IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Canada => Ice Fishing Saskatchewan => Topic started by: noluckjoe on Nov 12, 2011, 01:41 PM
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I can hardly wait to get out on the strap. if any more people start fishing out there I am going to set up a hot dog stand and make some money......lol.
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I haven't checked for ice out there yet. Is there any?
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I wouldn't think so
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That's what I was thinking, but I was just hoping for a miracle.
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there's ice piled up around the north end
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Anyone know what the ice is lookin like at bstrap?
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2-3" of solid ice near shore. This cold weather will help
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2 -3? Looks like I'm headin out this week.
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i've done 2-3 on the strap before, please be certain its that black solid ice and not the snow filled fragile ice, it's the difference between fishing and swimming.
Engineman, by chance could you say how far out this 2-3" was?.
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we checked today and there was a solid 6-7" 80 feet out
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Going out tommorow any suggestion on where to go? Was gunna try 2nd boat launch.
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we checked today and there was a solid 6-7" 80 feet out
Hey mr engineman, member me? haha been a year since i seen you on the ice. You been out fishing yet
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not yet...just checking ice,,,gotta be lots for an old fat guy like me!!! ;D ;D
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Ill be heading out with matiachuk tomorrow afternoon for the first time, will be great to get out.
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anybody know how thick the ice is at the northend? anyone drop a line yet?
:tipup:
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will hopefully be going out tomorrow, there was 7 inches at the north end yesterday and it was solid clear ice, so thats good enough for me!! ;D
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Me and Matiachuk went out to the strap today for about 2 hours, the ice is okay, still not consistant yet. had a few bites and seen one swim by, was just good to get out anyways. good luck out there.
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Hey Iceye
What part of the lake was it at south or north part looking at takin out my little guy tommorrow for some fun.
Thanks
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we were on the south end today, at the second boat launch. we are wanting to head out again tomorrow afternoon, let me know what your plans are. where are you heading?
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Thinkin southend as well evans road or....bradwell. Checked it out the other day and it had 6"
of ice on the east end.
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yes on the strap there was around 7 inches of ice pretty much everywhere we drilled. i would recommend ice cleats as there is no snow on the ice and the wind was blowin us all over the place.
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yeah that sounds like a good plan. good luck tomorrow, we'll be out by 4:00
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you say there was 7" of ice on bradwell on the east end? And was there alot of people fishing on the strap at all
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about 6 or 7, where ice was covered with snow it got a little thinner, and we were the only ones out there that we could see anyways.
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Was out today. Ice started off good, but by the end of our time the ice was completely covered by water. I think I'm going to be waiting till it freezes again before I try it. ;D
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How did you do engineman?
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3 or 4 bites but nothing through the hole.
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me and matiachuk went out for a couple hrs today, wanted to try at evans road but there was alot of water on top of the ice so we wentto the north end and there was alot less so thats where we set up. ddrilled holes from about 5-18fow seen some fish again although they were not interested in our baits. nice to get out again! engine man were you the guy who was set up in a eskimo portable?
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nope. we had our flip up but not an eskimo. we were right off the second boat launch.
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went out yesterday and got 3 pike and lost 1. fished for about 3 hours.
nice day, but the wind was riduclous!
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anyone go out today?
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Anyone check the ice on the north end after this somewhat winter heat wave? People fishing after all that?
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Just wondering if anyone has an ice report for the strap? anyone put their shacks out yet?
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8-9 inches of good ice around the boat launch area of the park. Not sure about the north end.
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no shacks on yet...it might be a tich early
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I'd say 6-8 of ice where we were... wouldn't say great ice. We were walking around making it pop pretty good.
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Went out today at about 4:00 for a couple hours, it was very slow. Got one perch and seen quite a few big white fish swimming around.
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I was out yesterday from 12-4pm, was windy as hell. Measured 12" of ice, bottom 6" is clear and top half is white and cloudy, in other parts it is all clear and solid. Only managed 1 small pike and 3 perch, however I saw 10-15 walleye, 4 pike and countless perch and whitefish on the Marcum. There were also 2 guys about 100 yards farther out then us who claimed to have cought a walleye and 90 perch! Ill be back out ASAP!
:tipup:
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what part of black strap had the solid black ice
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Went out today at about 4:00 for a couple hours, it was very slow. Got one perch and seen quite a few big white fish swimming around.
Hi IceEye,
Where did you go ? The North end or Evans road?
Thanks.
Have a good season !
YC.
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@ young catcher
We were at Evans road.
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thanks for sharing! wish you have a great fishing weekend!
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Hit the strap yesterday, 12 inches of ice in the N end and its looked good. Nobody around, I fished from 9:30 - 1:00 pm and only had two bites. Lots of small perch around and large whitefish in the shallows. Wind was howling so packed up and went home. A person should be able to drive on, I imagine there will be lots out today!
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Went out today, there were a dozen vehicles sitting at evans road so I decided to try the north end. Ice is about a foot thick, and some people were driving on. Fished for about 2 hours with no luck. Think I will be bringing the shack out next weekend.
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fished all day saturday and sunday, on sat with 2 buddies we kept 24 perch and a small pike, biggest perch was 11 and a half inches, and the fishing was the best from 10am-1pm. Sunday me and 2 buddies kept 21 perch (biggest 12inches), and i used beefheart for the first time through the ice. it outfished perch eyes and minnows 2 to 1. fishing was best from 3-4:30. Also saw many walleyes on the cam, no interest from any of them though. was fishing 23fow, measured 14 inches of ice with a tape measure.
:tipup:
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Were you at the North end? Or somewhere else? Just curious, I want to get my shack out as soon as I can.
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thanks for sharing! I was on Evans road Sat. with my Son. we got 8 nice size perch, and sent back about same amount smaller ones. From Vexilar I can see many fish came to bait but seems they were not very interested on take it. :-\
fished all day saturday and sunday, on sat with 2 buddies we kept 24 perch and a small pike, biggest perch was 11 and a half inches, and the fishing was the best from 10am-1pm. Sunday me and 2 buddies kept 21 perch (biggest 12inches), and i used beefheart for the first time through the ice. it outfished perch eyes and minnows 2 to 1. fishing was best from 3-4:30. Also saw many walleyes on the cam, no interest from any of them though. was fishing 23fow, measured 14 inches of ice with a tape measure.
:tipup:
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went out on Saturday and got about 25 perch between me and Matiachuk. there was a lot of action on the flasher...overall a good day of fishing!
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From Vexilar I can see many fish came to bait but seems they were not very interested on take it. :-\
try eyes ;)
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This coming weekends will be warm days.
This is good for us_Fishing people.
Is it good for fish action?
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Keep update please. or the topic will down to 2nd or 3rd page.
Thanks.
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Went to evans road this morning until the f#$%^ wind picked up. Was gusting pretty good by the time I left. Alot of perch and some picks on the camera but wouldn't bite. Surrounded the hook but just stared at it like a pedulaum. Alot of ice and previous holes drilled...keep er real boys and tip her up....!
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fished the north end yesterday and caught 2 small pike back to back in the first 10-15 min and then nothin.
fished for about 3 hours, packed up and left around sunset!
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hey guys looking for some opinions here, Im getting ready to move my shack out this weekend, it goes out in pieces and gets built in place but by the time I get the stove in it it will weigh roughly 700-800 lbs with out any people in it, with the ice being 12 inches last weekend Im sure the ice is safe (seeing as the synopsis says 12" is enough for a heavy truck), but with the accident at Last Mountain last weekend with the guy on the quad Im a bit sketched out about ice at the moment. Just wondering if you guys think the ice is safe or if I should wait a few weeks to move the shack
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I'd tend to think that the ice at Blackstrap would be a lot safer than Last Mountain. I wouldn't be surprised if some shacks made it to the north end this past weekend. I heard rumours that people were driving on in the north end, but I cannot confirm that. All that being said, it likely doesn't hurt too much to wait another week.
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we drove on at wakaw lake last weekend 12 inches of good solid ice
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Walleye420, where are you?
Long time didn't hear from you.
Did you start ice fishing at BlakStrap or bradwell?
Hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks
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Ya my shack is pretty heavy too. I put it out there yesturday. I didn't drive on thou. However I seen three vehicles that have which is kinda stupid I think atm. Considering they weren't that far off shore, why not just walk. Anywase, saying that, there are soft spots, on north end, boyfriend fell threw twice in 3ft of water. Be careful u guys.
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It's always good to be safe, with ice you never can tell what warm spells will do. For example, last Saturday I drove on the north end of Blackstrap no problem 14 inches of ice. However a warm spell can allow any ice to be compromised especially where it is moving around a point or narrow channel, or underwater pipe release location. Warm ambient temps will allow for ice to thin as it is erroded from below. F.B.
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u area of the strap do u guys typically think is best to try for walleye or perch?
cant seem to find them and have never fished it by boat in open water season!
thx. guys for any info.
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Ya my shack is pretty heavy too. I put it out there yesturday. I didn't drive on thou. However I seen three vehicles that have which is kinda stupid I think atm. Considering they weren't that far off shore, why not just walk. Anywase, saying that, there are soft spots, on north end, boyfriend fell threw twice in 3ft of water. Be careful u guys.
This was yesterday he fell through? that has me very nervous about taking my shack out tommorrow, I was on the north end last weekend and the ice was at least a foot thick, and there were several vehicles driving on it, although I wont be taking my truck on it anytime soon. Where abouts was it he fell through?
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try by the sunken road for perch and walleye.
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set up our shack on the north end today, the pike bite was on, brought 2 home for supper
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Atta boy good on ya..
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is the sunken road on the north or south part of the lake?
never fished it.
thx
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On the south end. Take Evans road east and you will end up at the spot.
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Found that the water was very Merky on the cam on far north end
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Went out this morning to check the ice thickness. I drilled to the east of the pipe that sticks out by the road and measured 16" of clear black ice. I did not check by the launch at the north end. There were 7-10 shacks out there. No vehicles were on the ice.
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Does anyone ever fish the ice at night on the strap? wondering if its worth driving out for a few hours after work one of these days?
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Me and matiachuk went out for the day today, had a pretty good day. We set up at Evans road and ended up catching about 6 perch and 4 walleye, we missed another eye right at the surface and another walleye was lost halfway up, good day on the strap.
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0 luck on north end. Might have to move the shack out to the south. I would like to take the shack out to the lucky spot but don't feel safe driving on the ice yet. For I have to drive across the lake with a vehicle.
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Well, got out to the shack at 6AM saturday morning, spent the whole weekend in it. Malayney to answer your question I have fished several nights at Blackstrap, never caught anything but have had some flags go off when we were sleeping. I have also talked to one other guy who caught walleyes at night in shallower water. Between saturday morning at sunrise and sunday evening at dark we caught 37 perch. Also, our shack is 10x10 and weighs 2,000 lbs, and we had 2 half ton trucks parked near it, never had any issues and the ice hardly cracked so the ice conditions are fine on the south end of the lake where we are. IceEye were you the guys in the red suits? if so that was my shack you were near and I saw you lose that one at surface ;D
Good luck out there!
:tipup:
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Haha. That was us. He had it hooked by the tail and the hook popped out right at the surface, easy getaway for that walter!
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yeah just crapty luck i guess losing that one. you guys by the sounds of it had a great weekend though, lots of perch! also, that's an awesome looking shack you guys have.
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I went to Evans road today with my family. we got 4 nice size perch from 1030 to 1500 and sent back more than 6 small perch; from 1500 to 1630, perch was really hungry and biting! we pulled out another 8 bigger ones! so happy to go out with family for a nice fishing day! :-)
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my buddy went out to our shack today, said he had a few bites and lost a nice one in the hole
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went to the north end for about 4 hours yesterday and only seen 1 pike on the cam, zero bites all day!
about 15 inches ogf good solid ice where we were! a few trucks on the ice and starting to be a few shacks out there!
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Hello, has anyone tried using the PK lures on Blackstrap?
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ya i tried them, with no luck
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Been out a few times to Evans road, really slow. Have not seen a pike or eye on the cam yet. Most we have caught in a day was 3 perch...not sure what we're doing wrong! hahahaha...ohwell that's fishing for ya! ::)
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so im from moose jaw but come to saskatoon very often so im planning on doing some ice fishing there this winter. i was just wondering were evans road is and the sunken road. ive fished from shore in openwater season by the new houses, theres a small boat launch and a marina right behind the bank i casted from. would that be evans road? if possible directions in relation to the #11 highway would be great. thanks for the tips and hope the fishing is awesome in your area!
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so im from moose jaw but come to saskatoon very often so im planning on doing some ice fishing there this winter. i was just wondering were evans road is and the sunken road. ive fished from shore in openwater season by the new houses, theres a small boat launch and a marina right behind the bank i casted from. would that be evans road? if possible directions in relation to the #11 highway would be great. thanks for the tips and hope the fishing is awesome in your area!
Hey Quinn, Yes that is Evans road...there will be lots of shacks there, so you won't miss it. It is the first right turn after you go through the blackstrap on #11. Hope you have better luck there than I have to start off! Good Luck
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yes, it is the Evans road. you will see about 4 shanty on the ice now. go to the mid. of the lake about 25FOW, you could use minnow or worm target perch. I found out my Vexilar is very helpful to see the fish attact. :-)
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excellent! thanks guys im am going to head there for sure next time im up in saskatoon!
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Went out today from 11-4 it was pretty slow, got one pike in the 2-3lb range, sent it back. It was winder than hell. Ice was about 16" thick.
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I was out today on Evans road area...the perch were busy...limited out in 2 hours!!!
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Whats the average size of perch being caught? I want to catch a few jumbos and people are telling me there are a few monsters being caught on Blackstrap.
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I was out at Evans road on 22 dec and there was perch on cam constant all day. Was pretty selective to
Which ones I set the hook on as I do not feel the need to haul
Up any small fish. I was able to catch a limit of perch over 10" and biggest was 12". Caught one smaller pike aswell which went back and saw some eyes and whitefish swimming around
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The fish that I kept were all in the 10 to 12 " range... not much benefit in bite size fillets. thanks for asking...
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was out friday afternoon until dark saturday (spent the night). the perch bite was slower than last weekend. We ended up with 9 perch between 10-12 inches and a small jack on friday, he went back. Saturday was much slower, between 4 guys we only managed 7 perch all day. To answer your question about the PK lures, they work great on blackstrap . On saturday 7 of the 9 perch, and the jack were caught on a PK with minnow head. Also, the few walleye i have seen come through the ice this winter have been on a PK. On saturday though, the perch wouldnt touch the PK, they only wanted minnows. It will still bring them in when jigged, even if they wont bite it. Measured 17 inches of ice, lets hope this weather doesnt hurt it too much. I will be back out on boxing day for a shack move and a bit of fishing, good luck everyone! :tipup:
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Fishing was VERY SLOW today (1145 to 115) One nibble and that was it. Amazing the difference a day makes...try again tomorrow.
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Anybody at Evans Road today? How was the ice?
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Was out on Evens Road today for about 3hrs and didn't get a nibble.....the wind was really bad today
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are people driving on blackstrap yet or still keeping to the shoreline?
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Theres atleast a foot on the south end, and thats probably uniform. I was out today and had some luck with the perch, although most were as big as my finger. Snow created a white out on the lake so that was cool. Still trying to ice some walleye there :P
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went to evans road today and it was brutal! not one fish!
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Any suggestions for where the fish are biting for tomorrow?
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ive had some luck on far north end. ill be there tomorrow for the day. anyone going out... come say hi, blue shack
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Went off the boat launch (park side) yesterday, fished all day saw 2 walleye 1 white and the 1 jack which we managed to catch, about a dozen perch on the camera as well. Now I remember why I started fishing on the north end. I will try the south end again in about another 5 years see if anything changes. Next week I will be off to Broderick res. F.B.
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We were out today for the afternoon.. My brother caught an 11lb pike and other than that, we had just a few bites. Beautiful day though.. Hardly any wind.
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hows everyone been doin at the strap? have been having a great season there so far up until yesterday. lots of fish on the vex but only managed a few perch.
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Picking the nephew up from Watrous, our 1st time out this year to the Strap and hope to be jigging by 10AM. Last year pike fishing was slow for us on the North Dam end. Will leave the wood shack at home until we check things out. Forecast says -8°C for Thursday noon and not too windy, looking forward to a great day of fishing and some fun!
I have never caught a Pickerel ice fishing, so if anyone has some pointers I would love to hear them. :(
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We are out 200 yards and in about 12' of water. The ice is 17" and maybe 15 permanent shacks. A few perch on the cam, no bites on 8 lines so kind of slow today so far.
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was out yesturday"29th" and was extremly slow. See how today goes
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I was thinking of making a trip out to Evens road on Sat. morning.....Anyone else going out that way?
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Sat out on the north end from 945 till 615, got one small pike at 1030 and not even a nibble after that. Lots of ppl out today I noticed, and the north end is starting to fill up with shacks. The wind was awful today, saw it grab someones pop up tent and blow it all the away across the ice and up and over the road, and out of sight. Im not sure if they were even able to catch it and get it back.
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we caught 10 or so perch the other day, on the camera everything perch, pike, walleye would nibble at your hook but few would actually open their mouth, didn't matter the bait or the hook, im thinking temperature or BP is playing a big roll in this, the numbers of fish were astounding though.
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so much for going out on Sat now :'( Damn wind
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Anyone know if there are any burbot in blackstrap?
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very very few.
I've only ever seen 1 or 2 very small ones on the camera. They were almost totally wiped out.
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dec 30 fished 11-5pm, skunked. lots of very small finger size perch on cam, they weren't biting thou. seen 1 pike take a swipe at my lure, but missed and didn't come back. fyi I measured 18 inches of ice at the north end, was in about 10 feet of water.
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Was out today from 11 till 4, landed a nice fat 31" pike after a quick measure and picture I sent her back. Other than that not even a bite. Gonna try again tommorrow
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Goodmorning.....I was at Evens road on Sunday from 11 to 5 and only go one 10'perch. I seen 2 walleye and 5or 6 pike. It looked like they were all looking to find a place to sleep....lol.
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Went out in the wind today for a bit, set up the tent for about 5 minutes before I decided it was only a matter of time before it got destroyed. At one point walking between holes, I got blown about 6 feet downwind on my feet. Iced two small perch and went home. Moral victory I guess.
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We braved the wind for a few hours this morning.....it was nuts! Came home with a hand full of perch and one jack to the tip up tip up. Really slow.....
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Was out from 9 till 4 today, lost 2 bringing them in on the tip ups, had a few other missed flags, ( Im guessing the wind may have been to blame for a few of them being set off) Had a camera with me today, seen tons of perch, a good amount of whitefish, a few pike and one small walleye with it, no matter what we tried nothing would bite, lots came in to check out the bait but they wouldnt even open their mouths. Wind was insane today.
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Caught three nice perch and a wind burn today. Try again tomorrow with chapstick in hand.
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went out today from 10:00-1:30. Caught 3 perch. Saw plenty on the camera, but they were not interested at anything that I offered. maybe next time right? ::)
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Caught three perch from 230-400 today. There is a fish frozen in the ice that I could not identify. A guy I spoke with said it was a Buffalo, which I checked and it looks pretty close. Gotta love the outdoors!
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Hey All,
I am in Saskatoon for school and am looking at hitting the strap for some weekend fun. I was just wondering what the ice is like right now. All of this warm weather makes me nervous. I grew up fishing Last Mountain Lake so I am very cautious. Are there any areas to AVOID at all costs. Also, are people driving on? Can I walk to any areas that might produce some fish? Thanks for the help!
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Hey All,
I am in Saskatoon for school and am looking at hitting the strap for some weekend fun. I was just wondering what the ice is like right now. All of this warm weather makes me nervous. I grew up fishing Last Mountain Lake so I am very cautious. Are there any areas to AVOID at all costs. Also, are people driving on? Can I walk to any areas that might produce some fish? Thanks for the help!
Ice was about 16 inches around Christmas. There have been people driving on at Evan's road and the north end. Tough to say what the conditions will be like this weekend though. I imagine a slushy first layer of ice. There are quite a few places that you can park and walk on from. Avoid being too close to the causeway (illegal anyways).
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Thanks for the help! I'll probably walk on until I get a feel for the lake. Hope to get out this weekend if there is any ice left. lol
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Anyone give some info about the very south end of the lake, bottom of the hill off the highway?? If I remember right its nice and rocky , its just funny that I have never seen anyone icefish at that end..Any insight from anyone?
Thanks
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Anyone give some info about the very south end of the lake, bottom of the hill off the highway?? If I remember right its nice and rocky , its just funny that I have never seen anyone icefish at that end..Any insight from anyone?
Thanks
You rarely see anyone down there ice fishing, yet it's always lined with anglers in the summer.
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Anyone give some info about the very south end of the lake, bottom of the hill off the highway?? If I remember right its nice and rocky , its just funny that I have never seen anyone icefish at that end..Any insight from anyone?
Thanks
Tried ice fishing it a few times about 3 years ago with no luck, used to fish it often during the open water season with some luck on the walleyes, however this year was extremely slow, had much better luck every where else on the lake
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Anyone give some info about the very south end of the lake, bottom of the hill off the highway?? If I remember right its nice and rocky , its just funny that I have never seen anyone icefish at that end..Any insight from anyone?
Thanks
Yeah...don't do it!!
There tends to be a lot of sand blowing off the road down there on to the lake...you will wreck your blades in a real hurry...I learned the hard way. I haven't fished a lot in that area in the winter, but have had much better success in other parts of the lake. Save yourself the time and the money...go somewhere else!
shawno
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Was out all day today and caught about 11 perch. Not sure if thats a good day for that lake or not but it was slow for me. We still had a blast. It was my first time fishing the lake and it was nice to get out and get used to it.
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Thanks Shawno , That makes perfect sense....
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Windy and no fish biting. DNR were passing out with warnings for barbless & liscences not in hand. I was ok this time but seen a few others near by cutting their lines... :callcops: :thumbsup:
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I seldom fish at the north end, like my space, but thought I'd give it a try for a change after some slow outings elsewhere. Only managed a few dinky perch in from 10am-1pm. I'd have moved if I didn't spend a half hour putting every screw I had in the ice to hold the tent down in that wind. Also going to have to invest in some cleats, ended up on my butt once with a couple more close calls.
Still waiting for a good day of fishing on the Strap this year...
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Went out today from 130-430, there were 4 of us and not a single bite between 8 lines. Saw the DNR riding around on a sled, watched him dump some guys beers and write some tickets at the shack next to mine, but he never stopped at mine. Was pretty annoyed to find that someone had turned my shack to use it as a wind break pushing it off the blocks that I keep it set on to prevent it from freezing in. Who ever moved it then cut several holes about 2 feet from my shack letting my skids freeze down, spent over an hour today with a axe and a pry bar getting the skids free from the ice.
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Went out today from 130-430, there were 4 of us and not a single bite between 8 lines. Saw the DNR riding around on a sled, watched him dump some guys beers and write some tickets at the shack next to mine, but he never stopped at mine. Was pretty annoyed to find that someone had turned my shack to use it as a wind break pushing it off the blocks that I keep it set on to prevent it from freezing in. Who ever moved it then cut several holes about 2 feet from my shack letting my skids freeze down, spent over an hour today with a axe and a pry bar getting the skids free from the ice.
Is your shack on the very north end with antlers on it
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Is your shack on the very north end with antlers on it
It is on the very north end, but it does not have antlers on it, its a big red 8x12 im a bit farther to the east than most of the shacks are. Come say hi sometime, it would be nice to start putting some faces to the names
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ya foresure ill come say hi. im in the blue shack couple hundred feet from the pipe. when u going out next
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I probably wont make it out again until sat, my buddy that I share it with might be out one of the days during the week. How bout yourself? Do you ever catch walleye at the north end? We have been having ok luck with the pike but cant seem to find any eyes
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I was reading in the synopsis that the provincial record goldeye came out of blackstrap, I have never caught one out of there, and I have never heard of anyone else catching them, anyone know if there are still some in there?
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Was out on the strap on Sunday and between me and the father inlaw we caught about 20-25 perch in about six hours. Seven were 11-13 inch range, four were not bad, and the rest were tiny tiny. We spent a total of 12 hours the first two times out and only caught one so sunday wasn't that bad. Tried a new area south of Evans road. Anyone driving from the north end to shields yet? There is a good spot on the way there but not too sure if I should drive to it yet.
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There were quite a few trucks out on saturday night south of sheilds so i think if you go slow, and stick close to shore you should be alright. I drove down the east side of the lake - kinda sketchy cuz there was pockets of ice covered water all the way. Only a few inchs deep and the ice is still over 12" but makes a guy almost sweat a little when he starts breaking through the pockets!
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Hey pawlukja , my shack was out at sheilds and pretty slow. Lots on the camera just not biting, so I pulled it to the north end and everything was fine. Everywhere ive bin on the lake is about 14 - 16 inches. :tipup: @)
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Thanks for info ochocenko and pooder. The spot that I found last year is between the north end and sheilds where I have never seen anyone fish before. Stopped for a pee and decided to drill some holes and got lucky. My 10 year old caught 8 13" perch in like 5 mins and I caught 5 in that range with both of us getting a bunch of 10 inchers. Hopefully it will be the same this year.
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Anyone have a report on the strap for the last few days?
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Bunkstrap is slow as per usual.
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There are no fish in that lake, 2000 people chasin 6" perch, no thank you. Let's give that lake a 4yr break like it needs.been goin there yr after yr and still see 3-6"perch on cam that's it
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As long as those 2000 people continue chasing the 6" perch and 14" walleyes and stay in their shanty towns and hate the lake that's fine with me!! I'll continue to chase the 13" and 14" perch and 24" walleyes - and release them all.
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there's a few 30+ inchers in there too, but you gotta work for em
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll35/bigwilly72427/001.jpg?t=1242057321)
C+R'd this girl for the future of the strap
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there's a few 30+ inchers in there too, but you gotta work for em
C+R'd this girl for the future of the strap
Ahh someone else who knows the lake's potential... good on ya for the c&r
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Jpick's big pike proved it really, plus I've caught and seen some massive perch in that lake, whitefish up to 8 lbs, now if only we could convince the government to do some burbot stocking and make it a cr2 with a 6 perch limit lake it would be an excellent year round fishery.
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I've been fishing Blackstrap for a few years now. There are good fish in there, just hard to find them. I don't have any electronics so for me it involves a lot of moving around and luck. I have a funny video of loosing a good size pike in the summer. Turn down the volume, woman screaming;
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Jpick's big pike proved it really, plus I've caught and seen some massive perch in that lake, whitefish up to 8 lbs, now if only we could convince the government to do some burbot stocking and make it a cr2 with a 6 perch limit lake it would be an excellent year round fishery.
jpicks big pike? you mean this one?
(http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy33/craigochitwa/photo4-1.jpg)
and how bout this 7lb + white
(http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy33/craigochitwa/whitefish-1.jpg)
I STRONGLY agree with the cr2!
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That is a seriously beautiful big pike, gives me goosebumps knowing she swam in that water while my kids swam at the beach
Got a pic of a 6 lb whitey from el strappo too
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll35/bigwilly72427/025.jpg?t=1242057179)
Tell John I got a new phone and lost his number, we should all get out together one of these days
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That is a seriously beautiful big pike, gives me goosebumps knowing she swam in that water while my kids swam at the beach
And if all went well, she should still be swimming looking for some small children!
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that is a nice pike! good work!
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Nice big pike and dandy whitefish also, way to go guys. :)
I wish the Gov. hatchery would stock a few more lakes with burbot or at least stock the lakes that naturally have, or had, burbot populations to maintian or bring back their levels, but I feel there is not enough interest in them for the hatchery programs to do so.
Most folks think they are a garbage fish, to bad. :-\
WW
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Re: Blackstrap
« Reply #143 on: Today at 09:09 AM »QuoteAs long as those 2000 people continue chasing the 6" perch and 14" walleyes and stay in their shanty towns and hate the lake that's fine with me!! I'll continue to chase the 13" and 14" perch and 24" walleyes - and release them all.
x2 been doing great at the strap this year first year where i ventured off from the crowd and its been the best year iv had at bstrap.
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You guys are totally right. And thanks for sharing the pictures. This dead lake is only dead to those who can't catch em. I struggle and struggle to find walleye in this lake and when I do they don't bite. But... I know that they are here and one of these days I will find "my spot" on the lake and keep it private too. Been out 5 times this year and still yet to get skunked. I avoid the North End at all cost as I have sat there in the past surrounded by 40 tip-ups that never go off. Why do people fish there anyway? I have sat Evans road twice this year, there are some really nice perch and the odd walleye in the area that I have seen on camera, but for me way too much competition. I'll be in the blue clamshell fish trap could be doing some moving. If you see me, come say hi, maybe I'll have found my spot by then
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You guys are completely right, I have caught a 39 inch 20 pound pike, 25 inch walleye, 8lb whitefish and perch to 13 inches, all ice fishing the strap. I have also introduced 3 rookies to ice fishing at blackstrap this winter alone, and they all caught fish and are hooked now. This winter has been excellent for perch and whitefish, have yet to go a day and catch less than 6 perch. I also agree with the cr2 limits, it would be great for the lake. ill be back out today, good luck out there guys! :tipup:
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was stuck in stoon last week but managed to get out to the strap on sunday night for the full moon, beauty night. started off slow, lots of small perch on the humminbird but around 4:30 they went off pretty good for a while. ended the night sliding across the ice to a popped flag with a nice 30" pike on the end...that's the blackstrap i remember.
pretty crazy driving the truck out there with the lack of snow on the ice.
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On the ice right now. East side of north end. One pike at 11am, nothing since. Beautiful day.
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today is my 5th trip on Evans road, so far so good, always got 4-5 nice size (10+ ") perch. it is getting very crowded there now. :)
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lucky you, most i talked to at evans got the skunk, including myself. nothing but 3 inch perch on cam. 0/2 at blackstrap this year, 3/3 elsewhere.
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Pretty good day today, I managed to land 3 pike at 20" 23" and 24" as well as 2 small perch, my buddy landed 1 pike but it was the big one of the day at 27". Lots of small bites inside the shack and lots of action on the camera and several missed flags on the tip ups. It was nice to finally have a day that was sunny with almost no wind
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Has anyone landed a burbot yet?
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Hey all, just wondering what the ice thickness is sittin' at now. Will be heading out mid week for the first time this season and would just like to know what to expect. Are guys drivin everywhere? or stayin away from any certain spots? Thx for any info
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I know on the north end the ice is a solid 18" and guys are driving all over out there, but other areas of the lake Im not sure
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I was out on Saturday, Cruised ( well slowly drove ) from Shields straight across the middle. Ice seemed very nice to drive on actually. Can't say anything from the south end, although I'm sure with the weather that we will be having this week, there shouldn't be any more concern about driving. BUT that is MY opinion, use your best judgement.
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Sunday morning was 21 inches at the road on the south end
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Thanks guys! Much appreciated
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Fished the south end a couple of weeks ago and in the four spots we tried there was a solid 18" (measured with a tape) of ice.
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Hello all you fellow fishermen...and fisherwomen. I have been following this forum for a couple years now and I decided it was time to join in. Has anyone been out on the north end of Blackstrap since the snow last weekend? Is it still pretty easy getting on the ice and driving around out there with a 4 x 4?
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i have a pretty good idea where to find the whitefish on this lake but would appreciate any tips, it was the first fish i went after 24 years ago and still love catching and eating them. I only keep what i'll eat that day. PM's would suffice for those of you i know would like to protect our fisheries as i always practice CR.
thanks, Ryan.
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Good day today, 20 perch (all small but still fun to catch) and 1 pike, lots of bites inside the shack, and a couple missed flags on the tip ups. Gonna head back out again tomorrow
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i have a pretty good idea where to find the whitefish on this lake but would appreciate any tips, it was the first fish i went after 24 years ago and still love catching and eating them. I only keep what i'll eat that day. PM's would suffice for those of you i know would like to protect our fisheries as i always practice CR.
thanks, Ryan.
Come to Dief. for whites they are easy to find.
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Was out today, got about a dozen small perch, day was cut short when my buddy went to get a flag and slipped on the way and broke his ankle in 2 places.
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3 of us out (+ :tipup: for pike) and skunked for the 4th time this year. Almost considering pulling the shack and heading somewere else. Last year was out the same general area far northern part of the lake. Not sure why so slow... 6 times last winter and caught just one 5lb pike among the whole group of us. :%$#!: We had the cam on all day and seen allot of very small perch, 4-5 whitefish, 2 pickerel and one pike. Tried mostly small pickerel jigs tipped minnow pieces, med jig a whopper tipped minnow tail, smaller jigging spoons, small red artificial insect bait, none of these seemed to interest them. Perch would swim up and quite curious, few nibbles but as we could view the hook could on the cam could see they were maybe 3-4 inch long and likely could not open their mouth wide enough for the small piece of bait.
We are fairly limited to move our shack around as built it there and often take the car. Any ideas as far as depth that may be better, ideas on north spots, best time of day, presentation I would love to try something different as need some veterans to share some knowledge. :icefish:
If anyone is a regular from Martensville who fishes that same area, message me as we go down usually once per weekend if possible and nice to get to know a few more fellow fishermen.
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3 of us out (+ :tipup: for pike) and skunked for the 4th time this year. Almost considering pulling the shack and heading somewere else. Last year was out the same general area far northern part of the lake. Not sure why so slow... 6 times last winter and caught just one 5lb pike among the whole group of us. :%$#!: We had the cam on all day and seen allot of very small perch, 4-5 whitefish, 2 pickerel and one pike. Tried mostly small pickerel jigs tipped minnow pieces, med jig a whopper tipped minnow tail, smaller jigging spoons, small red artificial insect bait, none of these seemed to interest them. Perch would swim up and quite curious, few nibbles but as we could view the hook could on the cam could see they were maybe 3-4 inch long and likely could not open their mouth wide enough for the small piece of bait.
We are fairly limited to move our shack around as built it there and often take the car. Any ideas as far as depth that may be better, ideas on north spots, best time of day, presentation I would love to try something different as need some veterans to share some knowledge. :icefish:
If anyone is a regular from Martensville who fishes that same area, message me as we go down usually once per weekend if possible and nice to get to know a few more fellow fishermen.
Hey Martensville Monster I have fished this lake a lot hard and soft water and I have found that lil saskatoon aka the north end has always been dead in the winter I'm not saying that you won't catch fish there I am just saying from personal expierences, I haven't had any luck there in the winter I like to fish closer to shields when going for perch I find the perch there are a lot bigger, as for walleye I would like to know a good spot for ice as well lol. I have heard there is a good hole across the lake from shields but I still haven't found it I find that the morning bite is usually good till about 12:30 ish then the perch die off till about 2:30 and pick back up till 4:30 ish when fishing for perch I usually just use either a small white jims jig tipped with a tail or a basic drop shot rig with a tail or head on a J hook it seems to work about the best or as good as anything I have seen people use for perch and typically between 18 to 22 feet deep. As far as Jack go we have had most of our success in like 8 to 9 feet in the bays just on :tipup: with a smelt. Hope this helps a little and good luck out there !!!! :tipup: :tipup: :tipup:
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Was out at Evans for the afternoon today. 3 Perch. 2 the tiniest I have ever seen. SLOW!!!!
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Martensville Monster: I hear guys catch decent perch outta some pond in Martensville. Ever heard of this?
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I've been to Blackstrap maybe 6 times this winter. Usually go for 4-5 hours and catch at least 1 fish, but more often 4-5 (pike and/or perch). So far every fish has come from a yellow swedish pimple tipped with a minnow head. Mostly been fishing in 20 ftw.
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Hey Husser, we tried the Martensville perch pond a few times this winter and they were biting pretty good, others were having better luck on worms. Most were smaller but kept the kids entertained. Even if they get tired of fishing they can toboggan on the big hill right beside it. It is catch and release only and only barbless hooks are allowed, Come try it out!
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Is figuring out what where and when the fish are biting not something people should be figuring out on their own? I think you should have to put the time in not just type a message and get info....... Just my 2 cents
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Its not like he is asking anyone to come drill his holes and rig up his gear!!He is just asking for a little advice I feel there is no harm in sharing info, we are all there for the same reason to catch fish why not help a someone out. Good luck out there everyone :icefish:
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Agreed a little help is fine but where how much water and what hook is a little much just doesn't seem like fishing to me.
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So what is the point of this site then?? I was under the understanding that it was a forum where people could share stories and ask questions possibly share a few pics.. I know I have asked a lot of questions not necessarily on this site but at the local store or other fishermen and usually do get the info I'm searching for so how is this site any different than doing that? Instead of asking a sales rep at the store you are just asking a whole bunch of other fisherman for there advice.
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I don't have a permanent shack on the strap for two reasons... Vandalism and the fish move around and change their patterns all winter. Your best option is to be versatile and mobile and move until you find them. And if you ever do find that honey hole that you can fish all season, don't tell anyone! ;D I still haven't found one
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"bigk" if you want to keep your tips/helpfulness to yourself please keep your 2 cents as well. :nono: I am glad not everyone thinks the way you do. We talk to allot people out on the ice and everyone we have met is sociable, we are all out to enjoy a day off and try to catch a few. If a fellow fishermen wants to share their ideas that is perfectly fine as that is what the site is about! :icefish:
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Blackstrap seems like it can be a particularly difficult lake sometimes. The fish can be really picky. If you had asked me last year, it was a totally different lure that was working. It's not always about a particular lure either; it could be the action, the sound, the smell, the colour etc. The other thing I think is funny is asking "what depth". The depth seems pretty consistent throughout Blackstrap except near shore or by Shields. Fish will be in one spot today and another spot tomorrow. I basically walk out, say a prayer, and drill a hole... haha! ;)
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Was out today, got about a dozen small perch, day was cut short when my buddy went to get a flag and slipped on the way and broke his ankle in 2 places.
so thats what that screaming was from. i thought maybe u guys lost a big one. hope hes ok. i caught few jack after u left. ya i fell too an landed on my funny bone. i swear i chipped part of the bone for its pretty swollen n hurts like a bugger....
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3 of us out (+ :tipup: for pike) and skunked for the 4th time this year. Almost considering pulling the shack and heading somewere else. Last year was out the same general area far northern part of the lake. Not sure why so slow... 6 times last winter and caught just one 5lb pike among the whole group of us. :%$#!: We had the cam on all day and seen allot of very small perch, 4-5 whitefish, 2 pickerel and one pike. Tried mostly small pickerel jigs tipped minnow pieces, med jig a whopper tipped minnow tail, smaller jigging spoons, small red artificial insect bait, none of these seemed to interest them. Perch would swim up and quite curious, few nibbles but as we could view the hook could on the cam could see they were maybe 3-4 inch long and likely could not open their mouth wide enough for the small piece of bait.
We are fairly limited to move our shack around as built it there and often take the car. Any ideas as far as depth that may be better, ideas on north spots, best time of day, presentation I would love to try something different as need some veterans to share some knowledge. :icefish:
If anyone is a regular from Martensville who fishes that same area, message me as we go down usually once per weekend if possible and nice to get to know a few more fellow fishermen.
ya im from warman an have my shack in north area. been skunked afew times buts still am able to bring some home here n there.
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Martensville monster think you misunderstand me. I am all about helping just saying maybe it could be done in a pm to a newbie or invite him along with you. It's great to get new people out no doubt just think with the preassure on a lake like blackstrap we don't need to post hot spots which most people don't. Regardless of you wanting me to keep my opinion to myself getting skunked moving around trying different hooks makes you a better fisherman and is part of the hunt. Is it possible that some people's advice may be limiting people wanting advice to stay in one spot with one hook and not move if they aren't catching anything?
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big k i think alot of people understood what you said. idont think there is anything wrong with shareing a little info. we are all out there for the same thing.to catch a few fish and have a good time with friends and family. its not like the guy asked you to drill his holes for him i think maybe if you think you were misunderstood you should think before you type. just my opinion
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ANYWASE.... Was out at the strap today, for acouple of hours. Windy, but it was worth it. Don't know if i'm in a good spot but for the last couple of days it has picked up for me. I posted pics up, hope it came threw and posted. If not ill try add them again
(http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l636/fishingfever/IMAG0488.jpg)
(http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l636/fishingfever/IMAG0483.jpg)
(http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l636/fishingfever/IMAG0487.jpg)
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Ventured off the beaten track at Blackstrap for the first time this year. Landed a chunky 36" pike (15 lbs), and a couple of 5 lbers. It was the first time this year I was able to say flag up, so I was pretty pumped about that. Also landed a few 10" perch. Had to leave right when the perch started going crazy on the vexlar. They were hitting hard at the end. Too bad I had to go. Ice seemed good everywhere (22"). I drove quite a ways on the ice with my smaller SUV. Snow drifts were not too bad. Was a nice day to be out.
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Husser
Were you driving on the north end?
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Yes, I was. I accessed the lake on the North End. Headed somewhat South East from there.
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Thanks, planning on taking the old man out and was not sure if people were driving south yet.
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Ya, there are a good # of huts at Shields and on the opposite side from Shields. I assume most of them are driving from the North End.
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Question. I usually drive to Blackstrap in my car and walk out on the north side. I know of two places to drive on. One at the north west end and one at the pump house. But there are huge ruts and I don't want to damage my car. Are there any smooth places to drive a car on? Thanks in advance.
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The boat launch on the south end is usually pretty good.
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I drove a small sedan on at north end earlier this year, but bottomed out a bit coming off. Boat launches were no problem. Might be drifted a bit now, but just exit with a head of steam and you won't get stuck.
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Great day for fishing. Lots of hits, but only a few perch. Just don't matter.
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Hey fishingfever32 is it 3 different pike or the same one in the pics? Looks like it had a little belly on the 2nd pic nice work. Are the fish ok to eat out of the strap? Husser caught a 15lber is that rare or is there bigger pike than that in the strap?
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15 lbs is a good size but there are defiantly bigger ones in there
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Anybody been out to Evans rd the last couple days thinking about taking my kids out for some perch action just wondering if they are biting? :icefish:
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Was out on the strap today and caught 3 pike around 3-4 lbs each. And had the tip ups hit many more times. Seems to be picking up a bit.
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Out yesterday with a buddy............ Five hours, 15 holes, 4 perch. Beautiful day on the ice though. Lots of perch down there, just not interested in biting much.
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Hey fishingfever32 is it 3 different pike or the same one in the pics? Looks like it had a little belly on the 2nd pic nice work. Are the fish ok to eat out of the strap? Husser caught a 15lber is that rare or is there bigger pike than that in the strap?
ya three different fish. oh trust me, theres alot more bigger fish then 15lbs in that lake. i eat the fish all the time from there. never been sick n it tastes just fine. however i dont keep anything over 7lbs, an thats in any lake. 3lbers are perfect for me. im heading out today, moving the shack to the lucky spot since the ice is good an thick to get to it.
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Haven't fished the strap in years it was good though. it was in the summer a couple of times lots of pike and perch never ice fished it yet. good luck at your spot and keep postin the pics always good to see.
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Good morning on the lake for perch today about 35 perch in 3 hours between me and my son only two of them smaller than 10 inches
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Been out since 11 and a few jack on the cam. Perch scattered and the jack keep hanging around teasing us. On the very north end perch are tiny. What's working for you folks catching perch, nice to hear there are a few being brough up.
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Not being on the north end and off the beaten trail it was really hot between 9 and 11:30 but slowed down after that even straight J hooks tipped with a head or tail wasn't even hitting bottom for a while there :icefish:
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Today I caught my personal best Perch. Didn't have a tape measure, but luckily my daughter had her iPod with her to snap a quick photo. It has been awhile since I posted a photo so hopefully it works.
(http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/n597/grantryde/AidensiPod001.jpg)
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Nice fish Ryder29 were you on north or south end we were on the south end and caught a bunch like that today
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Thanks! I was between the north end and Shields. Today I saw a bunch of those bigger ones, but could only land the one. It was a great morning!
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Was out today from 10-5 really slow, lots of pike and cam but showed no interest in the bait, 2 missed flags and one small bite in the shack other than that nothing. Gonna try again tomorrow
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Very slow again today, only 2 finger sized perch made it up the whole, only 2 pike on cam the whole day and no hits on the tip ups
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ya three different fish. oh trust me, theres alot more bigger fish then 15lbs in that lake. i eat the fish all the time from there. never been sick n it tastes just fine. however i dont keep anything over 7lbs, an thats in any lake. 3lbers are perfect for me. im heading out today, moving the shack to the lucky spot since the ice is good an thick to get to it.
I know you dont want to give your lucky spot up....maybe you can send me an email with where yo
u are close to....have been in the north and close to the pump house....lots of fish on the radarbut zero bites...need to find a place to keep the 5 year old entertained...
[email protected] (LOWERCASE)
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Well was out today. lost two jack, pulled one threw the hole. Seen big birtha on cam... 20plus pounds i would guess. buddy caught a 12lber the other day and the 12lber was alot smaller on cam then this one... Also seen the biggest perch i ever seen before aswell, didn't catch him, but he was there... Perch filled the cam most of the day, and jack in and out. oh ya, seen something pretty cool too,,,, a jack came flying threw and attempt to grab a perch, then my hook, then after my cam... Happend all in seconds, pretty cool day...
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The strap has been good for us this year. Last time out we caught over 60 perch with less then 10 under the 11" range. Caught my first eye ice fishing at the strap to bad it was the father inlaws. Just kidding caught one just over 3lbs inbetween the north end and shields. The perch have all been very heavy and not just with eggs. We are catching males that are just as big or bigger then the females. It takes awhile to find them and you better be willing to move with them.
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Forgot to mention this. When we were out last week we tried about 5-6 different spots and the ice was anywhere from 24"-30" except for one spot that was only 15". With the lack of snow on the lake I thought that it would be very consistant through out. Is there really that much moving water in this lake?
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hey, ya ive been having decent luck too. been moving around lots though. where abouts was 15" of ice if u dont mind me asking
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Not sure what it's like now but at the beginning of jan I was fishing Evans and there was 18 inches then we moved north of the boat launch in the park and there was only about 11 haven't been back in that area since so I'm not sure if it's still like that
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hey, ya ive been having decent luck too. been moving around lots though. where abouts was 15" of ice if u dont mind me asking
It was on the southeast side in front of the swimming area.
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was out again today, and i must say, i had big birtha on.... seen her at the hole, and had a hard time getting her head up. Didn't have the gaft with me and she took off down. struggled with her for prob 15 minutes, and then she got away >:( However i did pull in a 10lber, but still disapointed birtha got away
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Does anyone have any advice for tipups on blackstrap? Don't want locations or anything just some pointers. I use to have decent luck but the last two years...nothing. Do I put the bait on the bottom, half way up, or what? I use to and still try to keep the bait half way from the bottom and nothing but 2 missed flags. Is there a bait that works better then others? Use to use smelts buy I am trying larger bait like herring now. Before the last two years I would catch at least 2-3 pike anywhere from 5-15 lbs every time out.
Any pointers is greatly appreciated.
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Does anyone have any advice for tipups on blackstrap? Don't want locations or anything just some pointers. I use to have decent luck but the last two years...nothing. Do I put the bait on the bottom, half way up, or what? I use to and still try to keep the bait half way from the bottom and nothing but 2 missed flags. Is there a bait that works better then others? Use to use smelts buy I am trying larger bait like herring now. Before the last two years I would catch at least 2-3 pike anywhere from 5-15 lbs every time out.
Any pointers is greatly appreciated.
I have been having the most luck this year with tip ups, I use regular smelts and keep my bait about a food or so off the bottom. I also find it helps to give the fish a minute once the flag goes off to get the bait down, helps to get the hook set especially if you are using a larger bait.
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I have been having the most luck this year with tip ups, I use regular smelts and keep my bait about a food or so off the bottom. I also find it helps to give the fish a minute once the flag goes off to get the bait down, helps to get the hook set especially if you are using a larger bait.
X2 - foot off the bottom, use big herring (6"-8" long), and let em run a little. Usually let the flag go and sit and watch the spool. If you catch it quick you will see it spin for a few seconds then stop. The pause varies between fish but be paitient... wait till you see the spool really take off and run up to the flag, grab the line and set the hook.
As for at the strap, try close to a drop, staying on the high side. find the perch and the big mamas aren't far away. I usually fish my tipups in 10-15 fow at the strap.
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Thanks for the tips guys. Hopefully be out there this sunday and Ill give it another try. As long as I'm on the ice I have a tip up set so hopefully trial and error will pay off.
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be carefull with "the wait" sometimes if you are not paying attention, you may allready be spooled or your tipup may be tangled
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Hey guys just wondering how the bite is around the sheilds area and if it safe to drive across the lake after all this warm weather we been having. Thanks
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dont know how the shields area is doing but ive been seeing people still driving across the last as of wednesday
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Thinking of going to the north end tomorrow, can anyone tell me if people are still driving on?
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Yes, everyone is still driving on... Remember guys its the begining of february - the sun doesn't have all that much power or duration to deteriorate the ice. Plus its still hitting -8 or better at night. the ice has been 18+ inches since the cold snap (except for a few areas as mentioned).
As for snow, if you have a truck you'll be fine. Cars not so much unless they got that north end plowed out.
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Went out for the afternoon Friday on the north end just north of the arm. Managed a few perch for some appetizers, and had some thievery pike steal 2 tip ups(almost made me want to put a leader on).
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Went out for the afternoon Friday on the north end just north of the arm. Managed a few perch for some appetizers, and had some thievery pike steal 2 tip ups(almost made me want to put a leader on).
I make my own quickstrike rigs out of 18" 30 lbs fluorocarbon with a treble on one strand and big octopus hook on the other. Fish can't see it underwater and its extremely abrasion resistant, never had a pike bite through my rigs. Had one engulf it entirely and bit off my braided tipup line, felt like I had snagged a log until it got to the hole, shook its head once and then it was gone. So now I run an 18" fluoro leader to my rigs so that won't happen again.
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I make my own quickstrike rigs out of 18" 30 lbs fluorocarbon with a treble on one strand and big octopus hook on the other. Fish can't see it underwater and its extremely abrasion resistant, never had a pike bite through my rigs. Had one engulf it entirely and bit off my braided tipup line, felt like I had snagged a log until it got to the hole, shook its head once and then it was gone. So now I run an 18" fluoro leader to my rigs so that won't happen again.
Thanks for the tip, I think it is time to bump up the test. I was hesitant to put that heavy of fluro on because I thought it would spook the fish.
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Hit the strap this weekend, went to my shack on the northend sat and pulled up a 7.8lbs pike 20 min after I got there, after that it was pretty slow. This morning I set up at evans road, lots of small bites, but couldnt get anything to stay on. Went back to my shack for the afternoon and brought up 3 small perch, and missed one on the tip up.
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So i was out this weekend, and got skunked. First time in a long time... I find that when i do go on weekends i come home empty handed. Go during the week, i always bring something home. Im starting to think, its alil noisey under the ice for there's alot of traffic on the ice during weekends. I may be wrong, but that's my theory... Hoping to get out there tomorrow, and we will see if im right or just got luck durring the week. ;D
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Thanks for the tip, I think it is time to bump up the test. I was hesitant to put that heavy of fluro on because I thought it would spook the fish.
I use the same type of setup and have never had a bite off
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Had a great saturday pulling perch biggest was 12" and the rest were 10" made for a nice meal. Caught and released 3 jacks all in the 3-5lb range and missed a few flags. My little bro set the hook on one and it bit through a 30lb test steel leader. today was a lot slower but still manage a few 10" perch lots of dinky little ones stealing bait and caught and released 3 jacks in the 2-3lb range nothing too big today.
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Went out on sunday with the father inlaw and my 10 year old son. Started off slow but about 30 mins in at our second spot we finally found the perch. Most of them were 10 - 11 + inches with about 8 or so in the 12" range. We caught 5 that were 1.5 lb to just shy of 2 lbs. Between the three of us we caught over 60 in total. Other then our first two trips of the year (1 fish between the two) we have had close to this type of action everytime we go out. This time was the best though.
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I did forget to mention that I am still skunked on the tip up. It's not like I'm targeting jack but still kind of weird that nothing has hit it.
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So i was out this weekend, and got skunked. First time in a long time... I find that when i do go on weekends i come home empty handed. Go during the week, i always bring something home. Im starting to think, its alil noisey under the ice for there's alot of traffic on the ice during weekends. I may be wrong, but that's my theory... Hoping to get out there tomorrow, and we will see if im right or just got luck durring the week. ;D
[/quote.........................I agree x2
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Agreed. I only ever fish here during the week. Never been skunked yet.
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Went to the strap today around noon fished till 5:30 and caught over a hundred perch myself a lot of small ones but caught 25 over 8 inches and brought home my limit. Was a nice day out there. No traffic on the lake either. Going out again this weekend hope the bite is still the same. Fished in about 24 fow. Moved 4 times before i found them on my flasher.
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Went to the strap today around noon fished till 5:30 and caught over a hundred perch myself a lot of small ones but caught 25 over 8 inches and brought home my limit. Was a nice day out there. No traffic on the lake either. Going out again this weekend hope the bite is still the same. Fished in about 24 fow. Moved 4 times before i found them on my flasher.
I was out around the same time. I had lots of fish chasing on the flasher, but the bite was very light. When I did get one they were generally 5 inches. What a piss off. Maybe got 4 over 5 inches. What area were you fishing? I was down shore from the big bay on the North East of the lake. I was fishing 9 - 26 fow. Cheers
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All I'm going to say is I was the closest black truck to you. And I caught many over 5 but lots less then 5 and lost either 3-4 big perch or small walleye. Were there three trucks at your camp there?.... Also found if I used small maggots I caught small perch as soon as I put down meal worms the big boys came in. Went through 2 and a half packs of bait . Was fun even though some are tiny.
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ive been having good luck evening and night fishing.
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Hey fishing fever how late do you fish at night? I've tried it but only caught small jacks and burbot at night. What are you catching after dark?
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the average night is 9-10. i usually only go for jack, but even though i have perch nibbling at my bait makes it frustrating. i have yet seen any burbot at blackstrap an didnt know they were even there. the average jack for me is 4-5lb range. i dont catch alot at night but one here an there after sunset is nice. heading out today,(friday) come by the shack, say hi, warm up ect.... north end black truck. theres only one maybe two people out durring the week so its nice an quiet.
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Wish I could head out there today but probably won't make it out again until the long week-end. Good luck and let me know how you did.
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Had a good day again on the strap. three of us caught 75+ perch and most of them jumbo. the small ones were staying away today witch was nice. saw some really big perch on camera close to 2lbs, but couldn't get them to bite. caught one white fish also around 2lbs. w. largest perch we caught was 11.5 inches. Bigjumb.
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Things were pretty slow on the north end today, got one small perch and had one pike bite through the 25lb line on the tip up. Lots of whitefish on the camera today.
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Better day than us Bigjumb between the three of us we were able to pull up about 40 and they were all 9-11.5 range still a good day out there is anybody catching eyes or seeing them on the cam what depth thanks in advance!
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we seen a few eyes but were not interested at all. would barely stop to take a look at a hook. 23.1 fow. on the flasher. tried at 20 fow. and the bite was slower.
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hey does anyone know if it's pre drilled holes at the strap derby and are shelters used if we have them?
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I believe the holes are pre-drilled. Only three sided shelters or windbreaks are allowed. No tents or enclosed shelters and no electronics. :)
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Thanks for the info about the derby...
Was out at the strap today.... seen a hand full of jack, but not interested till late evening when sun is down... Don't know why they started to bite in late evening, but seems to be working for me.
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Was out today fished form 130 till 6 seen about a dozen on the camera through out the afternoon but no interest in biting
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Went south of the causeway this afternoon after a few trips on the north side for a change of scenery. Started slow, but the guys next to me were seeing perch and walleye on their camera. Gave some thought to packing up at around 5:30pm, but the dinner bell rang and the perch went wild. Filled out a limit of 10-12 inch fatties in less than a half hour, released a couple dozen smaller fish in the same span. Switched over to a bigger presentation to see if the walleye were on the feed, but couldn't entice any of them if they were still around. Nada on the tip-up all day, ranging from 5-20 f.o.w.
Fried the perch up for a late supper and washed them down with a fine craft brew from Paddockwood, perfect end to the weekend.
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Pretty slow for us today down by Evans rd only managed about 20 25 perch all day lots of jumbos on the cam just couldn't get them to bite
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Was out today fished form 130 till 6 seen about a dozen on the camera through out the afternoon but no interest in biting
You left too early lol
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You left too early lol
thats what I was afraid of, had the gf with me, it was a miracle she was willing to stay out there till 6 as it was, how many you get?
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Hey I have never fished BS. I want to get into some pike and have a bit of a fight, Any Help for a new fisherman who misses the fight of a BC Salmon.
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Hey I have never fished BS. I want to get into some pike and have a bit of a fight, Any Help for a new fisherman who misses the fight of a BC Salmon.
hey we caught 3... Ya i seen her come out when u left. haha i thought u and the pooch was alone. Pretty quiet in the shackaroo... lol
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Hey I have never fished BS. I want to get into some pike and have a bit of a fight, Any Help for a new fisherman who misses the fight of a BC Salmon.
Been doing alright on the north end. A tip up with a smelt seems to be what they prefer over anything I have tried on a rod
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hey we caught 3... Ya i seen her come out when u left. haha i thought u and the pooch was alone. Pretty quiet in the shackaroo... lol
haha. Might have to head out one these evenings after work try the night bite out
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If anyone is heading out during the week can you please post how the bite is.
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I can tell you that usually the bite is better on weekdays due to less traffic.
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Ya I find that too but where we fish there usually isn't that much traffic. Have the brother and nephew coming to fish Sunday and Monday and Im guessing it will be fairly busy out there. Going to have to get out early to beat the crowd.
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agree. better during the week. im heading out there now
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Tried last night from 5:30 till 8:30, few small bites at the start but after that not a thing
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Anyone catching any biggens out here lately
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Just leaving now, gonna be out all day if anyone is on the northend come by and say hi
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Landed 1 pike today, had a few missed flags, one bite off, and lost one at the hole. and seen a decent amount on cam. They seem to have more interest in the bait this weekend than the last few, hopefully the bite is picking up
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Worked hard for 20 nice perch between two of us today. 15-25 ft of water. Lots of holes and moving around near Thode. Lost a pike at the hole and had a few tip ups go up with one lost smelt. Saw a few pike on the cam. 3 tiny perch at Evans yesterday. CO was out on his quad today. Good guy and reported decent Perch bite across from Shields and out from boat launch. Anyone hit up the North End this weekend? Stupid question. I mean how was the North End this weekend?
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North end was on the slow side as per usual, Brought in one nice 33" pike that weighed 8.1 lbs, but that was it, lost one at the hole and had another missed flag, didnt see much on the cam today either.
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Went out on Sunday on the north end and managed a few perch and two missed tip ups. Didn't move around much as we were rocking the ol' armstrong auger as our power one just wouldn't go. When ever we started to get a little cold we would drill another hole haha
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Went to our perch spot on Sunday and Monday. Sunday was decent with the four of us catching about 80 perch some were smaller around the 7 inch range and most of them were 10 - 11 inches with three over 12. They bite stopped at 3ish. Monday was really slow with three of us catching 35-40 or so and only 10 over the 10 inch mark. CO came out on monday and asked if we were using barbless hooks, how the fishing was and then asked to see our license and that was it. We talked about fishing at brightwater and then he left. Looked like he was handing out tickets or warnings to at least three other groups. Seemed like a really nice guy.
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Hit my old spot from years ago on the Strap, with no snow its nice to drive anywhere. Only 3 old holes in the spot so the things have been quiet. Lotsof fish on the Vex but not active, the large jacks would go for the hook after 5 minutes of looking at the hook. When they hit the lure it was very slow and they were not interested, lost 3 nice puppies! The dead line produced some nice perch, one pic attached. It was a nice day, with nobody around. Only a few trucks on the whole lake as we drove the entire lake (South and North). Only 24 inches of ice, 'good to try various hooks in order for the big derby 9 days away.
(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc89/Lozinskic/DSC00567.jpg)
(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc89/Lozinskic/DSC00566.jpg)
(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc89/Lozinskic/DSC00578.jpg)
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Ya it's nice to get out there with not much snow. makes it nice for guys without 4x4's. Had a blast last weekend when i went out. had afew good jacks on the line. Hopefully get out there friday or sat.
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fishingfever you dont own a pink chevy truck do you ? are you a welder
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pink truck? bahaha nope. an nope not a welder either. thought u knew me? guess theres probably not many chicks that have there own ice shack that they built an spend most of there time fishing is there haha
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lol there was a hot girl on plenty of fish haha from warman love to hunt and fish and she was a welder with a pink chevy truck thought maybe it was you lol my bad hahaha
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Anybody else brave the storm today and make it out we did and found it very slow just wondering how the bite was on the rest of the lake?
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We headed out near Thode. Nothing on tip ups. 11 keeper Perch. Moved around lots. Ya she was slow. Saw a couple of yahoos in a White Ford rifling through shacks at Evans and reported them to the CO's. Got a nice wind burn and spent a great day with the boy.
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heading out today, see what i can bring in. hopefully supper
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Hey BigO you didn't happen to notice if they were going through a big brown shack just a bit south of all those shacks did you hopefully the CO's caught up with them?
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afew weeks ago there was some guys on sleds going threw the north end shacks at night. one guy saw them an turned his light off in his shack an waiting for them. they got a surprise when they opend his shack to see the owners in there.
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Had a break in attempt at my shack at evans road over the christmas holidays, someone tried to pry the door with a crowbar. Also some buddies were staying the night out there 2nd weekend of January and around 3am a black mid 90s chevy half ton Z71 was cruising around the lake shining lights on shacks for several hours, they called COs on them.
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ya its getting kinda retarded. last year had a break in. smashed one of my windows,hooked up my shack to there vehicle, moved it bout half a mile an i came to it the next day to see all this aswell as my floor half ripped out. was not impressed. was out til 1am fixing everything.
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Hey thought I'd make my fishing report from Friday. Had my best day on the ice this year! Was out on the north end. Me and 1 buddy got 52 perch, 2 walleye as the total. Most of the perch were small, 5"-7" range but we kept 15 over 10" and got 3 that were over 12". The walleye were 21 and 18. The bigger one actually had eggs come out when we were taking the hook out so we put her back. I thought it seemed kinda early, has anyone else had this experience?
Anyways I guess I can't expect to many days like that on the strap but it was a nice change from my usual results. Cheers
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Was out today from 8am till 7pm, very slow day, had some weak bites in the shack and a few missed flags but couldnt bring anything up. Not much for pike on the cam today but tons of whitefish. Got the week off prob gonna be out a lot over the next few days
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mmmmmmmmmmm......smoke d whitefish!!!!! ;D ;D
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was out today pulled up a 3lb pike up with 4 other hits on the tip ups, pike seem to like the tip ups alot more than anything on a rod this winter, hopefully this is the bite starting to pick up
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Sure hope so. Skunked yesterday! :)
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anyone going out tomorrow,friday..... im planning onto but seeing if anyone will be out there incase i need a tow out of the big drift at the boat launch on north end. its bound to be pretty deep after this snow fall an wind. lol
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Two of us limited out on perch today. Caught well over 60 in a few hours. There were times when you didn't need bait. And they were really schooling. At times the bottom 2 ft of the flasher was solid.
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Wow ochocenko. I don't know where you were but we hit all our spots hard today. Lots of different depths. Slowest we've had all winter.
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Out from noon to 7pm yesterday, total bomb. Tried a new spot on the south end, probably just not a great location. Also hit up a "no fail" perch spot on the way off the lake at 6pm. One lonely perch at 6:45pm, only bite of the day. Makes you appreciate the times when you hit it right.
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I also had a bad weekend, fished from 11-6 sat, and 9-6 on sun and not a bite, unless you count the few finger sized perch we snagged while jigging. Mainly stuck around my shack on the north end, but tried all sorts of water depth from 4' to 20'. worst weekend this winter.
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CAUGHT 3 PIKE ON TIPUPS AND PERCH WERE BITING ALL DAY LAST WEEK.
WE WERE AT THE N-END
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Father inlaw went to one of my old perch spots on the north end last thursday and said that they caught a ton of them. Nothning as big as earlier this year but said the 7 inchers were almost none stop with a couple of bigger ones caught through out the day.
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Ive caught a 6.8lbs jack which was a male, and a 8 pound female, sat and sunday.
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So wats the bite like on the strap this week..heading out there tomorrow..
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Not only the bite but hows the snow? Hoping that most of it blew off with the wind.
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was out yesterday for a drive and didnt have much trouble getting around
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was out yesterday for a drive and didnt have much trouble getting around
any chance that was on the north end? gotta get the shack off this weekend, just wondering what its like getting around out there?
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yea northend is easy to get onto..not much snow
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Anybody been on at Evans since the snow just wondering what access is like onto the lake thanks!
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I was out there yesterday. Walked on as there was too much snow drifted in to drive on anymore. Access right at shore is blown in and another high drift a few yards out.
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Thanks for the info finnegan
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Soooooooooooooo slow out there. A few perch. nothing like last year this time we limited out perch in 2 hours and some pike. Don't know where to go this weekend. Deep snow lakes are out cause you wont get off a the end of the day. >:(
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Your Welcome Saswhitetail. Very slow out there yesterday also. One 3 lb pike at 5 pm. A few perch bites right at 4 pm but nothing else. Could see them on the flasher on and off all afternoon but not interested in biting.
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Where abouts are you fishing, north end, Evans road? There are some nice sees beds on near the north end that were doing good last week. Going to take my dad out on Sunday. First time we have fished together in eight years. Sure hope it picks up.
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Evans was Blown in today. We fished near Thode in all depths with no luck for pike and about 15 keeper perch. Drilled about 25-35 holes from 8 to 25 ft.
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me and a friend went on friday and caught 1 pike on tipup 4 lbs, and 30 perch that were all small
today me and wife caught about 50 perch, 25 or so were small, but the other half were bigger than friday, good number of 10 inchers.
both spots were on the north end right in the center about 100-200 yards from the road
best luck i've had on the strap in ages
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Four of us hit the strap yesterday. Buddy caught 4 perch (fishes some really weird set ups), dad caught 6 perch and a 1.5 lb pike (never fished for perch before) I caught over 80 perch and the father inlaw caught 102 perch. Almost all of them were 7" - 8" and 30 in the 10" range. Caught a 4 lb and 2.5 lb pike on the tip up and missed 2 more. The perch bite was REALLY soft and you had to watch for your rod tip to move the littllest bit and then set the hook. Guessing this is why dad and buddy didn't catch many. No jumbo's but a good way to end the season.
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Nice work Pawlukja, I will be driving out Saturday and hope to have some fun as well as long as the ice is OK LOL.
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Had some good luck this weekend, got a few nice pike and got into some decent perch fishing, the bite was non stop with them for most of the time. Took the shack down sunday, sad to see it off the ice, feels like ice season was just getting started.
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Has anyone ventured out this week? How is the ice at the approaches? I'd like to drive on to fish but I don't have a death wish either. Last week the ice was easily 24+inches, should still be good away from shore but I'd rather not sink my truck getting off the ice either. Thanks in advance!
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Went out one last time today, came home with a few nice perch. Ice was close to two feet, but honeycombed and porous from top to bottom. Doesn't look it will be safe too much longer if the temps stay warm.
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Anyone else out there today? Is the ice still drivable with a truck? Its supposed to get into the minus again in the evenings, but that might be to late now. thanks
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was out today, was planning on walking out but a bunch of other trucks were on the ice so i drove my jimmy on.
was on the north end, was still 20 inches, but it is getting softer. my holes from last week and the week before were still open.
caught 12 perch.
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Wife and I drove on as well, caught 40 perch and 12 jumbos made it home with us.
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Tried the south end today, got into some good perch fishing with several big fat jumbos in the 12-13" range. The ice is getting very soft down there especially near shore, I wont be driving on anymore this year. Ice thickness ranged anywhere from 24" to 12" in the places I tried.
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hello, is anyone fishing the strap this weekend ? can you still walkon ?
thanks
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I will be walking on tomorrow.
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Fished the south end today. Roughly 16 inches of ice. The only issue is the bottom was coming off in big chunks so your line would snag the crevices. Ice still seemed really solid, fishing was much slower then last week.
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Wife and I went out for 4 hours today and caught lots of perch and 14 jumbos made it home with us. Few people still driving on but we walked out and ice is still pretty solid where we were but don't risk driving on.
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Hey tikkaboy. Wherabouts were ya? How many feet of water?
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BigO, we were on the north end in 17-20ft of water using meal worms.
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do you think that it will be safe on Sat. (31st) fishing near Evans road? thanks!
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anyone have any info on the strap (ice conditions and bite) just wondering if its worth heading out one last time tomorrow?
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The guy at the fishing hole said someone put there truck in at the strap last week. Don't think i'd drive on.
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was out today, was planning on walking out but a bunch of other trucks were on the ice so i drove my jimmy on.
was on the north end, was still 20 inches, but it is getting softer. my holes from last week and the week before were still open.
caught 12 perch.
It seems you had good ice fishing season, comparing last year. right ? I am glad that is true.
Good luck for open water.
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compared to last year very much so, but still not too great though, caught about 200 fish in total on ice this year, 3 pike, and the rest all perch, largest was 16 lbs pike, having a underwater camera made a huge difference.