My 2023 / 2024 Ice Fishing Reports.

[Water Wolf]

Hi Guys,
Here is the start of my reports for the 2023 / 2024 ice fishing season.

It's December, the month with the longest night and shortest day + the holidays.


Ice fishing season is getting underway.
This year, it was a bit iffy when the ice would be safe enough to venture out on, due to the warmest Dec.I have ever experienced.

For all of Dec.,the temps, in my area were well above what is considered normal for this time of year day or night.
We only had 3 nights that I would consider normal temps. For the whole month we were lucky to experience + temps that reached into the double digits in some areas. In my area, the warmest day was +9 deg C / 48 deg F, but a good number of days were + 2 to +5 deg C / 36 to 41 deg F.
This was the best Christmas present the folks in SK. could get, and, it really has taken a big bite out of winter.

So-far, there is hardly any snow this month, and, a good part of SK.remains snow free.This makes getting around on the roads, and ice fishing, so much easier than the conditions we normally face. I wish this mild weather was the norm for winters here, but, I know that won't be the case.  It's sure been great to experience, while we can though.

Although it was a mild month, it was also a busy month for me, with lots to do before, and after the holidays.
I did get out one day after Christmas to say I started my ice fishing season.

This is that day.

Dec.28th.
This is the day I was finally able to start my ice fishing season for 2023 / 2024.

Since there was no snow what-so-ever, I decided to try a lake I have not fished for a number of years.
Normally, this lake blocks in so hard with snow, that it's a long walk to get onto the ice, but, this year, no problem, so-far.

The lake in question is Usinneskaw, also called Stony Lake.
My family joined me on this first trip out.

When we got to the lake I could see 2 vehicles parked on the ice in a bay not too far from the boat launch.
They were ice fishing, skating and playing hockey on the bare ice. There were several adults and children all out having a good time.

I saw 3 other vehicle on the S and NW side of the lake, this lake is not that large, and, quite easy to see across.

When drove close to the shoreline a bit S of the action and set up.
The ice was nice and thick at 15" and the ice 95% clear of snow, just the odd tiny finger drift of snow near shore.

We fished from 3:15 pm - 5:40 pm.

It was a dandy day to be out.
The weather was nice + 1 deg C / 34 deg F. It was mainly sunny, but, did cloud up near dark and there was an occasional SE wind at times.


The fish were around all afternoon, but, seemed to be enjoying the day too and were not hungry at all.
Every once and a while I had small schools of 2 - 3 perch swim by, some would stop to check the lures that were too large for them. They were all small and made no attempts to grab the lures. They looked to be 3" - 4" long, no more than stripped minnows,lol.

As the sun was setting I had a small walleye move through, but, it never stopped to look at what I had to offer at all.

The largest fish I saw that day was a big old white sucker.
It swam by the lure a few times, and, also inspected the camera, but never bit.

I finally get at hit at 4:45 pm. I see a fish in the distance moving fast towards my jigging spoon.
It comes in quickly, and, without hesitation, hits, and is hooked. It's a pike, and after a quick but spirited fight, I hoist the fish up and onto the ice.
It's a bit easier to do when you don't have to fight it through the long ice tube we are accustomed to, and, the clear ice helps as well.

First fish of the icefishing season, woo hoo.

It's no monster, but, still better than a skunk.

After a quick photo, it goes back in a flash.
That would be my action for the day.

The group that was setup down from us also iced a pike at sunset.

A shot of the sun as it began to set.


I had a chat with 2 anglers who made their way off the ice a bit after dark.
They said they had been fishing there all afternoon and had only iced 1 pike as well.
They tried multiple spots around the lake, but, it made no difference.

They said the fishing had been somewhat slow on Whitesand / Pelican Lake, with similar results there.  
The lack of snow on the ice allowed driving any where they wanted  - no snow banks to hinder fishing areas.
They did warn me of a pressure ridge that was starting at the point on Pelican, and stretching across the lake.
We will have to make sure not to cross that pressure ridge, good info to pass along.

We all packed up at the same time and left after dark.
The ice that night was really making some pings and pops as it got colder out.
It sounded a bit like the gun fire in Star Wars.

All in all, it was a fine first day on the ice, weather wise, and even if the fishing was slow , it was still worth it to be out there.

Good fishing to all in the New Year!



Here are a few non-fishing photos from the month.

This horned owl was a long way off, so I took a photo of it through my spotting scope.

It kind of worked.
It looks like the moon behind the owl, but it's just the scope lens outline.

A photo of the last moon of the year.
The Full Cold Moon.


WW

[BudIce]

Nothing like landing the first 🧊 🐟 of the season! Great photos WW, keep on posting…enjoy your stories. Gives me hope that someday I’ll get to walk on my Ohio waters again

[Water Wolf]

Thanks BudIce, glad you are enjoying the posts.

WW

[reddog11]

Nice pictures

[Water Wolf]

Thanks reddog11.

WW

[Water Wolf]

Hi Guys,
Here are my ice fishing reports for January 2024.


It's January, a new year, with many fishing opportunities to look forward to.

The weather this winter has been all over the place, and, this Jan. was no exception.

The first few days of the new year started off with nice temps that were above normal for a SK. winter.

Temps began to cool on the 4th, and, then we were hit with the dreaded "Polar Vortex" a brutally cold weather system from the arctic that freezes everything in it's tracks. This was shared throughout SK., most of Canada, and, the USA, lucky us.
One night the windchill temps in SK were - 50 deg C / -58 deg F. Burrr.
These dangerously cold days started in my area, on Jan. 8th, and, lasted until the 22nd.

On the 23rd we were back to above seasonal temps again. What a wild temperature flip.
This milder weather continued right into the beginning of Feb.

I timed my fishing on the warmer days when I could, so, I ice fished more at the beginning of the month and then again near the end.

Here are those days.

Jan. 6th.
The first fishing trip of the new year.

On this day I decided to try a lake that I have not fished in a few years, Margo Lake.
I know that it had a fairly bad winter kill a few years ago, and, was interested to see if any fish life was still present.

It's not a deep lake by any means, and, would do well with an aerator in it somewhere to prevent or reduce future winter kills.

I got to the lake took the winding trail down to the lake shore.
It looked like I was the first person to visit the lake this winter. Not the best of signs.
I parked on shore walked out a ways and made a few test holes in the 5 - 6 foot depths.
The ice was at the 15" mark so I moved the vehicle out a bit further, but not too far from shore just to be safe.

I got the set rod up and got to jigging.
I was there from 3:25 pm - 5:31 pm.

The afternoon was cloudy. A thick hoar frost hung from the trees around the the lake.
There was some wind from the SE and the temp was - 13 deg C / 9 deg F.
Near the end of the day the temp dropped to - 15 deg C / 5 deg F and it began to snow.

Not long after setting up, I see a truck pull up to the shore and stop. A man walked out and joined me on the lake for a chat.
He had 2 friendly little dog who enjoyed themselves playing and romping around us.

He warned me about a pressure ridge that was forming in the bay on the lake.
He also said that there is a beaver lodge in there, so that could mean thin ice as well.
I appreciated his information.

After a good chat, he wished me good luck and he and his dogs were off.

It was getting a bit dark out, but I could still see a little ways on the underwater camera.
This area was a mix of silty bottom and rocks.
Lots of plankton could be seen swimming and pulsing through the water.

While I fished I had my set rod hit twice.
This rod was baited with a bit of hot dog, thought I would show the fish something different. It appeared to be what they wanted.
Unfortunately they were just hitting it in the right places to take the bait, but, avoid being hooked.

Near the end of the day, as I struggle to see my lure on the dark camera screen, I have a hit on the spoon I was jigging. I give it a fair lift and let it settle. Just as I was about to give it another lift, I see a gray streak fly in from the L side of the screen and take the spoon in a flash.
I don't have time to set the hook on this one, as it does it for me.
I am fairly sure it's a pike by the fight, but didn't see it clearly on camera.
I am correct when I pull it up and out of the hole.

Whoo hoo, no skunk today.

After a quick photo it goes back.
I have confirmed for sure that there is at least 1 pike left in the lake, and, more than likely many more.

Not too long after letting the fish go, the wind starts to kick up, and, with it comes some snow.

I pack up and find out that I had 1 more strike on my set line that I didn't see.
This fish took the head of the smelt right off, but still avoided the hook again, sneaky fish.

All in all, it was an good trip out. I had a nice chat with a friendly stranger and caught a fish. 
I enjoyed both.



Jan. 26th.
After that bit of hibernation, during that nasty cold snap, I was itching to try my luck on the ice again. 
I though I would try another different lake, and chose Whitesand / Pelican Lake.

The weather was finally decent again at - 2 deg C / 30 deg F, with some wind from the SE and a mix of sun and cloud.
There was really thick fog at the end of the day.

When I got to the lake there were a fair number of other angler out and about, some were close and others were far down the lake and out to the middle. 
I counted 15 other vehicles for sure.

I set up a ways down the lake, amongst a few ice shacks. 
I was there from 3:15 pm - 6:00 pm.

There were a few fish around that day, 6 fair sized perch made their way up to my lures and inspected them thoroughly before they were rejected.
I tried different perch sized lures, but, nothing would interest them enough to hit. So, in the end it was a skunking, Uggg.


The few anglers that stopped to chat had similar stories of perch, pike and walleye either getting off or not biting at all, just looking.
It was that kind of a day.

On the up side I was able to chat with a fellow IceShanty member, buy the name of "Wanderin".
Nice to put a face to a name, and, good ice fishing to you.

While leaving the lake a very thick blacket of fog set in. It was so thick I could barely see past the bumber of the vehicle.
This thick fog was only for several km's and then it cleared completely - wild.



Jan. 30th.
I decide that I would like to give Whitesand / Pelican Lake another try, hoping for better results this time.

It's a dandy day on the ice, temp wise with + 6 deg / 40 deg F temps.
The sky is mainly sunny, and, there is some wind from the S, switching to SW near dark.
Once it got dark the wind got really, really strong.

With the warmer weather, the drifts on the ice have settled a bit, but, they could still high-center a vehicle if not careful.
If you stay on the beaten path it's easier going.

I tried a different spot than where I had been before, going a bit shallower this time.

I fished this area from 2:15 pm - 6:10 pm before I was blown off the lake.

There were 12 other trucks out on the ice + a grey bombadier, which was neat to see as it crossed the lake with ease.

I settle in and wait for a bite.
At 3:30 pm I see my set rod register a hit.
I hustle over as fast as I can across the slippery patches of clear ice. The rod stays bent, and the fight is on.
This fish make several good runs before I am able to get it to the hole. I can see it's a fair sized pike.
It decides to spin just at the base of the hole and gets the line in it's mouth, above my leader. Well, you probably knows what happens next, the pike bolts and the line slides across the roof of it's mouth with all those razor sharp teeth, and, cuts it like a hot knife through butter. Snap, it's gone. Darn!!

A bit of time passes and there is no life on camera nor any more bites.

I see a number of anglers pack up and head home early, including the bombadier, not a good sign.

As the sun starts to sink towards the horizon and the light levels fade on the camera. I have a walleye come in and inspect my lure twice, before deciding that it was not what it wanted, and moved on.
I was hoping it would head for the set rod, but that didn't happen either.

At 5:25 pm I see a dark grey shape moving along the bottom of my camera screen, coming at the lure. I slowly jiggle the spoon up and away and the fish hits without hesitation. It's a pike, and, I get a good look at it as it fights under the clear patch of ice I had set up on.
It zips back and forth from left to right before I could wrangle it up and out of the hole.
Neat to see the fish fighting like that through the clear ice.

The pike.

No skunk this time, woo hoo.

After a quick photo, it goes back.

As I rebaited my spoon, a pair of anglers on their way off the lake stop for a quick chat.
They caught 1 perch that day and several perch a few days ago, so it appears that the perch are biting a bit better for the time being.
We wish each other good luck next time out and they are off.

I fish for a little bit longer hoping for some more walleye to show up, but, nope not this time.
I pack up when the wind really starts to blow hard.
When I would stand up it would blow my chair over and if I set my gloves down they went blowing across the ice. I had to give chase once.
By this time I could not even see my lure on camera so I packed up and called it a day.


All in all it was a dandy day to be out on the ice, even if the fishing was a bit slow.

I heard on the radio, on the way home, that Maple Creek SK. set a new high temp record that day.
It was + 21 deg C / 70 deg F, WOW, that's just unreal.  

The warmest day for my area was on Jan. 31st at + 9 deg C / 50 deg F.

I would like to order more mild ice fishing days this year, what a treat.


Here are a few non fishing photos from the month.

These are 2 moose that I saw near one of the lakes.
They looked to be 2 females.

Moose #1 crosses the road.


Followed by moose #2.


The high humidity days we had this Jan., produced several days of  heavy hoar frost, both at home,and, at the lake.








In one of the frosty trees this ruffed grouse was feeding on frozen fruit, right in my yard.


I also took a photo of the first full moon of the new year.
This is the "Full Wolf Moon".


WW