Blackstrap 2022-2023

[GooseHunter1]

I hear that Blackstrap froze over?

[Whytie]

I hope not. if we get the 10cm of snow tonight it'll make some weak first ice.

[sparksNfishing]

Looking at the highway camera, you might be right.

[Hatandboots]

Be safe first ice fellas. Anyone going to check it out this weekend?

[Dlzfish]

Ill be out there with my brother saturday or sunday.

Ill be fishing 3ft or less, so im pretty comfortable walking out on a couple inches. Wont be venturing more than 30ft from shore or deeper than i can stand. Definitely take ice picks and a change of clothes just in case tho.

[speckspotter]

I checked the North end yesterday. Much of it was frozen over. There was a small open patch right near the access and then open water 1/4 to a 1/2 mile down the lake.

[EVAN NIM]

Highway cam looks like open water right now?
i sure hope so. will be slushy ice and pour conditions for early season IMO

[ToonFisher]

4 inch of ice under the camera. Some white ice, some black ice.

[DoubleHookSet]

Oh wow! Nice and thanks for the post. Where abouts were you drilling?

[Hatandboots]

4" already jeez, this year is very different from last. I drove to Dellwood and Melville today and both are well iced over.

[ToonFisher]

Oh wow! Nice and thanks for the post. Where abouts were you drilling?

I was under the highway camera. That's the very south end.

[DoubleHookSet]

I was under the highway camera. That's the very south end.

Oh gotcha! Thats encouraging.  Be safe out there peeps!

[Majic_Fish]

Has anyone checked by the boat launches. How thick is the ice there I wonder

[ZXJpYW]

Someone out there gettin after it today!

[Hatandboots]

Someone out there gettin after it today!

I didn't realize I was in frame of the webcam, I just gave away my spot 

The ice was surprisingly great! it was 4-6", pretty much only 6" once away from the shore a little. There was some white ice in spots, but most of it was a nice solid blue. I drilled about 6 holes and it was pretty consistent.

The fishing was great too. I drilled a hole (much harder than I remember...) and had a bite on the first three drops, and lost all three haha. On the camera, I saw a ton of big cisco and some pike and walleye. What's the trick to get these cisco to commit? So many would charge my lure and break off at the last second.

Felt great to be back out!

[ZXJpYW]

I didn't realize I was in frame of the webcam, I just gave away my spot 

The ice was surprisingly great! it was 4-6", pretty much only 6" once away from the shore a little. There was some white ice in spots, but most of it was a nice solid blue. I drilled about 6 holes and it was pretty consistent.

The fishing was great too. I drilled a hole (much harder than I remember...) and had a bite on the first three drops, and lost all three haha. On the camera, I saw a ton of big cisco and some pike and walleye. What's the trick to get these cisco to commit? So many would charge my lure and break off at the last second.

Felt great to be back out!

Beauty, thanks for the report. I might try to head out there myself tomorrow.

Where do you get on that far south? Only ever went up north to the north end or off the boat launch last year. Looking to explore some more this year.

I won’t blow up your spot, everyone will know if I do anyway 😝

[DoubleHookSet]

Beauty, thanks for the report. I might try to head out there myself tomorrow.

Where do you get on that far south? Only ever went up north to the north end or off the boat launch last year. Looking to explore some more this year.

I won’t blow up your spot, everyone will know if I do anyway 😝

Seconded thanks for the report. Heading out to try myself tmrw.

You drive past the provincial park turnoff and down in the valley on the highway. There's a turnoff right at the bottom of the valley and then a gravel road that goes back along the dam. You can either walk out on the rocks or just beyond the dam where you could see hatandboots vehicle parked today. Good luck

[ZXJpYW]

Seconded thanks for the report. Heading out to try myself tmrw.

You drive past the provincial park turnoff and down in the valley on the highway. There's a turnoff right at the bottom of the valley and then a gravel road that goes back along the dam. You can either walk out on the rocks or just beyond the dam where you could see hatandboots vehicle parked today. Good luck

Very much appreciated. Thank you so much!

Tight lines!

[EVAN NIM]

I seen a photo of a guy who tried to drive on the north end and broke through?? any word on this

[Scrunt]

I believe that was fake

[speckspotter]

We had a family from Afghanistan walk out to where we were fishing last February. After we got the daughter to catch her first fish through the ice, the father started asking us about our vehicles on the lake. He was amazed that we would drive on the ice. He understood that the ice was thick enough at that point, but wanted to know how we knew when the early ice was safe to drive on.

I told him "we use straws". After a moment, he caught the joke and we all had a good chuckle.

I think we all know of gamblers who wouldn't even rely on those odds.

[Dlzfish]

I didn't realize I was in frame of the webcam, I just gave away my spot 

The ice was surprisingly great! it was 4-6", pretty much only 6" once away from the shore a little. There was some white ice in spots, but most of it was a nice solid blue. I drilled about 6 holes and it was pretty consistent.

The fishing was great too. I drilled a hole (much harder than I remember...) and had a bite on the first three drops, and lost all three haha. On the camera, I saw a ton of big cisco and some pike and walleye. What's the trick to get these cisco to commit? So many would charge my lure and break off at the last second.

Felt great to be back out!

Hey hatsandboots, Those would be whitefish. No cisco as far as i know of. Not sure what it is about blackstrap but they are crazy picky compared to other lakes. Managed to land 2 today both on the smallest size of PK spoon. But for everyone landed, i had a couple hundred marks swim by without looking, and another 20 take a run but not commit. No exaggeration, i made a post on the FB group if you wanna see a minute of what i had on the sonar.

They seem to want really subtle jiggling and a pause right before they hit.There are some really big ones in there. Brother got a 23" friday.

[Hatandboots]

Ah I was trying to tell if they were whitefish, but never had one topside to tell the difference haha. Glad someone got some up! I'll give it another shot on saturday.

[gman51]

Officially on the board for the 22/23 ice season. Out checking conditions on a few areas today ice is looking good so decided to fish for a few hours. thickness was 3-4” average in areas checked. Did well on the walleyes today caught 5 in total keeping 2 at the 16” mark. Soft biters for sure today.

[GooseHunter1]

If you don't mind my asking, Ripnflutter, how much water underneath you with those walleyes you got?

[gman51]

fairly shallow 8-13'.. early ice it shouldn't be to hard to find and land a few pretty well anywhere on the lake. different story as the season progresses.

[GooseHunter1]

Good to know.  Thanks!

[Run-n-gun Walleye Chaser]

6-8" of ice everywhere I tried on the north end yesterday. Bite was slow but this guy hammer a perch lure around 5 pm.

[ZXJpYW]

Friggin slow this weekend. That’s all.

[Gkomo]

Yes it was very slow this weekend I was able to ice (2) small walleyes (1) small pike . U could see them very tight to the bottom if u jigged aggressive they would book it off . U could bring them up slowly they would touch the lure but not bite and slowly slink away along the bottom.