IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Canada => Ice Fishing Saskatchewan => Topic started by: GooseHunter1 on Nov 17, 2023, 07:34 AM
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Any ice at Blackstrap yet?
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Slushy, as per the highway camera.
http://highways.glmobile.com/blackstrap/ (http://highways.glmobile.com/blackstrap/)
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Long way to go...
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A friend went shore fishing this past week.
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Saw ice on the highway camera! Soon!
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4 inch of ice at the park entrance.
(https://i.postimg.cc/YGZgDF3g/20231126-160747.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/YGZgDF3g)
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Nice start to the season. That looks like a taco!
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Nice start to the season. That looks like a taco!
need alot a taco seasoning to make that thing taste good
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Blackstrap walleye tastes pretty good! The pike on the other hand...
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4 inch of ice at the park entrance.
(https://i.postimg.cc/YGZgDF3g/20231126-160747.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/YGZgDF3g)
Hey Toon that must have been you I saw setup. I was over on the causeway. Had an easy 5.5in where i was but i didnt go nearly as far out. Got a couple pike, walleye, perch but no whitefish :( . Marked what i assume were whites but they were suspended out over deeper water not stacked up in 5ft like they normally are the first couple weekends. Im wondering if they finished spawn before ice up with how late it was.
Either way was great to get out.
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you know that the causeway is closed all year to fishing, you'v got to be a ways away I know you checke the regs. :o
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you know that the causeway is closed all year to fishing, you'v got to be a ways away I know you checke the regs. :o
North causeway. Not the one by the park. Even if it was allowed ice is going to be sketchy over there.
I guess i didnt see toon, for some reason i read park entrance as north launch haha.
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Now because this happens every year fellas, do not drive your truck on yet...
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Caught a real lunker on Tuesday.
But actually had pretty good action. There was 4-5 inches of good clear ice on the north end.
(https://i.postimg.cc/4mqx7ywd/20231128-164132.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/4mqx7ywd)
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I've got Monday off and thinking of trying out the old road. Any ice reports? I've heard a couple people say 4-5"
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Welcome to winter fellow members.....it's on. Scouting trip today. I started North of the ski hill in 22 fow, about 175 yards out. Good 5 inches of ice. Caught this Walleye within the first 15 minutes. Then worked my way South to the far end of the ski hill. Drilled 20 holes, and never had a bite after the Walleye. I didn't see anyone on the North end today, as it looked like I was the first one out in this area. Going to try a different area tomorrow.
(https://i.postimg.cc/XpSTXf41/IMG-4904.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/XpSTXf41)
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Good catch Dizfish and CR. Buddy and I forgot the sled last Sunday. We didn't venture far and barely detected any fish that day.
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I had better luck catching whitefish at Iroquois lake and lake diefenbaker. There is plenty of them in the shallow at blackstrap during early ice but tough to hook one. Some one at this forum worked out a secret routine a couple of years ago.
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I had better luck catching whitefish at Iroquois lake and lake diefenbaker. There is plenty of them in the shallow at blackstrap during early ice but tough to hook one. Some one at this forum worked out a secret routine a couple of years ago.
I gave up on them last year they were so tough to get hooked.
I had a camera down watching a dozen charge my lures only to Deke at the last second. Never did get one but saw a hundred bluffs. Tried all the lures, all the baits.
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Yeah id say blackstrap is one of the hardest lakes to catch them out of. I think its because its got so much plant and bug matter compared to say dief where minnows are probably their main forage.
I usually catch a handful each november and keep trying because blackstap has the biggest average size ive seen. Plus one day im going to figure them out haha. I need my master angler and the ones i get at dief seem to max out at 21in.
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Let us know when you do!
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Speckspotter and myself fished until noon today, in a old spot of ours. In the past we have caught a number of Walleye in this area. Today we were fishing and not catching, had to tip our hats to the Walleye. Only landed once each, which we both are going to enjoy for supper tonight. Again, there seems to be about 5 inches wherever we drilled. Next time out we are going to target Perch. But since I didn't catch any Perch in front of the ski hill yesterday, we will try another area. First ice last year was slow for us, and we didn't really find the Perch until we were able to drive on.
Anyone get into the Perch yet? I am assuming the size will be the same as the last 2 years (hard to get many jumbos).
(https://i.postimg.cc/QFS7rf4L/IMG-4907.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/QFS7rf4L)
(https://i.postimg.cc/GB5s4Hnq/IMG-4909.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/GB5s4Hnq)
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Enjoy hearing the reports guys. Going to try and head out Sunday. Anyone know if you can still access the shore on the east side, across from the big point in the north end of the lake where it's real shallow rocks? I know at one time you could drive down to the shore through a farmers field.
Thanks
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I believe you are talking about what people call Blackrock Bay, across from the South end of Shields. Up until last year I have always driven down right to the shoreline through that field. Someone said there was a sign put up last year saying private property or something to discourage people from driving down. But I did see trucks down at the bottom, so don't quote me on it. Then it is a easy walk out onto the ice to fish in the bay or in the mouth of the bay.
Let us know if you were able to drive down and how the fishing was if you make it out Sunday.
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I believe you are talking about what people call Blackrock Bay, across from the South end of Shields. Up until last year I have always driven down right to the shoreline through that field. Someone said there was a sign put up last year saying private property or something to discourage people from driving down. But I did see trucks down at the bottom, so don't quote me on it. Then it is a easy walk out onto the ice to fish in the bay or in the mouth of the bay.
Let us know if you were able to drive down and how the fishing was if you make it out Sunday.
Thanks CR. Yeah that's where I'm talking about and couldn't remember what it was called. Now that I think about it, I believe I scouted it in the summer and saw the private property sign. If that's still the case I likely would respect that.
Tight lines fellas
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Just caught my PB 28 inch walleye.
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Photo
(https://i.postimg.cc/cggDX7QQ/mmexport1701542066007.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/cggDX7QQ)
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Congrats! Great catch!
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Right on, that's a tank!!
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Amazing! Great job!
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Thank you fellow fisherman. Started at 10 am until dark. Got 4 walleyes 2 pikes and 1 perch.
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Very nice Eye T.F. That would be over 8 lbs. You could win the pool money with that catch. :)
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I have to admit I’ve never heard of or seen any master walleye come out of Blackstrap! Nice fish!
How is access along the north end on the dam? I am thinking of hitting up a spot from last season where my wife caught her PB around this time last year.
I’ll be out after lunch if anyone wants to come say hi!
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Currently sitting out at evans. Have spent most of the day working my way down from the park entrance and hazelnut to here. Barely a sniff on the flasher. Odd not to see an absolute ton of perch either.
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J.P., I also was out today and spent 3 hours on the West side (South of Thode), dozen holes not one mark. Then I drove around and tried out front of the boat launch drill a string of holes going South towards Evans Road. Stayed 2 hours without a mark, and called it a day. Not sure were the Perch are hiding.
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Glad it wasn't just me then.
On the plus side, holy smokes does that new E40 auger rip. It's so nice to hop from hole to hole and not have to re-pull start. And can't beat 13lbs.
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Was out today from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm, lots of fish on flasher and camera including walleye, pike and whites. Lost a good pike and one walleye and that was it, fish were not that interested in lots of presentations. Ice was 8 inches in 16 FoW. Looks like a pressure ridge formed on the North end.
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Well, howdy all!
Nice to see you folks have gotten out and ripped some lips.
Looking to head out next week once I've wrapped my final papers and finals up. Thought you folks would be interested to know I'm taking an ICHYTHYOLOGY course next term: the study of fish!
Say, I've only ever had luck with perch at Blackstrap. Do you folks have advice for getting the attention of walleye and pike? Is there any depth you find them to prefer in early winter?
Thanks much. Take care, friends!
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I'm not sure I have much advice for a budding Ichthyologist, but the pike and walleye have shown up both shallow and deep. I have caught Walter at 23 feet right up to 8. Right now we are trying around 11 to 16 for walleye if that is any help. As for what they want to bite, I think that will be a good subject for your doctoral thesis.
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WTH is this. Been ice fishing in the park for over 40 years, never been approached or seen anything about it. Good thing some of us are over 65. Talk about money grabbing. I guess somebody has to pay for them keeping the road open, but they need to do a better job of clearing the boat launches.
(https://i.postimg.cc/bZSV5mDb/IMG-2232.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/bZSV5mDb)
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I hope the C.O.'s don't read this forum. Have seen and talked to C.O.'s every winter for over 40 years, and not a boo from one of them.
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I'll believe they are serious about this when I see a person in the booth at the park entrance. Until then...... meh
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Signage is clearly posted on entry. If your at least 65yrs, all you have to do is go to the Park Office, produce valid ID and BINGO, staff issues you a Park pass with large printing across the pass "SENIOR". Hang it on the mirror and continue to enjoy the park.
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They were the same in Manitoba last right out on the ice catching everyone that didn't have a pass maybe they will start doing that here more often . I use the park lots in the summer so I guess I'm ok as I have a seasonal pass .Will be interesting to see if they start doing that here . Regards
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I got out Sunday and walked out from the north dam. Had 8 inches of clear ice everywhere we drilled. Tried in holes ranging from 10 feet to 22feet and didn't catch anything. Both guys with me have cameras and we saw all species of fish in the lake but most commonly pike and walleye. Nothing seemed interested in our presentations. The highlight of the day was that we saw a burbot on the cam! I've seen a few posts of people who have said they've heard of others catching the odd one. Anyways, all three of us saw it on the camera. So I'm now a believer there's a couple in the lake!
Sparce perch sightings which is odd indeed.
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I'll believe they are serious about this when I see a person in the booth at the park entrance. Until then...... meh
There was somebody at the park office on weekends last year. Stopped in, and they said they were trialing last year and likely increasing the hours this year. And now that there's winter camping in set up huts I suspect enforcement will be higher.
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Last i checked plus temps and rain are a tad hard on the ice... curious to see how things shake out
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Things look good today after the rain, ice is excellent. Very clear and solid. Walked clear across and it was 5" most of the way, maybe more.
Didn't see much perch at my usual spots, but the pike are on the prowl. Got one medium and lost what looked like a 36" pike at the hole... :(
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Anyone get out this weekend? hows the ice
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Fished the north end near the launch. Had 7in or more of clear solid ice. Id have driven a quad or sled. Sounds like a pressure ridge opened up at blackrock.
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Ice was thicker this weekend than last. Didn't measure but it looked close to 9 inch at park entrance. Iced one walleye
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What depth are yall finding the perch schools right now? I went out twice to my usual spots in the provincial park and didn't see more then a few, plus some pike. 15-20 fow.
Are they shallow right now or just doing something different this year?
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WTH is this. Been ice fishing in the park for over 40 years, never been approached or seen anything about it. Good thing some of us are over 65. Talk about money grabbing. I guess somebody has to pay for them keeping the road open, but they need to do a better job of clearing the boat launches.
(https://i.postimg.cc/bZSV5mDb/IMG-2232.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/bZSV5mDb)
I got one of these yesterday as well. Cough up 42 bucks for the annual pass boys. (it said 80 bucks but online it was only 42 for me yesterday)
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I think they will be enforcing park passes fulltime now considering they have glamping year round. There will be someone running the sites full time, so best pull out a pass if your parking on shore in the park area. Not sure if they can charge you at the gate.
https://blackstrapglampingresort.ca/ (https://blackstrapglampingresort.ca/)
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Some good looking fish this season.
Any update on ice thickness? Thanks
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Hey Squid.
I measured 8 inches off north dam over two weeks ago. Haven't been back but I was at shannon lake yesterday and measured 13 inches everywhere I drilled.
Anybody driving on yet?
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There was a truck driving in front of Shields the other day.
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Hopefully this guy isn't the next one to drop his truck through the ice.
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Hey everyone. Been out to the strap 3x this year. Find fishing has slowed compared to other years. Especially the perch size and amount .
I remember going out in 2008 or 09 and I had my 3/4 ton diesel and we drove on the north end and drove slow down to shields . There were trucks everywhere on the ice , ice was dropping and cracking as I drove. We got down to shields and there were two duallyes parked side by side. We got out and drilled a hole and I measured and it was 10-11". Ice is thicker now today,,, then it was that day but we got Face book police trying to control everyone.
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Thanks CR.
I know the angling guide says 12inches plus for a half ton. I've never personally driven on with less than 15 inches. I appreciate any feedback from the peeps on this forum as I've boycotted Facebook from the beginning.
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Was there any snow on Shannon when u were there , there wasn't any when I was there on the tenth . Had lots of success that day .
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Was there any snow on Shannon when u were there , there wasn't any when I was there on the tenth . Had lots of success that day .
There were patches but lots of bare ice as well. I'm glad to hear you did well, I didn't catch but we did well there in the summer.
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I seen what u we're talking about it was another great day with 10 and 2 iced and released here's one of the 2
(https://i.postimg.cc/G9gc3cv7/IMG-3774.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/G9gc3cv7)
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There are multiple trucks driving on the North end this morning.
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Found lots of jumbo perch at Coteau Bay at 15 feet of water
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Found some like this this afternoon
(https://i.postimg.cc/G49wDD0P/IMG-3780.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/G49wDD0P)
(https://i.postimg.cc/wtsCfdj7/IMG-3781.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/wtsCfdj7)
(https://i.postimg.cc/v4jRtmMJ/IMG-3785.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/v4jRtmMJ)
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Some chubby perch fellas. Mind saying what depth you are finding them? I'm wondering if the warm weather has em somewhere else then I'm used to.
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All the perch and walleye I have caught in the last 4 outings have been in 10 to 17 " depth .
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Nice fish photos guys. :)
Even if the ice fishing a bit slow, you can't beat this weather, an Xmas gift for sure. ;)
WW
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Hi All,
I have a few questions about Blackstrap Reservoir.
Where do most of you ice or open water fish at Blackstrap?
Not looking for your exact spots, lol, just North part of the reservoir from the causeway or the South part of the reservoir. ???
Are all the fish species distrubuted equally throughout the lake or is the causeway a dividing line for some? :-\
Is the highway cam looking at the N or S end of the reservoir? :unsure:
I was looking at the google map of Blackstrap + the highway cam, and had those questions. ;D
WW
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How many inches of ice is there currently? Thanks.
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I drilled and drove across the north end today. The ice consistently measured 15 inches out to the 20 plus foot of water depth. I see folks are being pretty cautious with many still walking on. I understand that given how warm it has been, but this ice is good and once we have a few days in the minus teens for highs I would feel confident to drive wherever in search of the perch.
As for Water Wolf's question, there are a bunch of favourite spots that attract all over the lake. The sunken road, mouths of the bays, and the flats in front of the developments are pretty popular. However, not all produce consistently. The Blackstrap Perch Mafia has had fabulous hot spots in some years that simply don't do well the next. I had a perch hole a few years ago that yielded jumbos consistently, but for one winter only. Nobody else really used the spot as there were other good areas that year. They just haven't been back since. This year is proving to be yet another puzzle to be solved. We also had a spot that produced walleye by the dozen, but only before Christmas.
I guess that wonder and mystery is what keeps us coming back.
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The perch have been weird the last couple years. Im guessing its a cycle. What has me surprised is the difficulty in finding walleye since ice up, granted i havent tried too hard yet... But seemed over this summer i could do no wrong. Any method, any time/day, and anywhere i tried i couldnt keep them off the hook.
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Glad to hear I'm not the only one puzzled this year haha. My usual spots are bone dry this year so I think I'll head out tomorrow on a scouting mission.
Folks are driving on now? Scouting is a whole lot easier when you aren't walking.
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Fingers crossed this snow helps the bite tomorrow. I've had issues even marking fish in anything less then 15ft.
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I know people are driving all around the North end. I haven't been out for a couple weeks and was going to go check the South end tomorrow, I am assuming people are driving on there. Can anyone confirm this?
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I went on Friday and saw a few full trucks on the ice. Be careful guys, but it should be ok?
I think I'll go out tomorrow too.
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With the ice finally thick enough to go exploring safely, I joined the other folks on the south end today. The bite appeared to be pretty good by the launches judging from the number of shacks and pop ups, but I just had to go try that spot I mentioned a few posts ago. Damned if I didn't raise aggressive marks right off the hop. I drilled two holes but only fished one for two hours of steady action. The perch have clearly decided that this part of the lake is where they want to be again. One chunky keeper had bloodworms spilling out of its yap. Perhaps there is a great crop of those at this spot now?
All I know is that there will be a delicious batch of perch for supper in the new future.
(https://i.postimg.cc/8JM78RRK/Perch-Bite.png) (https://postimg.cc/8JM78RRK)
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Although I had the pleasure of fishing with S.S. for a hour this afternoon, my partner and I did most of our damage in the morning in a different area. The saying.........."Go South" paid off today. Seems to be nothing on the North side.
(https://i.postimg.cc/SnDMDDd2/IMG-5057.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/SnDMDDd2)
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Nice catch there cr glad to see u got on the perch .
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Same report here. Steady perch bite, but nothing huge. average size seemed to be 7-9", with one 10.5. Lots of pike coming through to break up the party. Caught a chubby 33" big mama.
Super sad to see this snow come in and ruin my perfect drive on access. I'm assuming there will be big drifts out today and the boat launch will be a mess.
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Ah yes, but since it looks like they want to make sure everyone has or buys a park pass, we can stop at the office building and complain if they don't open up the boat launches..........lol.
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I stopped in today on my way to Regina, to get my park pass at the office today. Talked to the girl and asked, so this means they will be keeping the launches plowed. She said just the North one. I went and checked and both launches are really good for getting on the lake.
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And now you can enter any Provincial Park...That was easy!
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I stopped in today on my way to Regina, to get my park pass at the office today. Talked to the girl and asked, so this means they will be keeping the launches plowed. She said just the North one. I went and checked and both launches are really good for getting on the lake.
I guess that is something. Itsure would be nice if they did both. I guess I always took the other launch when the north was rutted up and iced up, but maybe they will keep that under control so I won't need to. There were a few times last year where I made it halfway up the ramp and slid back down it in reverse, picked up speed. Didn't like that much.
Anyone see how getting around on the lake was? Are the drifts nasty?
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Slow day today. Started out by the boat launch, nothing going on. So I explored the rest of the day. Went South of Evans Road down the West shoreline, tired 7 different spots. Then tried Evans Road on the way back. Went North of the boat launches on the West side, tried 4 different spots all the way down to Thode, nothing. Then went to the East side and worked my way back to the boat launches, again nothing. Only caught 10 all day moving around. Talked to a few that stayed put in one spot, and some caught 0, some had only 4 bites all day, some had 5 to 10 fish. So looked like a slow day all around for everyone. Going to give them H tomorrow again.
Both boat launches are really good for getting on and off. Some big drifts, but they are still soft and easy to drive through in 4 wheel drive. Lot's of clear ice in spots still also.
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Fished yesterday close to the launches, very slow compared to before the cold snap. Left at 11 to explore. Low and behold the first spot I tried there they were. Pretty much steady action until 3, then slowed down. Fished that same spot today and the morning was very slow and then picked up around 11 to 3, with steady action. Was able to keep a limit of 10 inchers. Nice to throw back lot's that otherwise would of been kept by others. Seems to be lot's around as the flashers and camera are showing, but getting them to bite is another story. The last 4 times out, I found them are full of blood worms. I have my R&D working on a imitation blood worm. Partner today was using meal worms and I was keeping up to him with the eye ball.
Noticed 3 guys stuck today, but they were able to get out easy with just a little shovelling. Just keep your speed up, and you should be ok. North launch is really good.
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While fishing yesterday, got a chance to talk to the C.O. as he was checking people. I asked him what is going on with them wanting us to get park passes. He smiled and said that was something for the parks to look after (and enforce), and that they weren't going to be checking people for passes.
Yesterday the bite was good from 9:30 to about 1. Then very slow from 1 to 3. Then they turned on again for about a hour at 3. Left shortly after 4, so not sure how the bite was until dark.
And the drifts are getting a little harder now. Yesterday with the fog and being cloudy was hard to see them, hard to follow old trails. Still a far amount of clear ice and spots with hardly any snow, so you can pick your way around the big drifts when you can see them.
Has anyone noticed the it seems the water is higher this winter? I have noticed 25 and 26 feet of water from the top of the ice in spots we have fished. Can't remember it being that deep..........or it might be dementia setting in
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New to Saskatoon and looking for some info on Blackstrap. Places to access ice, pass needed? North end or south to start exploring. Looking for any help people can give.
Thanks!
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Welcome D-Han. If you want to fish south of the causeway that runs though the middle of the lake, your only real option for drive - on fishing is the Provincial Park boat launch. You will need a park pass, especially if you leave your vehicle on shore and walk out. I was told by a worker in the park office that COs wouldn't likely check for passes on the lake itself, and this was the case a couple days ago for our group.
The north part of the lake is best accessed by a trail that leads south from the North Haul road. There is a gravel pit on your right just before the entrance as you come from Saskatoon.
As for where to fish? There are plenty of shacks and tents to provide clues as to where to start. The most successful fisher folk are the ones who stay mobile and drill plenty of holes. Right now, the bite is slower. Two days ago, the perch were very discriminating, and not willing to chase the lure very hard. We had numerous pike on camera that did a lot of looking, but not much hooking. As for the walleye, some believe they are vacationing in Mexico right now.
Good luck!
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The interesting perch winter on Blackstrap continues. Mrs. Speck and I decided to set up a tent and fish in comfort late last week along Evans Road where some of the group had been doing well. While we saw plenty of perch, the ones beneath us were for the most part unenthused about our offerings. Meanwhile, the guys around us were doing well. Two days later, I started at the same area and had an 11.25" hammer the lure on first drop, then nothing. After running through all my "guaranteed" presentations, I decided to go exploring. The first three spots were old honey holes that produced not a mark. I then drove to the middle of the lake and punched a hole in the middle of nowhere. Five perch hit one after the other including three keepers. That bite dried up, so I drilled another random hole a few hundred yards away.
Bingo! The bite was so strong that I upgraded my keeper limit to a strict 10" minimum. The flasher was awash in yellow, green and red. It was one of those times to play with the tackle box and see which lures they didn't want. There weren't many.
I reported my find to Churchill River who tried that new hotspot and hour or so later. He caught one 5 inch perch. He tried it again a day later and caught nothing. However, another random hole a few hundred yards away had him catching like crazy. In years past we have been able to revisit old spots for weeks on end and have good success. So far this year seems to be different. The moral of the story is that choosing mobility over comfort seems to be a necessary strategy this winter.
It also appears that the nematode cysts in the perch are more prevalent this year. Are others finding the same thing?
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Yes the nematode cysts are noticeable for sure this year S.S. But you told me to use less pepper in my flour mix, and they taste as good as ever. Most people know that they are harmless once you cook your fish.
As for you honey hole you sent me to. You mentioned you tried 2 or 3 spots before that and didn't mark a fish. Are you sure you didn't get your holes mixed up, and you sent me to a dry hole :)
The hot spot I found yesterday was really hot today. Nice that we can keep some 10 inchers for a feed, and throw the rest back.
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Damn!
You're on to me.
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Just a short report for anyone thinking of going out this weekend. The bite is really good, seems the perch are getting more active. Although there are some slow times during the early afternoon. I find when I am hole hoping you can catch 2 or 3 in each hole and then move on, and then bang, you will hit a honey hole. There are some spots were there are no perch compared to other years. If you move around the lake you should be able to find them.
There was lot's of water of top of the ice yesterday. Hard to believe it's Feb. 1st and not the end of March with this crazy weather. I used the South boat launch and it was really good, not much water building up at the bottom.
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Anyone able to say what ice thickness is? With all this warm weather are people still driving on and around the ice?
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I’m fishing Blackstrap for the first time this weekend. Wondering if there are lake access points other than the marked boat launches. Looks like there could be an access point in Thode? South of the village? Is that private?
Thanks for any info!
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Is there any truth that a truck is nose down at Evans Road?
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There is also a truck through the ice near Etters Beach on Last Mountain. Just saw photos.
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Yeah I saw pics of the vehicle through on the strap. It’s legit
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(https://i.postimg.cc/qzBwzRwC/32-FF426-F-26-CA-43-B8-AD69-3-F37-E5-CBDF1-E.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/qzBwzRwC)
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(https://i.postimg.cc/3495Fb6Z/IMG-2215.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/3495Fb6Z)
(https://i.postimg.cc/0KQgW011/IMG-2216.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/0KQgW011)
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Couple photos from facebook
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I was out there today when I heard the crash and went over to help out. It looks like someone moved there shack and didn't mark the spot. I have noticed some branches around holes from other spots that people moved their shack. The warm spell with all the running water and then the snow on top doesn't help to spot these areas. No one was hurt and the truck is back on top of the ice. Same for the one at Etters Beach.
I drilled 4 test holes to let the tow truck company know how thick the ice was before they came out. 3 ft from the truck it was 30 inches all the way around.
Just think a couple of branches or sticks could of probably prevented this.
Not sure about the Etters Beach episode...might of looked like a pressure ridge, I didn't get a good picture.
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Just imagine if it had been a person walking or even a kid could have been a bad out come, a couple of yrs ago on far south someone had a pop up and had a 4 foot square hole cut it and wasn't marked. I don't imagine they will catch an orca in the strap that they need that size of holes
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Yikes! That's some scary stuff. :o
Good to hear that everyone is safe at both lakes, that's what matters. :)
I have seen folks on YouTube who sight fish for trout, cut large holes in the shallows, but, they always covered them with branches at the end of the day.
A 4 foot open hole, not marked, would be very dangerous for sure, for both people and pets. :blink:
WW
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Just a short report to get Blackstrap back up top :)
Last Saturday the bite was on and everyone should of had a good day. Monday and Tuesday was a lot slower, and they were just sucking on the bait (eye ball). Still caught a lot but had to move around. If you are having trouble catching them you will have to move to different spots on the lake. Yesterday there wasn't a time there wasn't perch on the camera the whole day long, getting them to bite was another story. The bite should pick up later this week, with more March weather moving in.
We still have about 28 to 30 inches of ice and not over 3ft like we should have. Not sure what it is going to be like come the 3rd week in March.
Both launches are good though and it is easy to drive around.
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The current trend of good morning perch bite, mid day lull, and a good mid afternoon chomp was the case for me today. Plenty of fish in the morning, but the size was small overall. At 12:00 it was like the noon siesta alert went out and the fish disappeared. As others have reported, the afternoon seems to be when the bigger perch become more active. I was out from 10:00 until 5:00, and caught most of my keepers in the last hour. Again, movement matters as only two of the 7 or 8 spots I tried produced most of the action.
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Anyone driving on the lake since the big storm?
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I was out a couple days ago and drving conditions were good. Both launches were fine and the lake itself was not badly drifted. There just isn't enough snow to accumulate to cause problems - yet. We will see after this weekend. The bite was very good on Tuesday, but I only lasted an hour at -20.
(https://i.postimg.cc/VrtJx4tK/Flash-Frozen.png) (https://postimg.cc/VrtJx4tK)
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For anyone heading out this weekend, the North boat launch is plowed and sanded, so not problem at all getting on the lake. There is 4 to 5 inches of soft snow on the lake, very few bigger drifts. It is easy to get around.
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I was out yesterday and today. The South boat launch is still very good, no water at the bottom the last 2 days. The North one had some 2 days ago, but it was frozen today. Anyone heading out this weekend should use the South one.
Caught lot's of perch the last 2 days even though the bite is soft. Couple times a day they turn on and the bite is a little better for 1/2 hour or so.
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I was out yesterday and today. The South boat launch is still very good, no water at the bottom the last 2 days. The North one had some 2 days ago, but it was frozen today. Anyone heading out this weekend should use the South one.
Caught lot's of perch the last 2 days even though the bite is soft. Couple times a day they turn on and the bite is a little better for 1/2 hour or so.
What a strange year for fishing on the strap. I hope its not like this next year.
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And yet, H and B, it hasn't been terrible. These two brothers came from Calgary and Australia to sample the perch bite a couple days back. They were not disappointed!
(https://i.postimg.cc/K3YMyh45/Not-Bad.png) (https://postimg.cc/K3YMyh45)
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Hey all, thanks as always for posting these reports! They're always interesting.
I was hoping I could ask for a favour. I have some family coming out next weekend and it's their first time fishing (hardwater or otherwise). I have not been able to get out to 'strap much this year, and when I have I have had rotten luck.
I want to hook everyone into any fish, perch or otherwise, if at all possible. I'll be running a line of tip-ups and smelts as well. If anyone would be so kind as DM me a higher-percentage area to check out this year, I'd appreciate it greatly.
I'll be out tomorrow morning "prefishing" if anyone wanted to collect the beers that I'd owe you for the info!
Tight lines, all.
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This year I have been experimenting with big noisy rattle baits, especially when looking for walleye. There have been some days when that has definitely been the ticket.
Today was not one of those days. As I was wrapping up a perch outing using the smallest hook I had; a tungsten jig, there was a barely perceptible movement of the rod tip. The weight I felt on the hook set was either a world record perch, or something else. The big male walleye was both a surprise and a thrill.
(https://i.postimg.cc/kBm6ndvW/20-Male.png) (https://postimg.cc/kBm6ndvW)
(https://i.postimg.cc/2qV3HjCN/Tiny-hook-big-fish.png) (https://postimg.cc/2qV3HjCN)
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Well, that was a pretty good winter! Maybe the blackspot in the perch will decline by next year, though. See you all back on the ice then , eh?