has any one been fishing?

[icy mike]

we have the most ice in the country and the fewest posts on the Shanty.  I don't get it.  BTW, our church is having a family fishing day this Saturday on Finger Lake if any one is interested.  \

Icy Mike

[KP_Alaska]

Icy Mike,
Been a little busy here in Fairbanks, last week we had lots of snow and this week its been -40 F and colder. Not much time for fishing and that ice isn't going anywhere until May. Reminds me, I've got to buy a new license. Hope to get out the weekend of the 21st - 23rd.

[eman]

Icy Mike, I'm from Western Mass, but one of my best buds is in ALaska for the Coast Guard.  I know he's been ice fishing a few times.  He's in Anchorage. 
I think it's surprising too that you have so few posts. 
What do you usually fish for?  Anything really big that you need massive tip-ups for?

[broomballboy]

We were out on Birch lake on saturday. Fishing was nice, weather was nice. My 5 year old caught one rainbow about 20 inches long.

[icy mike]

Icy Mike,
Been a little busy here in Fairbanks, last week we had lots of snow and this week its been -40 F and colder. Not much time for fishing and that ice isn't going anywhere until May. Reminds me, I've got to buy a new license. Hope to get out the weekend of the 21st - 23rd.

Hey KP,

I've seen you guys have been getting so super cold weather.  We have been having temps in the -10 to 5 degree range.  Some buddies and myself are trying to plan a trip to Fairbanks to fish for burbot some time soon.  Any advice on where to go up there would be appreciated.  We would also like to target some pike.  Thanks.

Icy Mike

[icy mike]

Icy Mike, I'm from Western Mass, but one of my best buds is in ALaska for the Coast Guard.  I know he's been ice fishing a few times.  He's in Anchorage. 
I think it's surprising too that you have so few posts. 
What do you usually fish for?  Anything really big that you need massive tip-ups for?

I'm about an hour north of Anch.  I usually fish for trout, dolly varden, landlocked salmon, char, and pike.  There are burbot as well (which I am trying to learn to catch).  Up north in the Kobuk area and to the West in the Yukon/Kuskokwim river delta they have sheefish which get pretty big (comparable to good size pike).  I have never fished for them, but I have a job that sometimes allows me to go to the bush.  Hopefully some day I'll be able to mix business with pleasure.

Icy Mike

[The Common Man]

I am going to try to get out this weekend, but lately it's been one thing after another.  I did a little fishing in Wisconsin over the holidays and didn't do well at all.  We caught some small bluegills and a few small mouths..no Northerns.  I did catch a dogfish on a tip-up.  Got two new Beaver Dams for Christmas!!

[fish_slayer]

CommonMan I can take a stab at where u went, it sounds like marshmiller, because thats how its been, really slow, I am trying to get out to coon fork but I have beaver traps out, and its getting hard to fish now, but I hope to get out there this weekend, its going to be -20 to -40 this weekend, so the ice will be nice and thick.  I also had to take a few days off, because I was in the chippewa county forest, and one of my coon hounds dissapeared for 4 days, I finally caught him today, he was really tired and weak, but he made it, with the temp dropping from 27 to -20 in a day I don't think he would have lasted much longer, but at least he's safe now.  Iceymike, is it really that much warmer in anchorage than in fairbanks, that sounds like really nice temperatures. 

[Kodiak Commando]

I went out yesterday for only about 30 minutes during lunch and caught a nice 17" rainbow. Icy mike rember even though we have lots of ice we have few people and lots of hard to access ice.

[The Common Man]

Hello Fish Slayer:  I wasn't at Marshmiller, but we weren't too far from there.  Everyone in the area has been saying that the fishing hasn't been great.  We were fishing a couple of small lakes around Chetek.  Even though we didn't catch many fish, it was great fishing with my dad, nephew, and two brothers-in-law.  I also had a chance to go the the Renegade Archery factory in Bloomer and shoot a couple of bows.  I liked them so much that I went to Mouldy's in Chippewa and bought one.

I am glad you got your dog back.  Was he laying on your jacket when you found him/her?

[fish_slayer]

he was not too far away. He had come back sometime in the night, so he was not too far away in the morning when i called for him, and he appeared.

[KP_Alaska]

Icy Mike
Are you and your buddies bringing snowmachines or are you limited to road access only? You can access the Tanana River by vehicle in several locations between Eielson and Fairbanks, some of the more popular areas are Piledriver Slough below Moose Creek, South Cushman area to the Airport along the flood control project and Chena Pump Road Campground. The Tanana is a good place for burbot, I haven't done much pike fishing in the local area, I mostly fish the stocked lakes. Barleydog would know some good locations. I know he used to fish some of the ponds on Eielson AFB, but I don't know about access for civilians, used to be you only needed a permit but things may have changed.

broomballboy
We were down at Birch last Saturday also, didn't do any fishing though. Had to do snow removal at my place and my neighbors, we are across the highway at Lost Lake. Rode the snowmachines around Birch a few times during the day for a break. I forgot to get a new license so fishing was out.

[pegasus]

I don't what I would do if I went icefishing -20 degrees. I know what my wife would do, she would ship me off to the state hospital. Last week we had 55 degrees on the coast of Maine. How thick does you ice get in the winter? The fish you catch must get frostbit before it get to surface. We are going to get winter this week with below zero temperatures.

[KP_Alaska]

pegasus,
With ice as thick as we get you can usually drive to your fishing spot, so you always have a warm vehicle to sit in. A lot of folks put a shack/shanty out with some type of heat, anything from propane bugeye heaters to wall furnaces or woodstoves. You don't see many bucket sitters at 20 below. Ice thickness varies due to cold and snow depth, by the end of season sometime in late April I will be using an 18" extension above the normal 3' auger.

[pegasus]

Most years, in northern Maine, they have to use extensions. Most of the time, central Maine to the coast, we get just about 30" of ice to 18" on the coast. Your holes must freeze over quite fast. I guess it's getting use to the environment. Believe it or not, we have people here in Maine that think we must have a screw lose to go ice fishing. 

[Kodiak Commando]

It doesn't get nearly as cold on kodiak as mainland alaska. I have never ice fished here in below zero weather and never seen ice thick enough to have to use an extention.

[broomballboy]

Hey KP-

We were just out in front by the big parking pullout.  I saw a few snowmachines out there may have been you guys.  It might have been good that you weren't fishing.  A trooper on smowmachine stopped and chatted with us for a while.  He never checked licenses though.

Tried Chena lakes this weekend.  Nothing worth noting except the ice.  It was popping like crazy you could hear it echoing under the ice.  Pretty cool.

PS. After further review the Rainbow we caught was only about 17 inches.

[KP_Alaska]

broomballboy,
I remember seeing some people off the pullout, we were coming onto the lake just west of the pullout across from Lost Lake Rd. Can't believe you didn't get checked, this is the time of year they like to do it, looking for guys like me who forget its a new year. You must have chatted him up pretty good and he forgot his reason for stopping, maybe it was that shrinking rainbow! 17" is still a real nice fish, if you out a little farther near the point you should get some nice size char. When my kids were little they would run from the shack to the truck when the ice started expanding, hated to tell them that the truck weighed more than the shack. See you on the ice.

[pegasus]

It's zero on Swan's Island, Maine this morning and itsurpose to be -5 below tonight. The saltwater temperature is 40 degrees and the vapor is 30 feet in the air. Finally, some ice making weather.

[Barleydog]

Kevin,  How's the season treating you?  Birch is probably hot with lot's of biggins' eh?   Save some for me would ya?  Jim

[KP_Alaska]

Hey JD,
Good to hear from you. Haven't fished much this year yet, with the cold and snow I've been busy. Still have plenty of time to hit the ice between now and May. Planning a trip to Blair Lakes this spring for pike, have you ever been out there? 35 below in town again this morning, looks like its supposed to be down there all week. Hope all is well with you and your family and many thanks for doing what you do. Hope to see you soon.

[Barleydog]

Kevin,  So happens I'm with a couple guys who work out on the range.  I will ask them what, where, and when.  Hopefully they know a little something eh!

[KP_Alaska]

JD,
Thanks any info would help. I think there is a trail/ice road that starts near Harding Lake off a section of the old Richardson. Weather hasn't changed much here, supposed to warm up today to zero, woo hooo! A heat wave!!!!