Seymour

[TRT]

I was up at camp yesterday 2-3 feet of snow, lake looks like Feb more than early April.
The top of my picnic table was even with snow and drifts/snow off the metal roof to mid window. 
Don't bother heading up that way for Saturdays opener.

[fishingidjit]

 

[Light liner]

Its depressing, still alot of snow in the NEK.

[thefishingweatherman]

I was up at camp yesterday 2-3 feet of snow, lake looks like Feb more than early April.
The top of my picnic table was even with snow and drifts/snow off the metal roof to mid window. 
Don't bother heading up that way for Saturdays opener.

What's to stop ya from getting out on the ice then, once the season opens, assuming it's still safe?

[dbldnii]

What's to stop ya from getting out on the ice then, once the season opens, assuming it's still safe?

is it legal to catch and keep trout caught through the ice after 4/13?

[TRT]

I don't think you can ice fish outside of the seasons listed March 15. I've looked at the regs before.
You can fish the open brook mouths where the brook has opened up the lake.
 

[thefishingweatherman]

is it legal to catch and keep trout caught through the ice after 4/13?

I would assume so, unless it's explicitly forbidden in the rule book. I mean, it's legal to catch them from a boat starting this weekend right? Doesn't make sense to prohibit it through the ice at that point. I assume the law just assumes we'd be ice-less at this point but idk. I highly doubt you'd get written up for such a thing, even if it is illegal. I would just limit it to the same number of legal lines you can use during open water season.

[thefishingweatherman]

From a contact at VT F&W:

"Short answer…it depends.  Check out tables 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 in the law digest.  Here’s an explanation:

Table 6 waters are completely closed to ice fishing regardless of the season.  These are usually small trout ponds, like Jobs.

Table 7 is for Lake Champlain, where you can ice fish for just about everything but bass and musky regardless of the season.  If you want to fish for bass right now, you can only do it from boat or shore.

Table 8 is for lakes that are open to fishing year round.  On these waters, you can fish for most species using either ice fishing or angling at any time of the year.  However, you cannot ice fish for bass, trout, or salmon at all.

Table 9 is for lakes that are only open to angling from the second Saturday in April to October 31 and are only open to ice fishing from the 3rd Saturday in January to March 15.  These are the big lake trout lakes like Caspian and Willoughby.  Trout season opens this Saturday, but you CANNOT ice fish on these lakes April through October.

Table 10 is for lakes that are open to year round fishing with an ice fishing season for trout, salmon, and bass.  You can ice fish these lakes anytime, but you can only target trout, salmon, and bass from the 3rd Saturday in January to March 15.  In other words, you cannot ice fish for them April through October, even though the open water trout season is on."

Sounds like "it depends!"

[dbldnii]

From a contact at VT F&W:

"Short answer…it depends.  Check out tables 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 in the law digest.  Here’s an explanation:

Table 6 waters are completely closed to ice fishing regardless of the season.  These are usually small trout ponds, like Jobs.

Table 7 is for Lake Champlain, where you can ice fish for just about everything but bass and musky regardless of the season.  If you want to fish for bass right now, you can only do it from boat or shore.

Table 8 is for lakes that are open to fishing year round.  On these waters, you can fish for most species using either ice fishing or angling at any time of the year.  However, you cannot ice fish for bass, trout, or salmon at all.

Table 9 is for lakes that are only open to angling from the second Saturday in April to October 31 and are only open to ice fishing from the 3rd Saturday in January to March 15.  These are the big lake trout lakes like Caspian and Willoughby.  Trout season opens this Saturday, but you CANNOT ice fish on these lakes April through October.

Table 10 is for lakes that are open to year round fishing with an ice fishing season for trout, salmon, and bass.  You can ice fish these lakes anytime, but you can only target trout, salmon, and bass from the 3rd Saturday in January to March 15.  In other words, you cannot ice fish for them April through October, even though the open water trout season is on."

Sounds like "it depends!"

OK got it.  as weird as it seems, it sounds like the law for example on a lake like bomoseen which is table 10, you can keep trout april 15th but not while standing on ice.  I guess its up to the warden on giving you a ticket which you would have to go to court and plead your case to the judge. 

[TRT]

Thanks for clarifying weatherman, I did not think you could restart ice fishing on the designated trout lakes.
I suspect Seymour, Averill's etc may have ice into May this year. 

[thefishingweatherman]

OK got it.  as weird as it seems, it sounds like the law for example on a lake like bomoseen which is table 10, you can keep trout april 15th but not while standing on ice.  I guess its up to the warden on giving you a ticket which you would have to go to court and plead your case to the judge.

Yep, pretty weird huh? I doubt any warden would slap you with a ticket if you were doing that, unless you were being a major jerk in other ways. Nevertheless, I can't recommend you try this.

[schmidtxc]

If you're drilling a hole to fish on Seymour, you'll get fined. If you're standing on the ice fishing a hole that has opened up. it's legal. I actually had this discussion with a warden a few years ago. Once the designated ice fishing season is closed, you can't put holes in the ice to fish anymore.

[troutcrazy]

The statute doesn't say anything about "drilling".  Their weird comma useage makes it kind of confusing, but it looks pretty clear that fishing "from the ice or on an object supported by the ice" is ice fishing.


Copied from the statute:

 4.0 Ice Fishing

 4.1 Definitions

4.1.1 Ice Fishing - Ice fishing is defined as fishing by means of hook and

line in hand or attached to a rod, tip-up, jack or bob, where the angler is

fishing through a hole in the ice, from the ice or on an object supported

by the ice. Fishing by casting or trolling baited hooks, artificial flies or

lures shall not be considered ice fishing.

[JMailbox8]

Yeah, that's not very clear. They basically say at the end, that if you can cast, it's not ice fishing. So casting while standing on the ice is ok?

[Fish Farmer]

Yeah, that's not very clear. They basically say at the end, that if you can cast, it's not ice fishing. So casting while standing on the ice is ok?

If you are standing on the ice, fishing from an object that is on the ice....that is considered ICE fishing. If the season is closed for ice fishing you can't ice fish.

If there is ice floating around and you are standing on shore or in a boat on the water(not ice) and it is open season for angling you can fish.