SOUTHERN N.Y. THREAD (L.I., WESTCHESTER, PUTNAM, DUTCHESS, SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUN

[kb]

Ouch.   I know that feeling all to well.    Feel better. 

[mr.clean]

Hello everyone , Gamalot hope there is no serious damage to your back and your feeling better by the week end.
Loudmouth879 congratulations on a very successful deer season enjoy all the venison.
Kb may things change for you before the season closes not much taste and flavor to "tag soup".
BlueSail thank you for the ice condition report. I've seen skim ice during early morning hours on smaller lakes/ponds here in the greater Newburgh area.
Hardwater Diehard hope you are right made a road trip day after Christmas(2016) and folks were out on Lake Wameta (Livingston Manor) and Morningside Lake (Hurleyville) .

Hope to see some of you on the ice this coming season.
Steve

[deweyicefish]

    hello guys I just ckecking in ... Like Mr Clean I have been seeing some skim ice on some of the smaller ponds 

[kb]

 Thank you Steve, I hope things improve too. I almost got one this morning – but that was with my car. Not my preferred way of getting one.

 Here in Dutchess County there has been some skim ice on smaller ponds in the morning, but that does not last very long.

[beachwoods 16]

Hey Guys, I just wanted to check in. The skim ice on the ponds lately have started to get me excited. Hope you all have had a good year.

[wolfpak3770]

Hey guys, be sure to vote in the pic contest. I'm representing the southern NY crew.

[hardwater diehard]

Maybe some good news

[Gamalot]

Maybe some good news

Like I always say, "When I grow up I want to be a weatherman who gets paid big bucks for being wrong most of the time". 44 and sunny here today was the prediction. It rained up until around 1 PM and then the sun came out and we hit 35 around 3:30.

Gam

[BlueSail]

Hey guys, be sure to vote in the pic contest. I'm representing the southern NY crew.

You got my vote, great story!  Some awesome photos there...

[deweyicefish]

  I am hoping by Christmas we can get on the ice ...
  It would be nice Catskills some higher Mtn lakes earler maybe...

[hardwater diehard]

Rock Hill ,NY area predicted temperatures

 

[Gamalot]

Rock Hill ,NY area predicted temperatures

 

Amazing differences do occur in such short distances. I live up by Rt. 42 in Forestburgh and my brother lives near Yankee Lake right off Rt. 17. That puts you about in the middle between us. Likely elevation has a lot to do with it but I doubt we are much over 200 feet higher with me at around 1460 here and I think Rock Hill is around 1250. If, and it is a big IF, all of our outside temp sensors are accurate and synchronized I can be 5 degrees colder here than at the same time at my brothers. A full 10 degrees going from my house into Middletown. Growing up living in Wurtsboro was rather depressing. Being in the valley with the Basherkill we often never knew it was a nice day until after noon when the fog finally lifted. Up in Rock Hill the sun was out from early morning. It looked like a rainy day when we got on the school bus in the morning but as soon as we got above exit 112 heading to Monticello the sun was shining. Up here the pond by my house has skim ice that lasts all day now yet if I drive down Oakland Valley road to Rt. 209, just 8 miles the ponds have no skim ice. Further north and west up in Delaware County I see guys on the ice a full 3 weeks sooner than it is safe here. Safe being a term we all have to decide for ourselves and most here are way more trusting than I am where ice thickness is concerned. I suspect, just like in many years past that around early to mid January my gear should be ready. Rarely have I ever been on the ice by Christmas but I know others have. What blows the worst in my opinion are the years when we get a good hard freeze early followed by a swift warming spell that totally breaks up the shore lines. I refuse to walk a plank or ladder to get out onto the "Safer" ice.

Gam

[beachwoods 16]

I watched guys throw brush in the water and then throw plywood on top of it to drive there four wheelers out on to safer ice. Not for me.

[Gamalot]

I watched guys throw brush in the water and then throw plywood on top of it to drive there four wheelers out on to safer ice. Not for me.

I took the cold water dunk twice in my youth and fortunately only in 4 foot deep water. It happens to be a very exhilarating experience but not one I ever care to experience again. My buddy dropped his 4 wheeler through the ice close to shore in about 2-3 feet of water and it took us over 6 hours with 4 machines and winches to get it out. I leave that stuff to you more daring individuals these days because no fish is worth it.

Gam

[pooley]

Gam, paint " Get help Dumbass" on those attachments! Lol! I have that sickness too!

[Loudmouth879]

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=349291.msg3720584;topicseen#msg3720584

Accepting entries for the 2018 NY ice shanty badge

[hardwater diehard]

So it begins in my area...Ja Da bait delivered today so its officially ice fishing season

[Loudmouth879]

So it begins in my area...Ja Da bait delivered today so its officially ice fishing season

A little too early for me to be ordering bait on-line will wait to see what the forcast looks like for the end of December... I can manage on plastics till then 

[beachwoods 16]

It won't be long!

[wetdreams]

I just received my 500 mousies today for $ 39.00 dollars !

[moose66]

1000 mousies for 35.00 on eBay with free shipping.

[hardwater diehard]

Well it looks like some even colder weather for mid week ...but the wind will pick up a lot on one of those days...28 deg as I type...with snow thinking 1/4 inch or more ...this will help with locking up the shoreline by not allowing for the radiant heat of the sun to warm up the shorelines.

I just received my 500 mousies today for $ 39.00 dollars !

Do you have a link to the retailer for the mousies .

[Loudmouth879]

I just received my 500 mousies today for $ 39.00 dollars !

Thats expensive 500 usually costs me around $25

[Steelhead71]

I just spent $25 on 500 today on ebay.

[yuranB]

I have never used mousies, probably because i have never seen them at any bait shop. Are they more productive than wax worms? And how do you store them, in the fridge?

[Travis Rage]

Mousies are a 1/4 the size of waxies.

[fishyholes]

Mousees are sold intermittently in bait shops. Last year was a bad season for them so no one had them. I personally think they are another tool for the box. The action is better than spikes and smaller in profile than a wax worm. I usually put a few spikes and one mousee for the extra length and subtlety of the tail. Store them in the fridge from 34-40 degrees and sprinkle a little water in the tub every so often so they don't dry out. You can buy them from Knudson's bait online for a reliable source.

[ShawnM]

I fished in Lebanon twice in the past 3 weeks and it is way overloaded with slime darts and the weeds they love. We caught a few decent Bass and easily a hundred pickerel and not one of them was over 14 inches. That tells me the forage base is all but gone because fish grow to a size the lake is capable of feeding them in. Not enough bait keeps all the fish small and voracious. On just about every cast we got attacked by small darts making for dreadful fishing unless you had a couple kids who just liked the action of catching any fish that will bite. If a buddy said he wanted to go pickerel fishing the very last place I would take him would be the Rio.

Gam

Game did you have a permit to fish Lebanon the two time ?

[Gamalot]

I did not have the permit but was invited by friends who signed up for them and got assigned exact days when they could fish with up to six guys.

Gam

[Loudmouth879]

Finally scored with the rifle... shot a 130" 10pt Thursday night!