IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Nebraska => Ice Fishing Nebraska => Topic started by: ryanp on Jan 29, 2015, 08:58 PM
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I was wondering if there is any good ice around omaha
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Yesterday all the farm ponds I seen down here by Syracuse were completely open. :(
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No good ice. You can launch a boat on some lakes.
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Walnut Creek (Papillion) is open all the way from the dam to the islands, so it's one of the places you could launch a boat at. However, there is (really really bad) ice on the southwest arm. I wouldn't recommend walking on it though, unless you're a goose, at which point you'll fit right in.
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Thanks for the walnut creek update. I was going out to look tomorrow, now I can just grab some minnows and take my crappie rod.
Keep it safe! JDL
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Looked again at Walnut Creek on my way home tonight - a bit has skimmed back up on the west side of the lake, but there were waves there yesterday (Thursday). Should be able to fish open water from the jetties on the east side if not from the dock.
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Looking at the forecast going to have some pretty low temps. We may still get some ice!
Keep it safe! JDL
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With the cold weather coming in, how long does it usually take to ice back up?
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Depends on how low they go. Also the wind plays into it. If the low temps continue through next week we should have good ice later in the week. Around the 10th.
Keep it safe! JDL
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This website might help... Lake Ice - Ice growth
http://lakeice.squarespace.com/ice-growth/.
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The main issue that we have with icing back up at this point (although the upcoming week of forecast temps look good) is that every day there's a little bit more and more daylight and a slightly higher sun angle on the ice. The sun especially warms up the bottom in the shallower areas and shorelines, and that makes ice access difficult even when the temps seem like good freezing and ice building should be happening.
I haven't put my gear away yet, but I think it's going to be an uphill climb for me to get back on the ice in the Omaha area again this season. I'd like to say I'm going to drive north, but 4 little kids and their schedules and such are most likely saying otherwise...
Nate
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My neighbor sent me pics of 3 ice huts on Cunningham today (Saturday)....be safe out there!!!!
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I'm holding out hope but we will be lucky to see good strong ice again? Just came back from Okoboji yesterday and fishing was agonizingly slow since last Thursday. With no more vacation days left... Trips north don't look likely for me either Nate!
-Steve
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Drove out to Standing Bear this afternoon. Looks like it has just iced over with a thin sheet of ice....definitely not safe imo. Hopefully, the temperatures will stay below freezing this week.
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Anybody have recent updates? Thinking about going out this afternoon (with my life jacket, picks and spud bar.)
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this was around 3 bells at lowance youngman 2 1/4" little on the unsafe side if u ask me.. (http://i1377.photobucket.com/albums/ah70/novak80801/1423054613_20150203_160542-picsay_zpshoiwwl2q.jpg) (http://s1377.photobucket.com/user/novak80801/media/1423054613_20150203_160542-picsay_zpshoiwwl2q.jpg.html)
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Thanks for the picture Sharkbait. I haven't wandered down to check Walnut Creek out yet, but a lot of it was open up until a few days ago as well, and so I would guess that quite a bit of the recently locked-up section is similar. Waiting a few more days...
Nate
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Nate, see my post on NEFGA. WC south bay was 3-4" on the "white ice," which shaved surprisingly well, but was only 1.5" or so in the center. Main lake nearing 2". Should be helped by the -10* overnight low forecast for tomorrow. The fishing was decent, nothing crazy, but a lot of fun.
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Thanks Mike - I saw your post at the other place too. Living near the lake as I do, I stop by and take a look even on days when there's no time to get out, and this year so far I've seen basically nobody fishing south/west of the islands (a stray group or two maybe on a weekend). When I fish that area (so far not this year yet, but other years), it's always been a minimalist thing because there's rarely enough snow to nicely get a sled down from the parking lot, but I suppose this weekend's storm changed the equation on that.
Glad you found some fish and thanks for the report - I think I'll be out to check the ice on Friday. I always have a PFD on, spikes around the neck, rope, s pud bar and the whole 9 yards, but the caution-meter even goes up a bit more when it's the 3rd freeze-over of the season. Hoping for 5" or so and a couple more end-of-season trips.
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I don't know,about anyone else but thinking this cold snap may get us back on the hard water everything I went by was locked up
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I don't know,about anyone else but thinking this cold snap may get us back on the hard water everything I went by was locked up
Everything has been "locked up" for 2 weeks or so now, but that doesn't mean it's thick enough yet. I am planning on heading back out at least to Walnut Creek (a few blocks from where I live) to check thickness this weekend, but I'm not incredibly hopeful. The sun angle alone, regardless of air temperature, is enough at this time of year around here to start softening the edges in the shallows at any rate.
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http://neblandvm.outdoornebraska.gov/2014/11/safety-first/ (http://neblandvm.outdoornebraska.gov/2014/11/safety-first/)
Daryl B.
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I drove by Wanahoo yesterday. There were large areas of open water in the middle of the lake, with ice around the edges that was in various stages of re-freezing. In my opinion, if the lake does cap again, the ice would be a patchwork of various depths and would be extremely dangerous.
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Any updates for lakes around Omaha, looking to go to Youngman this weekend. Any help would be great thanks.
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I was out on a 2 acre pond today and there was an inch of white and 4-5 inches of clean ice. It is a sheltered And small pond. I'm hoping the next week yields some cold weather.
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Just checked Walnut Creek.
Do NOT access the ice from the boat ramp, and in general don't attempt north of the islands. That part of the lake was just open a few days ago and is now freshly re-frozen, but only 1" of ice. I was through with 1 "pop" of the spud bar.
The southwest arm, however (south and west of the islands), is cautiously fishable - I measured 6 to 7" of ice from the northern shore (most easily accessible shore from the "upper" parking lot) out toward the middle (creek channel) area.
But be careful!
Nate
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Thanks for the update. Getting off work early tomorrow. Did you get any fishing done?
Keep it safe! JDL
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5 1/4 inches of new clear ice on parts of standing bear. I would say about 3/4 of the lake was this thick.
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I fished Saturday from about 9am to 1pm on the southwest arm of Walnut Creek Lake. For a guy with a 6" hand auger, I was in "drill baby drill" mode. I generally do not ice fish that part of the lake because I usually access the ice from the boat ramp. So Saturday was like fishing a new lake in a lot of ways. Found fish right away, but it seemed like 1 per hole and then I'd have to move along. Probably drilled 30-40 holes, which is several times more than I would normally drill in a 4 hour outing at this particular lake. Put my seat in the back of the sled, pulled up to a hole and fished it for a few minutes, moved on to the next...
Good to get back out again!
I'm sure there are a few small areas on that southwest arm that may be thinner, but everywhere I went I found a good 6-7" of ice. There is a "color change" zone of ice, and I found thickness to be about the same on either side.
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Any Info on Cunningham or Youngman? Much appreciated!
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Youngman had a big stretch of open water after the rain on Wednesday
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Any Info on Cunningham or Youngman? Much appreciated!
The area by the boat launch of Cunningham is still decent.
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Thanks for the update guys, I am heading out today to find some good ice. I will post my findings later.
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Walnut Creek has some small patches of open water (most notably there is one close to the boat ramp - not sure I'd get on the ice there).
I fished today from 9:30 - 12:30 in the northwest section of the lake, mainly just playing around and trying new things. Iced a very wide variety of sizes of bluegill and a few 6" or smaller crappie on all manner of baits.
I found 7-8" of good, clear ice everywhere I drilled in that corner of the lake, fishing in water depths ranging from 7 FOW to 22 FOW. I got on the lake just north of the fishing dock to avoid walking anywhere near open water.
With the forecast, looks like we still may have a couple weeks left in this on-again, off-again season we're having!
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Youngman = 6 inches
Cunningham = 12 inches
As of today....how is the ice at Chalco?
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There was a good 6-7 inches at standing bear.
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Anybody have Lincoln area ice reports; specifically Wildwood?
Fished on 8" near Crescent, IA today.
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From an FB page for NE ice fishermen: "Ww is good 7" clear." Posted this morning. (28 feb 2015).