Nelson REservoir- Near Malta, MT

[Redleg Ice Fisherman]

Heading up this weekend with a few buds.  Any news on Nelson Reservoir?  Heard there was 30" of ice.  Any tips or tricks?
Thanks all!!!!

[GiddiupMT]

Use 10" minnows in 10' of water 10' from the boat ramp   

[missoulafish]

Couple more posts and you can see the reports page below.
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=118587.0

[gadgetman]

Heading up this weekend with a few buds.  Any news on Nelson Reservoir?  Heard there was 30" of ice.  Any tips or tricks?
Thanks all!!!!

I don't know if there's 30 inches of ice but there's over 24 for sure. We have fished it twice this year and done real well. Both times it was below zero so we didn't mess with tipups.This is what worked for us. Use a flasher and minnows and keep moving until you find them. 30+ water was best for us both trips. You can get minnows at Arlens just a few miles from the reservoir.

[GiddiupMT]

Use 10" minnows in 10' of water 10' from the boat ramp   

Just so yall know, I was just messing with him, not being a jerk.  We are going up there together this weekend...   

[mthuntr]

Just so yall know, I was just messing with him, not being a jerk.  We are going up there together this weekend...   

I'm sitting here thinking that particular 10-10-10 system might actually produce a big monster waterwolf...problem would is the bait would probably trip the dang tip-up      

[NorthernAngler]

For sure, I have used 7 to 8 inch suckers. Their like little body builders, always setting off the flag. After a while you just say screw it, it's the suckers. Then go over to the flag and BOOM, it was a big fish. HA

[Redleg Ice Fisherman]

Thanks for all the replies and tips. 

[halijigmt]

any big pike this year?

[spear1]

Been 3 over 30lbs that i have heard of.. numerous 20+.. some speared some on tip ups..i would say half an half.. should really turn om from here on out, pike are getting there teeth back an are hungry hungry...

[Gamedog]

pike are getting there teeth back an are hungry hungry...

[missoulafish]

All their teeth don't just fall out.

[spear1]

They will lose alot of their inner teeth during the winter an wil not feed as much particularly on bigger fish.. they will go on a good bite before they start to lose them an when they start getting them back.. soorry hippy i should have clarified not all there teeth.. being the master you are, i figured you would know this.. my bad.. hippy is correct guys, they dont just all fall out..

[lundin-loading]

Wives tale to explain the mid-season lull. Sometimes their gums will swell giving the appearance of no teeth.

[missoulafish]

Way to be a tool spear1 when your wrong, stick your hand in their mouths and see what happens. But hey, three other people said your wrong too:)

[spear1]

3 other people said i was wrong? Do some research hippy before you go running your mouth on something you are not quite clear about dude.. ya i know about the swelling of the gums to, thx ll.. an hippy thought i clarified they do not lose them all.. you seem to be an expert on every post, only if i had your knowledge. .. wow

[missoulafish]

My mistake, two. Either way, believe what you need to.

[Young Blood]

As humorous as it is to read through all the fighting on the internet... can we please use this site for what it is intended for      like sharing helpful reports/advice/success stories....

[spear1]

Sorry bro, happy fishing. 

[halijigmt]

Pike continually loose their teeth like sharks.

[JayHelfrich]

Old pike lose their teeth when they can't find their dentures.  It's tough being a big old pike!

Jay

[Mogi]

Drop a tooth now and then yeah but loosening enough to stop feeding completely and tying on the feed bag when they have grown back is hard to believe. Sorry about conjesting the thread with more tooth talk.

[Mt.Bucket]

Up-to-date, scientific-based information on this biting trend is always helpful. A seven-page Institute for Fisheries Research "When Do Pike Shed Their Teeth" report from Ann Arbor, Mich. offers some interesting insights on this question.

Researchers Milton B. Trautman and Carl L. Hubbs responded to numerous "fish stories" -- recounted in a Frank Buckland report some 55 years earlier and put together some interesting data on tooth growth and seasonal production for fish in the esox (pike) family.

Tabulating tooth growth of 188 northern pike (esox lucius), Trautman and Hubbs put to the test the sore-gum theory for these fish during the late-summer period of the season.

Their findings showed no measurable loss of teeth during this period and no indication of gum weakness.

They report: "It is evident from the data summarized; that the northern pike shows no seasonal variation of importance in the number of teeth in service or in the number being replaced. We therefore find no confirmation for the popular idea that the pike shed their teeth exclusively or chiefly in late summer."

The report concludes: "The failure to catch pike, muskellunge and pickerel in large numbers in summer may be due to the especial abundance of availability of natural food in summer, or to the retirement of these cold-water fish to deeper water at that season, or to sluggishness induced by the warm water."

There you have it.

Proof.

What is more stunning about these findings is when they were first done: This Trautman-Hubbs report, recently republished, was originally written back in 1935.

[bowhtr]

I'm sitting here thinking that particular 10-10-10 system might actually produce a big monster waterwolf...problem would is the bait would probably trip the dang tip-up

Add extra sinkers about 6 to 8 inches above the minnow.  slows them buggers down.