Season Stats

[Mr.Bassachusetts]

So with the end of ice season approaching (for some of us). I was thinking just for farts and giggles what was your Personal Best this season. Please post species weight or length, bait, and location. ( just joking about location)

[Knot there yet]

Walked off 15" of ice Saturday lyk maybe next week.
 The record for this year I can't believe is total trips. With the poor conditions and traveling MA,NH. With the early start I've fished 28 trips 12/17/16-3/24/17. Simply amazing for the weather.
5lbs 6oz. Bass
3lbs plus pickerel
Bass over 5lbs (12) good year
 

[bogtrotter]

My PB's for this season:

A 14" perch on Bog Pond in Savoy.

A 23" pickerel on Bog Pond.

A 3 pound (but this is just a guesstimate) bass on Highland Pond (DAR State Forest) in Goshen.

[KillerFish]

Love this thread. A positive wrap-up!

My favorites were:

Two nice holdover trout from Comet: 18" brown, 14.5" brookie

Best pike of the year, a bit small unfortunately, but fat and healthy: 26" , 6.5 lbs

All were released unharmed

[BASSQUATCH]

Not too shabby of a season. Started 12-19-16, ended it 2-28-17 with an 8 day 96 hour stretch before heading to Montana. I could have fished all of March like I usually do every season. I really don't know how many days out this season, but allot.  Always sunrise to sunset on the days out, many 5's couple 6's and 1 that was in the 7½ lb range 23" long 15" girth (no scale that day) all bass. It was a crazy weather season, as they have been for a few years now. I hope everyone had a great season of fun, fish, & friends. 

[lowaccord66]

27" Laker
42" Tiger Musky (first trip second fish of the season 11 December)
37" Northern

Still not done.  Will get a full weekend in this weekend then maybe hang it up.

[SHaRPS]

4.4lb Channel Cat. Not only a new species for me but it was even better through the ice. Too many trout to count.

[Rangerboats391]

unfortunately only got out once my spot barely froze but did get a 22 inch bass and some pickerel in the 20-23 inch range

[troutncrappie]

4 lb Pickerel -Buckley dunton

10lb pike- pontusuc

Some  nice trout (bows and tigers) and literally every type of panfish in Berkshire waters lol Made it out a total of bout 10 times. Slow season for me , a lot of family time instead with the wife and lil man (14 month old)

[Thebasspro22]

Only got out a couple times due to busy work and family schedules but caught some nice yellow perch and a chunky 3.5 pound smallmouth bass. I love being on the ice and I love all the stories and adventures that everyone contributes on this site. Look forward to future post from you all. Time to take the Yak out chasing down some big bucket mouths!

[Ash82]

Made it out once this year due to travel and sickness (damn flu). Caught one that was 3 lbs. Almost a PB. So that was worth it. Now looking forward to frog fishing!

[ICEHOLE]

less then stellar year for me. averaging less and shorter trips..life happens. But managed my first pike this year. nothing big but first is always one of the best

[fishermantim]

No personal best fish for me, but my nephew got his PB yellow and white perch while up in NH.
Of course it was also his first time ice fishing, so each time he got a bigger fish, that one became his PB...

[swampa]

3 trips to comet pond was all that I got out for this season , south pond didnt really freeze well but i did good as usual , first trip hit cove to left of the boat ramp at comet 4 inches of ice  1 16 inch rainbow , and a line snapper , second trip hit the beach at comet 7 inches of ice caught 3, released a thin 10 inch brown , kept a 13 inch rainbow and a fat 2 pound 16 inch hookjaw male brown , third trip to comet made the long 30 min trek to point at other end of pond from boat ramp almost a foot of ice caught my limit 15 inch rainbow and 2 13 inch browns , I only target trout when I icefish and comet and south pond rarely let me down I do good at both places all over the ice , all fish caught on tilts 4 ft 8 pound vanish florocarbon leaders #8 eagleclaw hooks baited with small rosy red shiners between 3 and 8 ft below the ice

[Ash82]

Whoa. That is awesome. Been to comet twice and skunked both times. Hoping the open water gives me better luck.

If I may ask a dumb question, how did you get the rosy red shiner on the hook. I got really small one and even those I struggled to get on the hook without killing them.

[swampa]

it's not easy thats for sure ,To start I always ask for the biggest rosies in the tank at bait shop  ( but still smaller than the normal smalls ) I hook them just in ft of dorsal fin using small red eagle claw # 8 hooks they are super sharp , but dont go too deep you will kill them just 32nd of an inch and I use 4 ft 8 lb berkley vanish florocarbon leaders 8 lb strength 6 lb diameter its invisible under the water I always put 1 tilt close to shore 1.5 to 2 ft deep put shiner just a foot under the ice ( i catch atleast one shallow every time I go out ), then i space the rest of the tilts 30 ft apart  in a straight line heading into deep water if the water is 8 ft deep and under i put the shiners 3 ft below ice 8 to 15 ft deep i do the whole leader 4 ft under the ice  and 20 ft deep and up I do 1tilt 6 ft under and 1 tilt 8 ft under and whenever you can fish any type of point even small ones they are the most productive ambush spots  ,the points continue to stretch under the water away from shore , and try to fish when low pressure or dropping from high to low trout seem to feed more during low pressure and the drop and sulk during high pressure hope this helps ya for next season

[Ash82]

Thanks a lot for the detailed instructions! I really appreciate it. I am going to save this so that I have it for future reference.

When you set the trap at 1.5 - 2 ft depth, you should be able to see the bottom right?! That is crazy. I assumed when people said shallow, atleast 4-5 ft. I guess I was thinking wrong.

[SHaRPS]

Fish trout shallow in the AM, then gradually move deeper as the day goes on. make your holes early and you will be rewarded.

[bootstrap]

i stopped measuring years ago.

[Mr.Bassachusetts]

Hahaha I like that one

[swampa]

Thanks a lot for the detailed instructions! I really appreciate it. I am going to save this so that I have it for future reference.

When you set the trap at 1.5 - 2 ft depth, you should be able to see the bottom right?! That is crazy. I assumed when people said shallow, atleast 4-5 ft. I guess I was thinking wrong.

yeah it usually the browns that hit shallow in the am but occasionally i get a rainbow shallow as well 6 out of 10 times first flag and first trout come from my first tilt no more than 2 feet deep of water under the ice shiner foot below the ice