Author Topic: Central Illinois Ice Conditions (Read 9613 times)

ratsotail · « **on:** Dec 26, 2022, 11:07 AM »

Greetings, has anyone ventured out on the ice (local ponds or lakes) in the central Illinois region yet. I'm thinking about heading to Ramsey State Park, near Vandalia on Tuesday or Wednesday before the warm up hits. Any reports in the region are appreciated. I'm expecting to find 3-4" of ice based on the number of days below freezing.

Tight Lines,

Jeff

Arquero3d · « **Reply #1 on:** Dec 26, 2022, 08:10 PM »

Made it out today in west-central IL. 4-7" on the 3-acre pond I fished.

DaWakoKid · « **Reply #2 on:** Dec 27, 2022, 11:29 AM »

Planning on heading out tomorrow in the Blo/No area. Will report back. Wanted to get out today, but between work and weather, think I'll take my chances tomorrow afternoon.

bassnbud8 · « **Reply #3 on:** Dec 27, 2022, 07:47 PM »

Fished some ponds yesterday around Macomb, 4”-8” of ice. Caught a ton of small bass! Also had my daughter with me for her first time on the ice! She loved watching the Garmin, I didn’t even get to use it.

zcm_82 · « **Reply #4 on:** Dec 27, 2022, 08:47 PM »

Had 6-7.5" on the pond I fished today in Iroquois County.

Lot of little bass today here, too... had one nice one on, but jig popped out right under the ice trying to get it in the hole. Probably the most largemouths I've ever had hit in a sitting on that pond, but they were all little 6-8 inchers aside from the one I lost.

Warmup coming in tomorrow, so the ice will be shot before long... gonna hit the same pond tomorrow after work before it all goes to mush and the edges rot.

IlliniIce · « **Reply #5 on:** Dec 28, 2022, 08:28 AM »

first trip yesterday, 5-6 inches of ice on a small pond, kept a dozen nice gills.
they slammed demons, ice flies and slenders for a while, then shut off around 2 pm
headed out soon to a different pond that i was told had 5-7 inches of ice

zcm_82 · « **Reply #6 on:** Dec 28, 2022, 08:41 AM »

9-1130am was the sweet spot for me yesterday. I fished from about 7:30am-1230pm, but it was fairly slow early and they were tapering off when I packed it in for the day.

I haven't gotten on to a good afternoon bite yet this season... hoping today breaks that trend.

IlliniIce · « **Reply #7 on:** Dec 28, 2022, 08:57 AM »

wind shifted and increased yesterday when bite died. lots of lookers but they wouldnt hit even when i downsized to small jig w/waxie or small plastic.
headed out, should be good bite today with warming trend, but wind already 15, gonna have to anchor down the shack good

zcm_82 · « **Reply #8 on:** Dec 28, 2022, 09:02 AM »

Good luck!

Wind did the same here. It started off very light and out of the west and ended up fairly stiff out of the south. I wound up turning the fish house and anchoring it around 10am.

ratsotail · « **Reply #9 on:** Dec 28, 2022, 08:13 PM »

Thanks for all the timely reports and I'm glad you guys have some good ice and getting your lines tight. I was able to get out today on Ramsey. We found 4-5" of ice but the wind and heat began eating it pretty fast by mid afternoon! Such as life and ice fishing at this southern latitude! We caught some beautiful gills, one crappie, and a big catfish.

zcm_82 · « **Reply #10 on:** Dec 29, 2022, 09:13 AM »

It's going quick... what had been 7" of solid clear Tuesday was about 6" with the top inch or so being a sloppy mess with a bunch of puddles.

I"m going to try to get out one last time this afternoon, but I'm doubtful about the edges with this warm wind howling over it for an entire day now.

IlliniIce · « **Reply #11 on:** Dec 29, 2022, 09:52 AM »

nice haul ratso
i backed out of going today, ice was still solid 6 coming off yesterday, but just looked too iffy for me today with high of 60 and windy
had a great day yesterday, a lot of nice gills, kept about half of what we caught. slender spoons and demons w/waxies hot lures again.

zcm_82 · « **Reply #12 on:** Dec 29, 2022, 10:01 AM »

Real slow for me yesterday afternoon... fished from about 2:30 till dark and managed one decent bass and one gill. Kiddo only had one bite, a nice crappie that he lost in the hole. He's still kinda bad about reeling without setting the hook $:-\$

Saw a fair number of gills cruising under the holes, just couldn't get them to hit anything. Tried jigs, spoon, waxies, plastics... they just weren't having it.

That wind was a bear, too...

IlliniIce · « **Reply #13 on:** Dec 30, 2022, 07:28 AM »

sat out yesterday, buddies did ok where they went and had good enough ice. but when they went back to where i was wednesday the edges were completely shot.
looks like end of january before we have safe ice again in my neck of the woods

zcm_82 · « **Reply #14 on:** Dec 30, 2022, 07:46 AM »

I went out for about an hour yesterday... ice was just about shot. Lots of open water around the edges, and the sheet was down to about 4" from 6" the day before and over 7" Tuesday. The top inch or so was mush. I think it'll be back to open water by Sunday or Monday.

Never even got a nibble, either. $:-\$

Sylvanboat · « **Reply #15 on:** Dec 30, 2022, 08:34 AM »

NE Illinois here. Fished Tuesday on 4-5 inches. Just about gone now.

zcm_82 · « **Reply #16 on:** Jan 03, 2023, 05:09 AM »

The ponds I had been fishing were about half open water a couple days ago. I'm sure there is no ice whatsoever left now.

MysidEaters · « **Reply #17 on:** Jan 06, 2023, 08:51 AM »

I went last Saturday the 30th and could fish from a pier through a hole that had been dug by it previously (just had to break it open). But the ice wouldn't have held me if I had been on it. I could hear it cracking the whole time.

I did get a largemouth about 12-13 inches long on a little kastmaster. It was my first decent fish through the ice, so I was pretty happy about that. I had tried a few times in N. IL when I was a kid and only got a few tiny panfish, and once in upstate New York but only got one yellow perch among the group of us.

Looks like some ice is starting to cover again on some of the lakes after the cold snap yesterday and today but I doubt it will get thick enough before it melts - with all of the above-freezing highs we are supposed to have for the rest of the winter?

zcm_82 · « **Reply #18 on:** Jan 06, 2023, 09:10 AM »

All wide open water here. It's definitely not looking good for the next week.

Who knows after that? 🤷‍♂️ Long term forecasts are generally about as reliable as a tire patched with bubble gum.

IlliniIce · « **Reply #19 on:** Jan 06, 2023, 10:34 AM »

long range "guess" i saw had single digit lows last week of january into early feb, so maybe ....

zcm_82 · « **Reply #20 on:** Jan 06, 2023, 11:17 AM »

Quote from: IlliniIce on Jan 06, 2023, 10:34 AM

long range "guess" i saw had single digit lows last week of january into early feb, so maybe ....

Same... I'm not getting too excited until we get to the end of the month and those days are still looking that low.

Finaddict59 · « **Reply #21 on:** Jan 06, 2023, 08:03 PM »

Happy New Year to all the (ILLINICE MEN been a long time since I was on this site, I hate this state! Some small ponds were starting to lock up in Grundy Co, and once again,Mutha Nature is just a #@%&#$#”= I’m getting long in the tooth and tired of road trips. I really have to move out of this state, Wis, Minn, or northern Iowa. Iowa actually has the better gun laws of the 3, north east corner of the state, can be on Mississippi back waters or quick ride into Minn,or Wis I don’t know why God made me love ice fishing and live in this state, but I have got to make a change,funny most people want to retire where it’s a warmer climate, the old we get older we get colder bs,they can have it. I got way to much gear to throw in the towel now, I just gotta go further north, I hope those of you that can get on the ice slay em, selective harvest gentleman, it’s more important now than it’s ever been. Stay safe, tight lines! Prayin for cold in Grundy🤞

zcm_82 · « **Reply #22 on:** Jan 09, 2023, 07:13 AM »

Definitely not coming back anytime in the near future around here.

Finaddict59 · « **Reply #23 on:** Jan 11, 2023, 02:16 PM »

This weather is quite the let down, so I’m gonna reprogram and hit open water Sun, supposed to be upper 40s maybe even see 50* OY, gotta scratch the itch one way or another. Probably be a day of dink’s but one never does know? Spoke with a gent lake Elizabeth way nothing going there, pretty sure id’e have to get well over the boarder to find safe ice, just not interested in making the haul.

zcm_82 · « **Reply #24 on:** Jan 16, 2023, 07:19 AM »

Forecast is looking better after Thursday, but we'll need a good cold snap for it to do much more than form up some teaser ice.

bassnbud8 · « **Reply #25 on:** Jan 17, 2023, 07:25 PM »

End of the month is looking colder! Hopefully it’s gets colder than projected.

zcm_82 · « **Reply #26 on:** Jan 19, 2023, 06:01 AM »

Daytime highs still looking too high here next week, but the lows are a lot better.

MysidEaters · « **Reply #27 on:** Jan 19, 2023, 09:03 AM »

Yes, but end of next week is looking better; three days in a row below freezing all day (Wed-Fri). I don't know how long it takes ice to set up for walking on out here, but that sounds promising. I've considered the idea of traveling north that weekend to find ice in northern IL or southern WI (which should have plenty by then), but I'm wondering if there will be some here in the greater Peoria Area. I'm specifically curious about Banner Marsh and Emiquon. Any thoughts?

Sylvanboat · « **Reply #28 on:** Jan 19, 2023, 09:07 AM »

NE Illinois here. Colder temps (sort of) forecast for tomorrow (Friday) thru Sunday, but then climbing again. I doubt much ice fishing going on here for awhile.

IlliniIce · « **Reply #29 on:** Jan 19, 2023, 09:50 AM »

dont know if you guys have seen this, but it explains how long it takes to build ice...

https://www.outdoorcanada.ca/how-fast-does-your-lake-make-ice/

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Author Topic: Central Illinois Ice Conditions (Read 9613 times)