North Idaho Ice

[JimBob2]

Wow!
How did you cut down that ice skimmer and get the tip rolled up again...






Lol

[Lcsodiver]

Anyone fished Spirit Lake in the last few days?

We were thinking about going tomorrow but not sure I want to get the kiddos out of bed early just to get down there if the ice is crappy.

[Ratso-jig]

No one must be ice fishing.   Not much talk this year.

[smitty661]

I was out of town this week but fished cocolalla Monday morning before I left. How are conditions holding up?

[Ratso-jig]

I haven't been out since Monday. Hope to hit lower twin tomorrow.

[nICE!]

I haven't hit the ice since last Saturday and it was pretty good at Hauser. Unfortunately,  it's been pretty warm with lots of rain, so I'd imagine conditions are starting to deteriorate slightly

[Ratso-jig]

Hit lower twin. . ice just as good last week.  No water on top.   Did good on perch one trout.   

[CMS]

3 of us fished cocollala today from 7:00-12:00. The ice was good about 6” of half clear and half milky.  The bite was slow until about 10:00 then turned on for 1-1/2 hours. The perch we caught were all around 9-10”.

[FinBear]

Fished Upper Twin on 13th measured the ice it was over 12 inches so it should still be holding up. Lots of small perch.

[plfish]

Checked Chase today…12” total ice but very soft right off the dock.  3 hits with a spud bar went through.  A couple inches of ice on top and then 2 slush layers with a 1” ice layer between the slush layers and then a few inches at the bottom.  Only tracks on the ice went out about 150-200 feet where they drilled a hole or two and then the tracks returned to shore.  I assume the ice was just as bad or worse out there.  Maybe next weekend’s overnight temps will firm things up a bit

[houlzhouse]

Hauser is in great shape-bite is still good as well

[houlzhouse]

Anybody know how ice is holding at sportsmen's park?

[JimBob2]

Hauser is in great shape-bite is still good as well

What time were you out there? I had to wait till noon before I could get out there. Not a soul out there and no bite either.

[bullpine]

What time were you out there? I had to wait till noon before I could get out there. Not a soul out there and no bite either.

Perch slow way down at mid-day , most days.

[RayneBidziil22]

Any word on how the ice is holding up on hauser, Hayden, upper twin, and fernan been unable to get out do to vehicle troubles

[houlzhouse]

Jimbob2-have to be at hauser right at sunup or 230-3pm until dark.  Dies in the afternoon

[houlzhouse]

Fernan is eroding at the shore but you can get on off the dock-6 to 7" once you get out.

[devo]

I've fished some of the lakes in the summer around CDA like Hayden, fernan, hauser etc. but unfortunately haven't gotten on the ice out there yet. We get some nice perch back here around Lake Ontario and I know everyone likes Cascade for monster perch but how's the average size of perch in the Kootani Co. area in general. Thanks, deV0.

[Lcsodiver]

Any word on how the ice is holding up on hauser, Hayden, upper twin, and fernan been unable to get out do to vehicle troubles

We were on Upper Twin yesterday, ice was decent. Still 5-6” hard ice under the partly frozen slush layer that was 8-10” thick. It was hard enough to walk on the top but in patches you would break through a crusty layer on top dropping about an inch.

Hauser was 6” decent ice but thinned out a bit after 200 yards or so. It was breaking up right at the ramp. So if you don’t have tall waterproof boots you’d have to walk out the docks first.

[JumboC]

I've fished some of the lakes in the summer around CDA like Hayden, fernan, hauser etc. but unfortunately haven't gotten on the ice out there yet. We get some nice perch back here around Lake Ontario and I know everyone likes Cascade for monster perch but how's the average size of perch in the Kootani Co. area in general. Thanks, deV0.

Howdy deVO, I'm also from the Rochester area and very familiar with Irondequoit and Sodus bay fisheries and moved up here a couple years ago. There are bigger perch in some of the larger lakes in Kootani County such as Cocolalla around 10" - 11" on average. Hauser as more numbers but they are typically smaller around the 7"- 8" on the average. Compared on to the Great Lake and connected fisheries, I would say the average perch size is smaller in North Idaho, where I get excited for pulling in an 8 incher but there are still plenty around!   

[JumboC]

Anybody know how ice is holding at sportsmen's park?

I checked the ice last Friday at 1/13/23 and there was a little water gap from the boat ramp to the ice but it's not terrible. Past the first buoy there was 6"-7" with ~4" white ice and the bottom remaining was black. 2 groups were out there and 1 of them was a ways out there roughly 1/2 mile from the launch.   

[devo]

Howdy deVO, I'm also from the Rochester area and very familiar with Irondequoit and Sodus bay fisheries and moved up here a couple years ago. There are bigger perch in some of the larger lakes in Kootani County such as Cocolalla around 10" - 11" on average. Hauser as more numbers but they are typically smaller around the 7"- 8" on the average. Compared on to the Great Lake and connected fisheries, I would say the average perch size is smaller in North Idaho, where I get excited for pulling in an 8 incher but there are still plenty around!

Hey Jumbo,
Thanks, and good luck, I hope to get out there in the winter soon!
Devo

[Idahoice77]

Any one been to cocolloa? Gonna check there tomorrow, just curious bout the ice?? Thanks

[FinBear]

Any one been to cocolloa? Gonna check there tomorrow, just curious bout the ice?? Thanks

Got out on Cocollala today 1/20/23 ice every where I checked was 6-7 inches by a ruler not guessed. Had to pop a few holes then hit a decent bite later in the day.

Fished upper twin during one of the last rain storms and the ice was still 11 inches. All small perch that night.

[JimBob2]

Fished Cocalla today with CSM and two others, slow but fairly steady till about noon. 60+ nice sized perch between the 4 of us. Ice measured 8" with the top 3"being white but solid

[Idahoice77]

Jimbob2 I might of been next to you I was in the clam shack frown about 930 to 200 north east side about 36 ft water Had a good day as well

[JimBob2]

Cool, that was us in the big orange tent. I walked over and talked to the guy with the snowdog and the clam.

[Idahoice77]

The snow dog was cool beats walking for sure

[plfish]

Fished Blue late afternoon.  11” of solid ice.  Bite was slow until dark…then had a few crappie.  Bite was very light but the flasher helped finding them in the water column.  Fished in 12 FOW and the crappie were 3-4 feet off the bottom.

[JimBob2]

The snow dog was cool beats walking for sure

It's interesting because I have just started to build my own, accumulating parts now.