Feb Vacation Recomendations

[WizBang]

Howdy Gang,

I am looking for recommendations for me and the kids annual Feb vacation ice fishing trip.  Need to find an airbnb with easy access to lake.  Kids are still liitlle so we are not to mobile.  Any lakes/ponds people can point me to?

Thanks

[Yukon Cornelius]

You can find a ton on Lake Champlain.  Yes it's a huge lake but if you're fishing with kids, you can assuredly find a bay where they can catch just about anything. All of the northern bays I've fished seem to have perch coating the bottom of the lake and if you throw a few tip ups out in shallow water there is a good chance you'll also find some pike, pickerel, and maybe bass too.

[WARRIOR_ON_ICE]

Thanks for helping the guy out. Ice fishing with toddlers is amazing, and the memories you create out of their excitement to be out there is worth way more than any fish you could catch. My kids are now 19 ( twins ) and they like ice fishing because I introduced them to it when they were 4.

[Skorpion]

When in feb? Early on ice will hopefully be fairly widespread in the area. I have had hit or miss ice conditions when planning trips even on Missisquoi bay in late feb. However, I am very new to fishing Champlain.

[sonny88]

VRBO Lake Champlain Islands and you'll find many potential places to stay. Look for a place in a bay.

[bradleyj]

Howdy Gang,

I am looking for recommendations for me and the kids annual Feb vacation ice fishing trip.  Need to find an airbnb with easy access to lake.  Kids are still liitlle so we are not to mobile.  Any lakes/ponds people can point me to?

Thanks

I just PMd you WizBang.

[Yukon Cornelius]

Thanks for helping the guy out. Ice fishing with toddlers is amazing, and the memories you create out of their excitement to be out there is worth way more than any fish you could catch. My kids are now 19 ( twins ) and they like ice fishing because I introduced them to it when they were 4.

Hi Warrior yes I have twins myself (17)... but a boy and a girl. And the boy is the fishing bud, been taking him out since about when you started taking your twins out.  Now that he's 17 it's about the only thing we still do together 

Happy fishing this season, looks like we might finally be able to get out in earnest starting this weekend.

[vtbrookfisher87]

I can’t agree more I introduced my daughter last year be had just turned three the pure excitement of the little ones are memories that last a life a time I have years to catch up to you guys but I can say she is absolutely hooked on jigging smelt in the shanty hopefully it stays like this

[sonny88]

I'm in my 70's and my son in his 40's and we're best fishing buddies. One of my favorite ice fishing memories was when we were fishing Colchester Pond one day and I didn't anchor the portable as well as I should. The wind was blowing hard and there was no snow on the ice. The baler twine I had for an anchor broke and off he went. I chased as well as I could and he finally hit the far shore and stopped when I opened the door to the shanty he was laughing his little butt off, he was 4 at the time. And, he said, dad that was awesome can I do it again??? Needless to say mom didn't hear about that adventure!

[WARRIOR_ON_ICE]

Hi Warrior yes I have twins myself (17)... but a boy and a girl. And the boy is the fishing bud, been taking him out since about when you started taking your twins out.  Now that he's 17 it's about the only thing we still do together 

Happy fishing this season, looks like we might finally be able to get out in earnest starting this weekend.

My twins are also a boy and a girl. I am taking her fishing this weekend, but without him ! He can't make it this time, but this will be her only time out this season. My son is really into it, but at age 19 now his schedule and mine are difficult to align. He does not have his own ice fishing gear yet, but just got a car and I don't think it will be long until he realizes he needs his own gear to fish when he has time off and I don't have the same days off.

[WARRIOR_ON_ICE]

I'm in my 70's and my son in his 40's and we're best fishing buddies. One of my favorite ice fishing memories was when we were fishing Colchester Pond one day and I didn't anchor the portable as well as I should. The wind was blowing hard and there was no snow on the ice. The baler twine I had for an anchor broke and off he went. I chased as well as I could and he finally hit the far shore and stopped when I opened the door to the shanty he was laughing his little butt off, he was 4 at the time. And, he said, dad that was awesome can I do it again??? Needless to say mom didn't hear about that adventure!

That is a tremendously entertaining story !!!!  Ice fishing provides so many memorable stories. I can't imagine ever moving to a place where there is no ice fishing, so I WON'T  You VT guys are really solid ice fishermen, and most of the time I am on Champlain just a stone's throw from the buoys in the middle of the lake that define our state border. 

[aquarium234]

I'm in my 70's and my son in his 40's and we're best fishing buddies. One of my favorite ice fishing memories was when we were fishing Colchester Pond one day and I didn't anchor the portable as well as I should. The wind was blowing hard and there was no snow on the ice. The baler twine I had for an anchor broke and off he went. I chased as well as I could and he finally hit the far shore and stopped when I opened the door to the shanty he was laughing his little butt off, he was 4 at the time. And, he said, dad that was awesome can I do it again??? Needless to say mom didn't hear about that adventure!

LOL thats a great story, Defiantly did the chase the ice shanty down across the ice a few times in the early days when we thought its not suppose to get that windy today....well now its always locked down, and a bit heavier of a shanty now that we have proper snow machines to pull them.

[ISLAND STORM]

I have a buddy I ice fish with the majority of the time now but my kids all grew up ice fishing with me. They still make time to go ice fishing with there old man a few times a year and those days are always my favorite!!!

[Crayfish2]

Most of you know or are aware of my son, Perchbait.  He was a regular contributor / story writer on here for a long time.  We've made some fantastic memories over the last almost 20yrs of fishing together!  He's almost 24 now and moved to Oregon last summer, so I haven't had my hunting and fishing partner around for a while. 

The good thing (for me) about Oregon is that there is no ice fishing near him, so he's flying home for 10 days in Mid-February!!  Can't wait to get back on the ice with him.  He has really perfected his techniques, always experimenting with new things, and outfishes me every single time we go.  It's really fun to watch.  I might threaten to leave him behind once in a while, but I haven't followed through on it ... yet.

Enjoy your time with the little ones, guys.  It goes by WAY too fast.