and know what to look for. and especially up north.having said all that there are still a very good population of walleyes in blackstrap I'm sure alot of you can agree.especially for those of you that pound them in the late spring,and summer.their not that hard to catch . that's why they still have the 2 fish limit. you just have to work harder to catch them with any consistency on the hardwater.not alot of structure to hold them means they have to move around more to eat.sitting in one spot ain't gonna do it. again I'm sure there are some of you that have your own spin on blackstrap. this is just mine. good luck fisherpeople....
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Had everything loaded up this morning to head out for morning bite with my son. (Only time we could go this weekend) Pulled the pin. Pissed off at the weather. Anyone go out today?
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there's hardly any wind today, 5km this afternoon they say, -25 or so for temp. evening fish for me.
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not quite sure what people are calling structure or looking for structure in blackstrap in the middle of winter? summer time yes you will have weed lines, weed pockets,and weed points.in winter you have Evans road. that's it.all the weeds are dead and down. its a flooded valley. you will have drop-offs like in front of Shields and other parts of the lake. in front of long arm bay,across from shields a poplar place but no structure.the north end attracts anglers but theres no structure. some points and there not really points just extended contours.I've even found soft to hard bottom transitions but that's not structure. its a fairly consistent depth at the strap if you look at a topo map. you wont see anything close to what you would find in other lakes even last mountain has what i would call structure.if you look at a depth or contours map.and know what to look for. and especially up north.having said all that there are still a very good population of walleyes in blackstrap I'm sure alot of you can agree.especially for those of you that pound them in the late spring,and summer.their not that hard to catch . that's why they still have the 2 fish limit. you just have to work harder to catch them with any consistency on the hardwater.no structure to hold them means they have to move to eat. and they slow down quite abit in the winter.sitting in one spot ain't gonna do it. again I'm sure there are some of you that have your own opinions on blackstrap. this is just mine. good luck fisherpeople.... ;D
and what happens when there is no structure in a given body of water....the fish move constantly
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these are just my observations adipose on blackstrap over the last 35 years. and you may have your own.and i respect that. not sure what goes on at every or any given body of water.but I'm sure if i spent as much time on them as i do at the strap i would figure it out. ;)
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As luck had it, I was able to get out this afternoon for a bit. Fished 4-6. 24 FOW. Shields. Marked a lot of fish on the flasher but they were not interested. Had several nibbles. Caught possibly the smallest walleye in the lake. :) Had the heater in the shack. There was hardly a zephyr of a wind on the lake. Quite serene. Always good to get out.
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We fished from 1 to 5. Lots of fish swimming around. None were too interested. Tried many different presentations but could only get one to bite. Ended up getting off at the hole though.
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Went out yesterday found out my shack was broken in to they got my tackle box rods and small tv so just let u no there some buddy out there doing this so keep a eye on your stuff my shack the small on the north end
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That sucks, mine got broke into last year at the north end , but I don't leave anything worth stealing. Did you notice any other shacks with damaged doors? Gonna head out soon and try the morning bite.
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If you leave it, they will come.
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Can someone tell me if you can get on at shields? Or should a guy be driving from the north launch? Thanks
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I would go north end. A chain link fence was put in along the shore at the pump house at Shields. If that is the spot that you were thinking of using.
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Go on at the north end. I agree with Ripn blackstrap is just a bowl. It does have the odd hump but they are few and far between and small, likely not big enough for a perch to hide behind. But there are certain spots that hold fish spring to late fall , nothing tell tale on DI or SI to show why. Ill be dropping the camera down this summer to see whats up. And were the fish are this winter they wont be next winter , this is why i LOVE my camera , it tells me the temperature at the bottom, were cold blooded fish swim.
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Discovered that chain link fence myself today ::) So went up and fished the north end dam. Buddy said he saw a fish in his hole and that was it. We weren't there all that long, between 11:00 and 2:30. Ah well.
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We went out south of the the pump house by Shields on Saturday. Caught 4 walleye and 1 jack. The biggest walleye was 1.5 lbs the rest were very small. The jack was about 1.5 lbs too. Everything was caught with PK spoons and small minnows in 20 ish feet of water. We had the best luck with the red dot PK. The bites didn't begin until about 3:30 and the last one around 5:30. I was pleasantly surprised with our afternoon!
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Out at the North end sunday from 9 to 5. Caught 5 perch and 4 walleye before noon, nothing after. Was good to see the CO's out.
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out late afternoon/evening yesterday, west shoreline down from thode. sitting on 22 fow fairly slow had maybe 10 marks show up in 31/2 hours. caught 2 walleye 1 keeper missed a couple.changing up lure,s a few times.interested in the gold with green little cleo.
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in the same area yesterday, west shoreline. windy again, walked holes for the most part. again lots of smaller marks deep in 23 fow nothing wanting to commit. tried 10-14 fow for the last hour set the hook on a few decent marks but nothing on the ice. wasn't my night. :) so here i sit this morning having a coffee reading posts sharpening hooks.thinking of my next adventure.
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Thanks for all the reports Ripnflutter. My kids have asked me lately, "How come you never catch anything?" I tell them, "That's why they call it fishing. If I wanted to guarantee I would get something, I would just go shopping." The adventure is the big part of the fun. Good luck to all going out this weekend. Be safe.
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fished 3-5 today @ north end. 1 small perch. in 4 outings this year so far i have 1 pike, 1 walleye, 1 perch. weak.
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Drove on at Evans Road a few evenings a go when it finally warmed up. 2' of ice. Fished 4:30 until 6:00 over the rim of the sunken road. Iced one perch and later one walleye around 5:00 PM. Perch were showing for about 20 minutes before the one walleye. Slow.
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Went out to south end today. 22 FOW. Our group fished from 3:30-6:00. Had several bites. Marked fish on and off for a couple hours. Landed a coupe walleye and a small pike. Kids had fun. Nice day! Good times.
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Fished the south side, 22fow, lines in the water by 8:30am. Ended up getting into some perch, including a few 12"+ jumbos. A few small pike and walleye rounded out the day. Best bite was 4:30 to 5:30, pretty slow otherwise.
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Fished from 1-6 pm yesterday just North of golf course. About 22 fow and caught nada and lost a couple minnows.
Great visit in the shack with buddies though!
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Fished from 1-6 pm yesterday just North of golf course. About 22 fow and caught nada and lost a couple minnows.
Great visit in the shack with buddies though!
That's the great part of fishing. It can be a real social activity. I like that part. Glad you had fun.
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Got basically skunked at the Strap yesterday, a couple of very small walleye to keep me interested, but nothing worth keeping. In about 12 FOW right below the ski hill.
In a shameless plug for my Eskimo Mako auger, it started on the very first pull of the season. ;D
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good day on the lake yesterday for a few hours down around the campgrounds fishing deep 23 fow in the basin just off a fast slope that was 14 fow on top where i set a flag. caught 5 walleye kept 2 at around 16"-17". 3 perch and 3 pike 1 at 5 lbs all in the shelter the plan was to walk holes for a couple of hours but as it turned out there was really no need to walk holes as there were marks coming through fairly steady. most were small but often enough to stay.could be the steady change in this weather cause the action sure wasn't like this the last few weeks or longer.caught everything on the perch glitter frostie spoon with the glow back tipped with a minnow head.. nothing on the flag. no hardware lost to the pike perfect ;D
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If anyone goes on the strap today and update would be muchly Appretiated. Jus curious what the thickness is and how wet she'll be on the ice? How's the bite going. Have not been out there for a 3 weeks las time I was out the ice was bout 2' should a guy have anything to worry bout with the warm plus temps from Thursday till Tuesday we have going on?
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If anyone goes on the strap today and update would be muchly Appretiated. Jus curious what the thickness is and how wet she'll be on the ice? How's the bite going. Have not been out there for a 3 weeks las time I was out the ice was bout 2' should a guy have anything to worry bout with the warm plus temps from Thursday till Tuesday we have going on?
Yeah, you need to put on sunscreen!
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Lol good point s guy doesn't need to worry about pullin a 16' camper shack off or anything. There's lots of ice there right? Gotta be three feetish? Even with the nice weekend n mon tues sittin at plus 5?
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if this was march i would get your camper off. the boat launch and any other approach gets pretty sketchy with a week or so of plus temps. but it will freeze again. still lots of ice right now 2'feet or so.will get a little soft over the next little while and water clarity will be affected.was out yesterday again in the am from 6:30-10am around the campgrounds caught 2 small walleyes and 1 pike 3lbs. marked more walking holes but no takers.so went home for lunch and got back out at around 3pm fished til 6:30 new area managed 1 walleye 16" marked a few more at dark which i cant believe didn't hit the way they rolled up and were vibrating on my lure.in any case great day to be out looking forward to Mon and Tues next week.
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Thanks rippin u driving out yesterday then
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yes
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Was out yesterday (Thursday) . It was +2 no sun.. No water pooling on top of ice soft snow and 2+ feet of ice safe enough for an 18 wheeler. No worries about that. Fish are definitely in the biting mood. Caught 4 eyes 1 pike. Maybe 10 perch. Caught all the fish through the day. When we left to drive back to the city my outside temp gauge in my truck claimed to +6 bye the time we hit grasswood. it was a good day though regardless. Today is suppose to be the best day for fishing according to my lunar calender for the next month. Add in the warm and there should be some good fish caught .
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Was out today north end . 2 ft of ice . Drove my 1/2 ton on no issues . No pooling water but lots of visible cracks in the ice . Was out from noon to 330 in 20 FOW iced one 3 lb pike. Guy next to me iced a 10 lb pike , perch and a couple smaller pike . Great weather but with it being warm for the next 5 days might wait to drive on again till it gets cold again . I'm sure it's fine but better safe then sorry .
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Anyone driving on from the park launch lately? Just wondering what the ice is like and if there is anything to worry about with this warm weather
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Also interested in the conditions out there right now. Would like to go out tomorrow and take my fishing buddy with me, but he's only 4 and if it's standing water and wet on the ice then it'll make for a short & miserable day if he's soaked in the first few minutes. We drove on with the van last week, but would rather not do any puddle jumping to get on/off the ice.
How was fishing today?
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Lots of water on the ice, I drove on, there is close to 2 ft of ice but soft in places. Fishing was slow. Wind was pretty strong and I forgot my rod bag in the garage, much to the disappointment of my 10 year old. He was not a fan of hand fishing.
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I was out yesterday afternoon, over an inch of standing water in low spots. What snow was left is just slush. Ice seems fine if not a touch soft, I'm sure it'll make it through the warm spell intact. On of my ice cleats broke putting it on, hole hopping was more like curling. Fishing was dead slow, marks on the flasher but no takers.
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It was perfect for even a 2wd to get on as there is very little snow left. It started dry in the morning and got a bit wet under the afternoon sun. Ice was over 30" from park boat launch to Evans Road. Ramps were good at both places.
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BEAUTY night out there! Marked quite a few. Landed a small pike on the flag and released a small walleye. Lost a keep eye at the home. Great to be out on there. Just south of the hill.
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yes it was a beauty night it was great fishing with you saskbucks to bad we couldn't land those bigger marks.oh well that's what keeps us going back. heading back out today decided to wait til after lunch.couple things need attention this morning but should be another great afternoon/evening. going to check out that area we talked about last night i will let you know.
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yes it was a beauty night it was great fishing with you saskbucks to bad we couldn't land those bigger marks.oh well that's what keeps us going back. heading back out today decided to wait til after lunch.couple things need attention this morning but should be another great afternoon/evening. going to check out that area we talked about last night i will let you know.
Lots of fun and great to meet a new friend. Can't wait to get back out there. And you're right, days like those keep us going back. :icefish:
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almost a carbon copy of monday night for weather and fish marked and caught.nothing over a pound in the walleyes, and 1pike at 2 lbs.no perch.try a different area for thursday.
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Heading out to Blackstrap tomorrow morning. Hoping to fish a ways south of Evan's Rd. Plan on getting on @ the boat launch. Am I gonna have any problems getting on and/or driving on the ice? Thanks.
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good driving conditions may be a little slushy at the launch or any other approach. still have to use your brain and pay attention its not a race track. good luck. :)
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I was wondering if anyone know the current conditions of ice thickness on Blackstrap? I am going to be fishing there tommorow for the first time and was wondering if someone can give me a few pointers as to where a decent spot would be to see up shop :) I would be walking onto the ice, as i am unfamiliar with the lake. Any suggestions or input is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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Likely go on at Evans road. You can park on the road only feet from the lake and you don't have to walk far and be in 20+ feet of water. Lots of shacks there. Shacks don't always mean fish but its a good start.
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was out yesterday for another afternoon/evening another great day to be on the ice. set up in 23 fow as per usual for now.. just a different area of the lake.was marking fish fairly steady most were small again perch or very small eyes probably could have down sized but then had a couple roll in that showed better on the graph.one took my offering set the hook did have weight but was off before i started to crank.managed 1 walleye had a few good lookers no pike. using the red glow rattle flyer. good area to take my daughter and let her have her way with those little marks with some ultra light gear.so far this year hasn't been to bad in the walleye pursuit at the strap did great at first ice with some decent walleyes slowed down for awhile then have been catching the odd one in the 17"-18"range.and catching smaller ones which is a great sign.the pursuit goes on.as for pike not a lot on the flags nothing over 4 lbs at least for me so far. still have a couple more months. noticing on the graph also that the pike are a little more sketchy especially the 2-3 ponders usually theres not much hesitation when they roll in. so half way through the hardwater season for me has been fairly productive looking forward to the remainder of the season. ;)
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What's it like to drive on at the north end? Can it be done safely in a car or van? Thanks.
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Thanks for the info darrenf442! Another person told me to try at evans road and also at the north end between the boat launches. I have a sonar and all the other goodies so regardless of where i end up it is sure to be a great day on the ice.
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we"ve fished evans rd 3 times the last two weeks and found the best fish were on the flats just off the ditch in about 22 ft with 4 tipups out each morning or evening we picked up 6 jacks between 3 to 5.5 pounds each day saw some walleye and caught a few small perch but the northerns were the ones cooperating
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What's it like to drive on at the north end? Can it be done safely in a car or van? Thanks.
The worst part is the ice heave where you get on the lake at the unofficial boat launch. If you figure you can get over that you should be good.
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pretty decent fishing the last couple days at the strap.decided to set up in an area that is kinda my favorite over the years. been doing the afternoon/evening and has been fairly productive on the walleyes. both days were mostly keeping warm in the flip especially last night that wind was brutal.both trips saw a handful of marks in the afternoon and a few pike. 2 of the pike did cost me some hardware. >:( that's the game we play. from 5:30 til 7 the walleyes were very active both nights. was catching on the jigging rod and on the dead stick (bobber) beside me.caught maybe 5 or 6 that were borderline keepers and 1 at 2lbs the rest were 1 lb and under and lots of them. and of course some pike..looking forward to Thursday.
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Hi everyone. I've only been on the strap twice this year. Both for short periods of time on the north end with no luck. I'm thinking about trying the south end this weekend. Is it easy enough to drive onto the west side of Evan's road in a stock Tacoma? Or should I go to the Provincial park side? Thanks.
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Not sure what access is like now. But after this storm starting tonight into this weekend there's definitely going to be a bit more snow again 10-20 cm with big wind. Drifts will be back. I would drive to the boat launch 6 min further and easy off and on.
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Thanks BigJumb. So it's accessible but depends on the conditions. An extra 6 minutes to a better access point beats 10-20 minutes digging out of the snow.
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heard from a friend that lives in shields that there was a 30 lb jumbo pike pulled from the strap yesterday, anyone3 have pictures? heard it was on facebook
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That pike was posted on FB as coming from dief!!
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Thinking I might go and check out the strap tomorrow. Probably to the north end. First time out this year. Just fired up the auger last night, started third pull, no service. Same Aspen in it from last year, good stuff. A good sign. Put the batteries on the charger for the flasher and the camera last night. Going to fill my 10lbs propane tank up on the way out. Any hints on what they are going after? Last couple years have been Hali's with a meal worm for perch, as for pike I usually throw on a smelt on my tip up and let it sit.
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more of the same last night lots of smaller eyes 1 lb and under. did manage to view a larger pike cruising by guessing around 15 lb. its been a few trips now in the same area good for numbers and the odd keeper. have an area where i was catching some nice perch last year. that will be the next trip see if they are around there again.
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Out today 2-6:30. One walleye. Marked quite a few fish but they weren't hungry.
Still had a great time with my buddy.
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I was out on the north end on Sunday between 6:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Caught two very small walleye around 8:00 a.m. Moved around a bit looking for bigger fish. Caught a 2.5lbs pike at around 1:00 p.m. Saw fish on the sonar throughout the day and missed a few nibbles. Not a bad day in my opinion (no skunk).
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fairly steady on marking and catching those smaller eyes again yesterday.caught 1 keeper 16" let it go. great area for keeping your interest. think i will give it a few more trips in that area. have a good feeling seeing lots of small targets got to believe the bigger ones aren't far behind.
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set up last night and tried in shallower water 14' on the flat just before the drop off to 23'.nothing going on in the shallows walked holes for the last hour marked a few but that was it.not a whole bunch of movement.nice temps for Thursday should be a good day for moving around hole hoping.
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Anyone ever try fishing the far south end? Where lots fish from shore in summer.
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Anyone ever try fishing the far south end? Where lots fish from shore in summer.
Good for the first month of ice. It has died down.
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Isn't that the story with the entire lake?
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Better for deeper part of the lake.
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it all depends on where and how you fish. the bite is slow you wont catch to many midday. been like that as far as i can remember .IMO you got to be mobile to catch numbers morning and evening.
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Ripnflutter and I met up last night for a few hours. Very quiet until around sundown. We started marking a few fish. I was able to ice a couple walleyes. He had a good one on but no luck. Fun to be out. As I got back to my vehicle the sky was clear and the stars shone bright. Was able to wish upon a falling star before driving back home. Always nice to get out and even better to meet up with friends.
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nice...i hav'nt wished apon a falling star for some time now.
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Didn't see many out in the wind and blowing snow yesterday?
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Can a guy get on the ice at north end or is the ranp all blown in
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Bunch of vehicles on the lake yesterday and today so I can only assume they are coming in through the boat ramp. Just saw a truck pulling a trailer going south on the lake.
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The North end launch is good to go. It was blown in a bit but there was enough traffic going through to make a decent path.
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Finally connected on some fish. A bud and I had some good action just after 4 while hole hopping a bit. 23 FOW. Ended up with 5 walleye(kept 3), 3 pike (one on the flag) and 3 perch. Hopefully they are starting to feed a bit more now.
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we've been fishing evans road this last few weeks and found that if you're not set up by daybreak or there at dusk you're wasting your time. the 2hour window def. applies by 930 in the morning the fish are gone off the road and don't return till 4ish the odd northern will cruise through but no walleye. I found that the bottom of the ditch has produced better then the top this year
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I have found this as well. Not much action at all until right near dusk. I haven't been out in the morning to fish before sunrise though
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beautiful evening last night set up out in front of the hill. marked some more decent targets but man they were just not interested last night. managed a couple smaller eyes, no perch or pike. getting pretty sketchy driving especially on and off the approaches more snow on the way. still OK with a 4x4 but 2 wheel drive cars mini vans with no clearance will get hung up.
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Pretty quiet on this thread. Was out today at Shields. Caught a couple small eyes and had a few other bites. Fish that I marked weren't really aggressive. Had fun though. Always good to get out!
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Any recent reports on access at blackstrap? Wondering if it is possible to drive on with a 4x4 truck and which access points i might have better luck getting on and getting around at. I am going to try and take my 2.5 yr old son out on sunday i think if its not too windy and being able to drive on would be much more preferable. Also getting stuck would really suck. I think i will have at least one buddy with me but i really dont want to get stuck haha. If driving on at blackstrap is sketchy at best i may have to try another reservoir close the city. I would be fine sticking to a well traveled trail and just pulling off to fish along it, if any of the access points have a good trail going?
I am wondering if we might gain some ground on the accumulated snow with this really nice weather.
Thanks!
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One reply on the strap on i Ifish and someone was out yesterday on the north end, reported perch non stop and a few 5-7 lbs pike. That was March 6th
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Our group tried northend 9am-4pm. 2 perch 2 pike 1 eye. Lots of lookers on camera but barely any takers
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Poor fishing times for the strap. First light or last light.
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Thanks to the guy in the Ford super duty with the enclosed trailer !! For pulling my shack up on my trailer !!! Much appreciated 👍👍👍👍
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How's the water clarity with these warm temps and fast run off? I'm assuming it's getting a bit cloudy already?
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Out all day today. About 5 Kepler perch threw. Few back also hit a 4 lb eye a 2 lb eye and a 1 lb eye.
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Out from 9 -5 today , 8 keeper perch ( 9-11") , threw back about a dozen, 2 walleye , 1@ 6-7 ish lbs, and 1@ 2 lbs .. 23' of water .. Clarity wasn't to bad .. Very good day .. Was raining pretty good when I got off the ice and was pooling pretty good also .. Cheers !!
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Thnx shark. Sounds like you had a great day on the ice. Cheers
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(http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah124/Niceguy_rick/image_zpsz58bxzbn.jpg) (http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/Niceguy_rick/media/image_zpsz58bxzbn.jpg.html)
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(http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah124/Niceguy_rick/image_zps7ctyivvk.jpg) (http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/Niceguy_rick/media/image_zps7ctyivvk.jpg.html)
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Nice fish !!! If I could figure how to post pics I would !!! Where were you fishing ?
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Straight out from the boat launches in 20 ' and yourself? Jus Google how to add pics on ice shanty it will walk u threw it step by step.
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I was on the north end ... East side in front of the little bay ..
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Great walleye! Thanks for posting pics!
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Don't believe the Shark! If there's no picture there's no fish. He can't be trusted! ;D
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Hey Splaker , I believe u seen the pics .. Jealousy gets you know where !! Ha. 🍻🍻
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Want to take my wife and kids this Saturday afternoon. Is it good to walk on at the boat launch south of the hill? Thanks all. Good luck.
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Anyone know if you can get on at the north end and do you need an extention on your auger?
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Drove on north end yesterday and didn't need an extension.
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that time of year.... got out last night and did good on the walleye bite. with the warm temps and the bites lasting longer into the night you can really take advantage hole hoping.started around 5:30 no need to go earlier and fished til 8.caught 7 walleyes.
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hows the road coming on to the lake at the boat launch
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Was out on north end yesterday...was thinking off driving on but decided to walk out instead.parked on dam road , loaded up my pull sled ( that I put on some old downhill ski's ..wish I did it earlier in year...barely any weight loaded..so easy ) drilled some holes every 10 feet out until I found my spot to jig and set a tip up ..ice was still thick but kinda sketchy as well...there were a couple guys out with there vehicle at there shack....and the odd vehicle heading farther ou(shields)t to get there shacks off....got a few perch and saw couple nice Jacks on camera but we're not taking my offerings lol...had a few tubs of minnows to use up so I was doing hard jigging, heads ...just enjoying my last day on blackstrap lake for this hard water season...lots of good ice I hope at margo and Pelican lake when I head out in a week ....if not had a ok year ( lots of days of nothing )...I played it safe, lots of gas in augers , made some good go pro videos , got the daughter out ( that's rare).I'm on week two of 6 months paternity leave with our lil man....so lots of days at the cabin...plus got my June trip to pawistic lodge booked so that's cool ...so be safe everyone and catch ya on the summer site tight lines
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Anyone headin out today by provincial park lanch? If so I imagine a guy is fine walkin out tomorrow still right? I was out last sat and the launches where slushy and A fair amount of water there at shore line. Was 40" of ice still jus the shore line I'm wondering about. Should be fine to walk though let me know if anyone goes out today.thanks.
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Anyone headin out today by provincial park lanch? If so I imagine a guy is fine walkin out tomorrow still right? I was out last sat and the launches where slushy and A fair amount of water there at shore line. Was 40" of ice still jus the shore line I'm wondering about. Should be fine to walk though let me know if anyone goes out today.thanks.
Me too please. Thanks.
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Guys driving out today and did well I seen on another site, a bit of water to drive through at the shore but good to go.
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IMO unless your going to get your permy off i would be walking on.unless you have a quad or sled. seen some weird stuff over the years.those cracks you see mid winter all over the ice that look like they go to the bottom of the ice open up first and are very week spots so that 40" of (soft) ice around them is sketchy. I'm sure there are some of you out there with bigger balls but one things for sure if you did go through with your truck you will probably only do it once...lol be safe people and or smart.
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lots of trucks out at Evans road today. Talked to a few guys, didn't sound like the fishing was too hot. Fished for an hour or two mid day. Had a few on the flasher. No bites. We walked out, brother wasn't too interested in driving his 3/4 ton out. Haha
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Spent a few hours just out from the boat launch. Caught a couple decent perch. And even met another forum member. Pretty cool stuff. Lots of standing water. Saw lots of trucks by Evans.
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Drove out yesterday . Lots of water on the ice but still lots of ice. I know with this warm weather it will be turning soft soon so for me this will be the last week-end driving out. North end getting rutted up but still can get on easy enough. Caught 2 1/2 lb walleye and 8 perch
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Checked the park entrance yesterday and the south dam today. Ice is dry and strong at the south end, but wet mid-section near the entrance. Perch is still deep over 20 fow. Small walleyes are as shallow as 10 fow.
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Any word on ice conditions? Maybe head out Saturday if it's still ok.
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Ice was good today. Easy to walk around on since it WASNT slick. Good luck.
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I was at the park boat launch last evening. There was plenty of open water along the shore. Ice was still over 3' thick but permeated with water already. The layer of soft and dry grains of ice provided perfect grip for walking. DO NOT drive on.
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so long til November, and good luck.
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Next year, good soft water fishing!
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Fished 9:30-2:00 . I brought the ladder in case there was a good gap between shore and ice but there was no water at shore we walked right on . No standing water on ice. Fish were there but not in a biting mood. Caught 3 perch two little eyes. Had a decent eye get off below the ice. Got a good sunburn.
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BigJumb, were you at the north end or south of the causeway? Anyone else out over the weekend? Thinking of going out to the north end for one last evening bite, but only if it's safe/dry to walk onto the lake.
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north end. just south of shields. at the Pumphouse. fished from 11 feet to 20. Fish were in all depths. I found a honey hole that had big fish coming through at 20 feet consistently. But fish weren't in a big biting mood.
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I drove to the north end, then Shields, then the park. Story was the same everywhere, 10-20 feet of rotted ice and open water to cross, and still questionable looking after that. Drove back to the city and fished the river for a half our instead. No fish and lost 4 hooks, reminding me why I seldom ever fish the river.
Till next year...
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I managed to get out this morning and was happy that the lake was not at all crowded. I got 3 or 4 good sized pike, and the biggest Walleye I have taken from Blackstrap. Cant wait to try again tomorrow.
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Hi Warren. Blackstrap is in the central zone and closed between March 31st and May 5th. So it's probably not a good idea to go again tomorrow ;)
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im hoping he meant it as an april fools joke?
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Hi Warren. Blackstrap is in the central zone and closed between March 31st and May 5th. So it's probably not a good idea to go again tomorrow ;)
It was a good April Fools joke.
Blackstrap is in the Southern Zone not the Central
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or maybe he's treaty?
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Total April fools joke, I was bored at the office just before lunch. ;D
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I thought it was fishy. ??? I meant to type southern. April fools there too haha! @)