Night fishing on Georgetown lk

[67cudafb]

Any suggestions for night fishing on Georgetown lake

[coldcreekchris]

dress warm and have some sonar....usually you can get more than you need in the light of day....but if you wanna night fish...have your spot scoped out before its dark...have plenty of propane..cause it will be as cold as anywhere in the state...have nite fished g town in full moons before....definitely caught fish...but it was more of a novelty..still you are fishin when others are sleeping...good fun...best fishing for me has always been first lite till noon or so...

[67cudafb]

I've only ice fished twice (ever) and I'm jumping in with both feet. I just bought a vexilar 28 and some used gear. We tried Georgetown earlier this year and caught 3 fish in about 12 hours, so any info would help. We were trying different Swedish pimples with about 8" of leader with a glow hook and maggot.
We're going back the 23rd with the full moon and trying our luck

[coldcreekchris]

look at the archives in the reports and conditions page... enough to make your head spin....pmmette's recent testimonials is spot on...good luck....

[67cudafb]

Thanks, I'll try to find that page.

[missoulafish]

I agree, early morning is better. I've stayed out there all night before and the best fishing is Definitely 2-3 hours before sunrise till late AM. 

[icefishmissoula]

Six of us slept out last year and didn't catch a fish!  We were in the same spot where we caught 40 in the am between two people. I can honestly say I'd rather drive back to Missoula and get up at 5 am compared to wasting a whole day and night on the ice not catching fish. Just my one experience.

[coldcreekchris]

oh I agree...not much is happening from dusk till dawn...the pintlers in a full moon...skiing cross the lake in the moonlight....freak salmon frenzy at 2 am..with moon above.....in the handful of times I've spent the night on the ice..I've only caught a hanful of fish....if you go at nite...don't expect good fishin...just .stars or moon...and cold ass solitude........

[pmmpete]

We tried an underwater light at Georgetown Lake one night, but it didn't work at all.

I read about the use of underwater lights to attract plankton, which attract small fish, which attract large predatory fish, and I thought "Kokanee eat plankton, so an underwater light should do a great job of attracting kokanee!"  So I borrowed a six-foot-long green underwater light from a friend.  One evening we drilled a hole for the light, we set up three ice shelters around the light, and we drilled fishing holes in those ice shelters.  Then we bundled our usual fishing gear into the shelters, and in addition brought sleeping pads and other overnight equipment out onto the ice.  After it got dark, we fired up the underwater light, and . . . nothing.  Not a single kokanee showed up to play.  After a couple hours we called a time out and crawled into our sleeping bags for a while.  A couple hours later we got up, fired up the underwater light again, and . . . nothing.  This went on all night.  I don't think we saw or caught a fish all night.  Then dawn approached, and as soon as it was light enough to see down the hole, fish were swarming all over, just like normally, and we caught buckets of kokanee by sight fishing.  I haven't had any urge to try the underwater light thing again.

[MTsGrumpyIceMan]

I was toying with the idea of underwater lights also, figuring that it would "attract".  Good to know this info, sorry you (pmmpete) had to freeze for the rest of us. Lol way to take one for the team though. Lol j/k.
Kidding aside, one would think that it would work.  Wonder if a different light wavelength (color) would work differently?

[pmmpete]

I was toying with the idea of underwater lights also, figuring that it would "attract".  Good to know this info, sorry you (pmmpete) had to freeze for the rest of us. Lol way to take one for the team though. Lol j/k.
Kidding aside, one would think that it would work.  Wonder if a different light wavelength (color) would work differently?

Give another color a try!  As I said, we used a green light.  I await your report with interest.

I've talked with quite a number of ice fishermen who reported successfully fishing for kokanee in the middle of the night at Georgetown Lake.  But because we have such excellent success at Georgetown Lake during the daytime when fishing for kokanee which we can see (i.e. fish in the top 4-10 feet of water), I haven't had any urge to go fishing in the middle of the night.

[pump]

In the 90's I used to get there @ 2:00 AM and fish til the bite was off at 10:00. Not sure what happened but a decent bite has been on from dawn until noon the last 10 years or so.

[phatfisher]

From my experience fishing past when it gets dark till 12am is just dead and super slow. But my dad and I have had success fishing in the early am(1-5) well that's if you consider 10-30kokes worth getting up that early. But we never had any electronics and just used rough measurement estimates to find where in the water column they were at. So I'm sure you would catch more if you had a flasher or electronic device. What we used were Swedish pimples that had the glow in the dark part in the middle and a leader to a small ratfinke(or how they sell that) also glow in the dark with some maggots on. We would bring along a flash light to charge em up and make them glow extra bright(both the Swedish pimple and ratfinke) then send them down. And we would work together and go throughout the water column trying to find em. But it can be slow too at times, but it was always fun to be out with my dad anyways. But that's my experiance with fishing at night at least. good luck if you do try it! 

[TooLucky406]

Maybe 10-15yrs ago I'll say worth it. Gtown has changed quite a bit,  within the lake and surrounding area. Best fish has alway been best at first light anyway.

[67cudafb]

Wow, thanks for all the information. It sound like if we go at night it will be more for the comrodery of being with friends, not necessarily for the fish.

[coldcreekchris]

phatfisher ..that has been my same type of experience....full moon illuminates the first 4 feet of the water...enough to see the glow on the dropper....and maybe if ya are lucky...one of those bands...usually 4 to 6 of em...biggest silvers in the lake.11 inchers...will be patrolling the first few feet of the ice....and you can get a few of them...certainly not worth it...but hey...you are going be the first guy on the ice in the morning.....so that has its advantages....

[Wintersoul23]

Hey guys,

Im from Bozo so we night fish Hyalite a LOT at night, seems to be better. But Georgetown this week Ive crushed them first few hours and last hour of light, bite slowed once it got dark. Did land one slab of a rainbow in 5 feet if water at night on a #8 ratso with a piece of worm.

These guys said it though gt is butt freakin cold. Its so under crowded just fish the day bite!