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My ice fishing reports for 2020 / 2021

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reddog11:
Nice fish

Water Wolf:
Thank you reddog11 & missileman. :)

I will keep up the reports fore sure.
Here is a new one now. ;)


Hi Guys,
A new year is upon us with hopes of a good year ahead. ;D

For most of Jan./21 the temps were above normal, but it did involve a few major wind events, with SK seeing record wind speeds and whiteout conditions. The temps dropped around Jan 23rd and got really cold. A cold dose of reality for us.

It did warm up a bit on the last day of Jan.

Here are my ice fishing reports for the month of January 2021.


Jan 3rd.
I start off the new year at Fishing Lake.

The day was a mix of sun and cloud, with strong winds at 35 km/hr. from the SW, but, at least the temp was nice at +1 deg C / 34 deg F.

I tried 2 locations to see if I could find the fish.
location 1.
I fished this area from 12:35 - 2:30 pm.
The ice had thickened since I was last out. It was now 19".

While in this location I didn't have any strikes nor did I see any fish go by on camera. :-\

location 2.
This was also on Fishing Lake just the opposite side of the lake.
I ice fished here from 3:15 - 5:30 pm.

There were a few anglers out in this area.
1 was closer to the area I set up in, and, 8 others were a long way N of me.

This area was out of the wind and pleasant.

This turned out to be a good move as the fish let me know that they were around. I first placed the set rod and was working on getting the underwater camera setup, when the set rod bent over, and stayed that way. After a bit of a fight the fish was iced.

This pike would be my first fish of the New Year and biggest of the day at 28". @)


Not long after that I get another hit and fight the pike to the hole, but, just as it's coming up it pulls the hook and is gone. :P

I get one more chance as the shadows from the cabins start to stretch long across the lake.
Another pike hits and is iced.
This one was 26".


That 1 set rod was in the spot to be, as it got all the hits. It landed me the 2 fish and the 1 I lost + I had 6 lite taps on it.
The fish would just pull the bait, but, let go when it felt a bit of resistance. Lite biters for sure.

I also saw 5 other pike on camera, but, none of them struck. They all took good long looks at the lure / bait before they left.
1 pike hung around for 10 min or so, just patrolling and then moved off.
I also saw interesting behavior from one of the pike. This fish swam in and settled belly to the bottom under and against a thick clump of weeds. It looked like it settled in to either ambush prey going by or to monitor my lure. It sat there for a min. or 2 eyeballing my lure all the while, before slowly swimming off.  I found it interesting to watch. @)

Before I left one angler came over and chatted, from a safe distance.
They said they had no luck at all that day, but, the action was decent in early Dec., before it got thick enough for everyone to drive on.
They now are finding the fishing quite slow in general.

It seems to be a common pattern this time of year, in this area of SK., but, I can still hope for the odd good day nonetheless. :whistle:


Jan. 4th.
Spurred on by the previous day's action, I try my luck at Fishing Lake once again and set up in the exact spot that I found the fish the day before.

It's another decent day with sunny skies and just a bit cooler at -6 deg C / 21 deg F. The wind is calm to just a very lite breeze from the W.

I am out from 3:00 pm - 5:15 pm.

There was hardly anyone else out that day, just 2 trucks and a snow machine far to the N of me.

Fishing was a bit slower. It took an hour for the first fish to show.
I had 2 pike come into the camera at the same time. One came in from the left and the other from the right.
The one from the right yielded to the one on the left. The left pike shot up at my lure like a coiled snake, and was hooked as I slowly moved the lure up and away from it. It's always neat to see a fish strike on camera right in front of me. It hit a lipless rattle bait.

After a bit of a fight, the fish was iced. It was 26".
I don't have a photo of this fish as my device ran out of power before the fish was caught. :P

That would be the total action for the day.
Even the hot hole and set rod from the day before seen no action this time.

In the end I saw 6 pike on camera, but only 1 of the 5 hit.

The ice really started to make loud deep booms towards the end of the day. I could literally feel it through my feet.
It sounded like a deep rumble of thunder, but, from under the ice. :o
There were no more fish seen on camera once that started. I am not sure if that would make a difference to them, but, it was enough to make me jump, along with the water in the holes. :woot:

All in all, I am happy with my results for the 2 days considering how slow it has been to date. :)


Jan 9th.
On this trip, I am back at the private dugout to see if I can find a trout again.

I was out from 2:50 pm - 5:18 pm.

It was another decent day for Jan. with temps at -3 deg C / 27 deg F, mostly sunny skies with calm to some wind from the SW near the end of the trip.

 The ice did thicken up a bit to 12", but, I stayed in the same general area as before, with the same weed growth and depth below me.

The water under the ice was moderately clear.
I tried several lures, but, there was nothing showing up to test them out.

I finally got a hit an hour and a half later while jigging a discontinued 2" perch colored rippin shad from Northland lures.
I had a rainbow trout swim in from above the lure, dove under it, and came straight up at it.  I could see the fish's white belly clearly as it swam up. Upon seeing and feeling the bite, I set the hook and the fight was on.
This was one of the best fighting rainbows I have ever hooked. It gave several long runs out to the side and good head shakes in an attempt to get free, but it was hooked well in both the top and bottom jaw and was not coming off. I did get a bit worried that it might cut the line as it pulled it hard against the sides of the hole from one way and then the other.
In the end I did ice it and was now looking at my new personal best rainbow trout, woo hoo. ;D

This one was 21" long and fairly thick.


That would be the action for the day and I didn't even see another trout after that, but, at that point I didn't mind when I had a new PB in a species I don't often fish for.

I did keep this one for a future meal, and when it was cooked it looked and tasted quite like salmon. @)
The only difference being that the meat was not as firm as salmon usually is.

This trout was full of little sticklebacks 1" - 1.5" long, but even being that full, found the little lipless rattle bait irresistible. Good thing too. ;)


Jan. 31st.
On this trip I decided to try a lake I have not ice fished for some time, Whitesand Lake also known a Pelican Lake.

When I got there I could see a fair number of permanent ice huts in various groupings around the lake.
There were also 12 other trucks out in various spots around the lake. 4 were in the same general area I would try.

I got to a spot that had produced for me in the past, (in open water and through the ice), and set up.
As I got there an angler a bit deeper than me, iced a pike. At least there is some action in the area.

I set up and ice fish from 3:10 pm - 5:45 pm.

It was not a bad afternoon with cloudy skies and falling snow. A lite wind blew from the SE and the temp was - 9 deg C / 16 deg F.

I did not take a measurement, but, the ice looked to be nice and thick, judging from the depth on my ice auger.
It's still best to always check the ice thickness for yourself, just to be safe.

The fish were indeed around as I saw them on camera.
Over the afternoon I saw 5 pike & 6 yellow perch. Both species were mildly interested in my offering.
I was not really set up for perch, as my lures were way too big. Perhaps with a perch sized hook I may have tempted a bite from them.

Within 1/2 an hour I had some luck, and I iced my first fish of the day.
This pike. @)


Half hour later, another pike is iced. :)

It was a bit bigger than the first.

I also had 2 nibble on the set rod that day.

While I fished, several ravens flew by to see if any of the anglers out there happened to drop some of their bait or other scraps.

In the end I left the lake to the sound of howling coyotes to the E as the sun began to set.

All in all it was a good end to the day, and the month in general. ;D


P.S. - The last day of Jan. was day 1 of a 3 day ice fishing adventure, but, those are future reports. ;)2

WW

Water Wolf:
Hi Guys,
We are into the heart of winter now.
The first 2 days of Feb. were above normal, but, on the 4th, the temps really started to drop. We were seeing dangerous temps and extreme wind-chill warnings. The really cold weather lasted until the 19th of Feb. in my area. Wind-chills were in the -30 deg C / -22 deg F and -40 deg C /-40 deg F ranges. It even  dipped into the - 50 deg C / -58 deg F.  At that temp, exposed skin freezes in a matter of minutes, so, for a good chunk of Feb. I stayed indoors, only venturing outside when I had to. ::)

Here are my ice fishing reports for the month of February 2021.


Feb. 1st.
Like I said in my last Jan. report, this a continuation from my 3 day ice fishing adventure.

The idea was to try Margo Lake this time, but, when I got to the lake, the edge and trail onto the ice looked really chewed up. No one else was out there, and, not wanting to get stuck myself, I opted to try a different lake.
I ended up at Whitesand / Pelican Lake. I figured I might as well go back to where I had luck the day before.

There were already 4 trucks out on the ice. I set up a good distance from them, but, in the same general area that I was in before, and, ice fished from 2:50 pm - 5:45 pm.

It was a colder and windy afternoon. The sun did try to shine, but, the clouds kept it hidden most of the time. The temp was -8 deg C / 18 deg F,but, the strong wind from the SE gave some cold wind chill values.

For quite a bit of the afternoon I kept busy clearing the holes of drifting snow. 
It looked like I was fishing out of the snow most of the time.

Over the afternoon, I only saw 1 angler go for their tripped tip-up flag,but, the fish was off before he got to it.

I did see some fish life on camera, 3 pike and 1 walleye.
The first pike came in not too long after I set up the camera, and hit my lure, but, with a closed mouth, more of a ram hit. It then went over to my set rod, gave that a nip and left.
The other 2 pike and walleye passed by with just a slight glace towards the lure.

I did have some luck, icing 2 pike on the set rod.
Pike 1

I caught this pike on the same rig Yukoner has talked about before, a bluefox rattle spoon with a bit of pike skin.
I set it up on a wind rod so it constantly jigged.

Pike 2.


I had 1 more tap on the set rod, near sunset, but, it was a lite tap, that hardly damaged the bait at all.
Even with a lite tap from a pike you will see teeth marks, but, not on this bait. It could have been a walleye or perch, not sure.

On the way off the ice I saw 4 deer right by the edge of the lake coming out to feed for the night.
They were sheltered and out of the wind.



Feb. 2nd. (Groundhog Day)


It's Groundhog Day!
Some of the groundhogs here in Canada predicted an early spring, but, others said 6 more weeks of winter.
Whichever it is, 6 more weeks of winter is an early spring here in SK. lol. :laugh:

With the luck I have been having at Whitesand / Pelican Lake, I though,  I might as well go 3 for 3 days there, and with that, I was again in the same general area where I had luck the last 2 days.

When I get to the lake, 2 deer are in the same spot as the night before, not moving from there food or shelter at all.

I drive out, find my spot, and ice fish from 2:30 pm - 6:00 pm.

It was a nice day out on the ice, with temps only at -4 deg C / 25 deg F, a mix of sun and cloud, and, some wind from the SE switching to the S.,then calming to a lite breeze near dark.

This nicer weather brought quite a few vehicles out. I counted 12 trucks and 1 van on the ice. 6 vehicles were set up around me, but, we were all well distanced.
Not sure how the anglers in the shacks or pop up tents did, but, the ones I could see outdoors seemed to have no action.

Over the afternoon I saw 4 pike on camera, but, only 1 gave the lure a lite tap.
I got a unique view of 1 pike when it came in and positioned itself just a bit below the lens of my camera, looking directly at the lure. I could see down it's back and along the top of it's head. It made me think of those camera shots, you see when divers attach a fin cam to a shark on the shark shows.  It just posed for that glimpse and then was off on it's way. :woot:

My set rod was alot more active, scoring 4 pike from 3:00 pm - 4:00pm.
That's some of the best action I have had for quite some time.
Pike 1.


Pike 2.
This was the big one of the day.


Pike 3.


I would have had a photo of pike 4, but, I didn't have a good grip on it, and, just as I picked it up out of the water, it jumped out of my slippery hands and back down the hole, like an arrow, oops, there it goes. :P

While I fished, I was entertained by watching the antics of an energetic border collie. ;D
She was a younger looking female and was all over the lake, literally. She kept busy by visiting all the anglers on the lake and doing patrols from one side to the other, keeping those howling coyotes from bugging her or us. No matter where she went, she kept returning for some reason, guess she knew somehow that I like dogs. ;)
I didn't mind at all, and, was happy to interact with her. She kept busy around me by looking into the holes, and digging in the snow. She also found a piece of old bait fish someone dropped, and rolled right into it, getting into the spirit of fishing maybe.
I lost my last old dog in March of 2020, so she was nice to have around and was good company for me. :)

Just before dark the dog's owner came looking for her on a snow machine. When they found her, she hopped on with them, and off they went home.

In the end it was a fun day on the ice all round. ;D



Feb. 21st.
It's been a while since we have had some half decent ice fishing weather, so I jumped at the chance to fish, when it came around again.

I return to Fishing Lake, to see what I can find.
This time I was going to try a bit deeper. I had a spot and depth in mind that I wanted to try.

When I got to the lake I find a trail out to the intended area and set up, with walleye as my target species this time.
I find the depth I am looking for and set up, from 2:15 pm - 6:05 pm.

The weather is a mix of sun and cloud for the first half of the day, and then, straight cloud cover the other half.
The temp is at - 1 deg C / 30 deg F, but, the strong winds from the SW and high humidity still made things cold.

There were a few other truck out enjoying the day too. I counted 12 as far as I could see.

Not too long after setting up, I had a pull on my set rod. It went down and up, but, nothing on.
The bait didn't even have any teeth marks on it. Usually with a pike strike, you see lots of teeth marks, so my thought was that it might have been a walleye.

At 2:40 pm the set rod was hit again.
This time the bend stays in a curve, I set the hook again, for good measure, and, the fight is on.
Finally the first fish of the day and first walleye of the year.  :)


That would be it for fish iced this day.

I did have another 2 hits.
One fish stole the bait right off the jig without getting hooked and the other pulled the rod down, but, was not hooked.

The underwater camera was also quite active with a total of 9 walleye spotted. @)
All of them were individuals and most of them were interested in my offering, but not enough to actually bite. Some walleye followed the lures up and down for a good distance only to turn away when they were right on it.

As the light underwater faded near sunset, I saw the largest walleye I have ever seen on the underwater camera. :o
It had to be a big female. Most of the walleye were more or less cylindrical in shape with just a bit of a belly, but not this one. She had a large stomach that hung low past her pectoral fins. She slowly circled the bait with her dorsal fin erect and all the confidence in her size. She also gave the camera some very close encounters, sliding right past it, taking up most of the screen. When she went further off I could still follow her as I could see the white tip of the tail and white outer edge of the anal fin. She even went  so far as to bump the lure several times, but, no hit. Maybe she was one of the fish I lost earlier and was not going to eat again for a while, who knows. I do know that she gave me a good look at her for nearly 8 minutes, before finally fading off into the gloom.

I really wish I could have hooked into that one, but, that's the way it goes. ::)
I now have a reason to try that area again. ;)

I didn't see anyone else ice a fish that day.
One group had a flag pop, but, their fish got off on them. :tipup:

Even though it was slower day, I was still happy not to be skunked.
If a person could hit these walleye on an agressive day, I think there might be potental for a good day on the ice.

This would also be the last ice fishing day in Feb. for me.
Here's hoping that the action picks a bit up in March. ;)

On a side note, the first brave messengers of spring are starting to show up already. @)
Horned larks made their way to my area shortly after it started to warm up a bit.
I will keep an eye out for more signs of spring next month.

I also have a couple photos of a few brave birds that stuck with me all winter.
This pair of ruffed grouse have been seen in my yard off and all winter long. 

When they hold still they can be hard to spot.

The little drummer birds usually come out an hour before sunset to feed on willow and poplar buds and the few remaining crabapples that are left.


This little guy was eagerly watching me, just a few feet from my head.

He was hoping that I would quit taking photos and fill the bird feeder already.

WW

KatJohn7:
Great read well done sir

Water Wolf:
Thanks KatJohn7.  :)

WW

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