North Idaho Ice

[plfish]

hey ive fished blue about five times with no luck. wanna get a fatty on the tip up if you have any tips for bait, depth, and location id be happy to return the favor... thanks - C.R.

I haven't had much luck with a tip up on Blue.  Mostly gone for perch and crappie by jigging.  Usually I head out from the access about 100-150 yds once you break through the cattails or head about 2/3 -3/4 way across the lake straight out towards the rock slide on the back side.  I've done best in about 10-13 feet of water.  There is a hump about half way across where it shallows up to 8-9 feet and I haven't done so well there.  I usually go with a maggot or jigging rap and occasionally a piece of perch meat.  All seem to do well.  I have used tip-ups a couple of times but with no luck....but that may be more my inexperience with them. It's definitely a good lake to fish when the bite is on....but just like anywhere it can be slow at times too.

[Kayakbandit]

Well, thanks to kindness from a Round Lake regular, I got enough trout for a meal. I fished all day for a measly two. Others limited. I had a great day with like minded sportsmen. My license was in order for the game cop. How good is that?

[cocolallakid]

thanks plfish ill give it a try. i heard the lake has pike in it.. is this true???

[plfish]

Blue does have pike in it but I haven't seen folks catching them on the ice.  But....I've heard of folks who have caught them on the ice.  It's just far enough away to be kind of hard for me to fish it in the summer but I have caught pike in there while going after perch or crappie in the summer.  Like I said earlier....I'm not that good with a tip up yet and have only tried it a few times so I'm not the best judge for pike on the ice.

[thegrubblet]

any news on spirit lake?   and how about lower twin?  might have time a little later to check out lower twin myself and I'll post my findings

[wynncolton]

Fished moose creek res. yesterday for my first ice fishing trip caught and released 20-30 hatchery trout good 6.5 inches of ice enough ice that I said F drilling the 2nd hole for the tip up.... Heading to lake Benewah today for a chance at a pike

Colton

[fowl_language]

Spring valley res has about 5" , didn't fish just heard a report of just trout no panfish, with panfish as the target.

[sihlms391]

I dont think lower is read yet.  Not sure how thick the new ice is.   Might try it friday.

[finncatcher]

Fished Hauser Monday morning...three different spots not one bite.  Tried Avondale Monday afternoon....unlimited amount of 3" perch, nothing else.  Fernan this morning, not a bite.  WHERE ARE THE FISH?

[Idahogator]

Good question finncatcher.  Welcome to Iceshanty.  Helps to have sonar and not just straight down. Hold the xducer to the side and rotate it, find 'em and go get 'em.   

[stjoemitch]

Three of us fished Fernan today at the North end.  I caught eight perch, three trout, one bass, and one crappie in the AM. My buddies caught about the same. Fish were not schooled up. I'm predicting mid-January before the bite gets good.

[vl777]

Fished Jewel lake today from noon to about 2pm - one 5"-6" crappie, three 4" perch.

Fished Round lake from 2:30pm to 5pm. Limited on planter trout, one perch about 7", one 1.5-2lb sucker. Lost something considerably larger, guessing it was a 2.5-4lb bass. Caught most fish when it got dark. The bite was still on when I left.

Ice is at least 7" in both places. I did not have any natural bait, so I used pieces of Gulp worms.

Tight lines!
Vlad

[elkhunter57]

That's a great idea from idahogator. After the last few years with my vexlar I feel stupid for not thinking about looking anywhere but straight down  I'm headed to twin tomorrow with the wife and maybe spirit if time permits. I'm curious about the ice on spirit and haven't heard a report

[Idahogator]

Thanx elkhunter57.   
I'm not tryin' to reinvent the wheel, just use what we have to a greater advantage. Play around with it, you don't want too much ice nor too much bottom. Sure beats makin swiss cheese of the ice.  A skimmer xducer is easier to deal with, the kind for mounting on a bracket for the summer boat.  Get it level, glue/cement a small bubble level for straight down ice use. Once the angle is right for side views, mark that and do it your way.      

[shawdawg]

Hey Mitch do have a report on conditions around town there or on the chain lakes.  Thinking of heading that way to fish with old man for pike.
Thanks.

[bullpine]

Thanx elkhunter57.   
I'm not tryin' to reinvent the wheel, just use what we have to a greater advantage. Play around with it, you don't want too much ice nor too much bottom. Sure beats makin swiss cheese of the ice.  A skimmer xducer is easier to deal with, the kind for mounting on a bracket for the summer boat.  Get it level, glue/cement a small bubble level for straight down ice use. Once the angle is right for side views, mark that and do it your way.   

That makes sense now.  For a minute I thought you had ElkHunter was bringing his wife along so she could stick her arm down the hole to side scan with the transducer puck!

[stjoemitch]

Best chance to catch pike on good ice is on Thompson Lake just out of Harrison.  Go on the North side road about 2/3 the way around and you will see a small pull-out.  There is a narrow channel with good ice and water about 11 feet deep.  Set up tip-ups baited with smelt about 1 foot off the bottom.  Allowed five lines through the ice in Idaho.  I put up four tip-ups and then search for perch and crappie with a small rod. Weather should be outstanding this week warming up into the 30's

[shawdawg]

Thanks Mitch, This is Marcus Shaw.  I figured I needed to get over there and get the old man on the ice before he forgets how to do it.  Not sure I'll make it over or not.  I may head to clark canyon for ling instead.

[Idahogator]

That makes sense now.  For a minute I thought you had ElkHunter was bringing his wife along so she could stick her arm down the hole to side scan with the transducer puck!

   Oh, yikes, if my wife sees this she may not come along.   

[vl777]

Fished Round lake yesterday from sunset till about 6pm. Reeled in 10 rainbows, another 10 or so didn't stick. At 6pm it started snowing quite a bit but the bite was still going strong.
Used a glow in the dark jighead tipped with Gulp maggot. About half of the bites were 1-2ft off the bottom, the remaining ones were 7-15 ft down. Bottom was at 23 ft.

Anyone fishing Kelso/Granite, Cocolalla or Twin?

Vlad

[elkhunter57]

Sorry it took me so long to report back but I still can't feel my fingers. If you knew my wife you wouldn't question who's arm was under the ice.  we tested the ice at spirit out bronze bay. I'm not quite confident enough yet but I turned around at about 150 yards from shore with 4 solid inches of ice. (Wife stayed safely ashore)Upper twin had 6" great ice just no fish and lower was about the same as spirit. Lower twin and spirit both have patchwork ice on them that that look like open water in places. I poked holes as I went and as color changed or surface texture changed. I never really encountered unsafe ice but it just feels creepy somehow so we erred on the side of caution

[baetis_elk]

Poked a number of holes on the west end of Fernan near the boat launch Wed. evening.  Ice is a good 6.5 inches (measured) at a minimum in this vicinity.  Did not find any perch at all but did manage to land one large (for Fernan) rainbow.  Small jig with maggots.  The rainbow came out of 5 FOW, 1 foot off the bottom.  I was just messing around and it paid off unexpectedly.

[cocolallakid]

fished mirror again yesterday and caught a limit of bows along with kokanee. the kokes are all chummed out so we released em. fishing a worm or spoon tipped with worm on bottom. fished from 10a.m. to noon. some ice looked kinda sketchy with grey spots n water but we were on 3.5 to 5" of hard ice the whole time.

[fowl_language]

cocolallakid, do you know what the ice by the condos looks like right now? I do my research on Lake Pend Oreille and I'm approaching another sampling trip might get out and do some fishing in the morning when I have to sample at night, I heard people were doing well there last year for perch.

[cocolallakid]

fished cocolalla today and slayed em. perch were between 6 n 8" and some up to 9". also caught a 22" bow which made my day.. was a helluva fight. had to find em but when we did we hit em good. i fished out infront of the access and the ice was sketchy in some areas so be carefull and drill ur way in. most ice is 5 inches thick... using a spoon about 3' off bottom.

[cocolallakid]

cocolallakid, do you know what the ice by the condos looks like right now? I do my research on Lake Pend Oreille and I'm approaching another sampling trip might get out and do some fishing in the morning when I have to sample at night, I heard people were doing well there last year for perch.

i dunno how it is out there yet. i havnt fished it for 3 years because of no ice or no fish. it should be safe enough to check out cuz theres a good chunk of ice on it now. its on my to do list but last year and the year before it didnt have any perch biting at all. this year may be different so ill keep u posted if u do the same???

[fowl_language]

Sounds good, I saw a few guys try it last year for about a week, it was crap all year up there for ice.  I'm assuming it will be better this year just based on weather.

I went out like twice last year because I've been so busy I am probably thinking of the year before, but I heard it can be a hotspot if you get enough ice, last time I was up there (last month) it looked like they took the water down low this year, the dock ramp to get to my boat at ellisport seemed like a 60 degree incline around thanksgiving.

[sihlms391]

looks like it is going to be a good year. 

[elkhuntinfool]

Hoping work slows down some so i can get more time on the ice

[sihlms391]

 I probably go at night more.  But the ice is too slick to cross at night when there isn't anything on it.  Did you see that post on cocollala.    That lake froze in several different stages.    Hope to be off work by 11 am tomorrow.  I have to make up for catching nothing on lower twin the other day.