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Canada => Ice Fishing Manitoba => Topic started by: Blue Mago on Dec 11, 2017, 10:17 PM

Title: Balsom
Post by: Blue Mago on Dec 11, 2017, 10:17 PM
Anyone been there lately ? been hearing stories , trucks driving on , My nephew is renting a shack further north this weekend , says he heard 14 inch's ?
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: wood99 on Dec 12, 2017, 08:47 AM
was out last Sunday. Looked like Costco parking lot.  Cars, Trucks, Vans, Suv's, Sleds Quads and snowbear's.  10-15" of ice, prob growing pretty quickly now.   Couple more trips before Christmas then on to more secluded lakes for trout and Crappie!
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: Blue Mago on Dec 12, 2017, 04:32 PM
Wow ! that many ? how far out were they going if i can ask
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: wood99 on Dec 13, 2017, 10:26 AM
We were not super far but i would guess 3-4 km at least
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: Blue Mago on Dec 13, 2017, 02:06 PM
Thanks wood99, appreciate the info , not a risk taker myself but getting the itch real bad
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: blue igloo on Dec 14, 2017, 06:25 PM
Any nasty ridges to worry about and how far out would they be? Today, someone posted on FB that their Ford truck was stuck bad in snow on top of a ridge/crack. He posted on FB for help and he eventually got it. Smart phones and a cell connection worked for him........this time. Blue Igloo  :tipup:
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: reel on Dec 15, 2017, 07:34 PM
Any nasty ridges to worry about and how far out would they be? Today, someone posted on FB that their Ford truck was stuck bad in snow on top of a ridge/crack. He posted on FB for help and he eventually got it. Smart phones and a cell connection worked for him........this time. Blue Igloo  :tipup:

Wasn't  bad, no ridge. Had it been me 15 minutes, half an hour with the shovel should have done it it, rather then starting to post my idiocy everywhere.


(https://s17.postimg.cc/mz735in5n/20171215_005635.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/mz735in5n/)
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: blue igloo on Dec 15, 2017, 08:48 PM
Wasn't  bad, no ridge. 15 minutes, half an hour with the shovel should have done it it, rather then starting to post my idiocy everywhere.


(https://s17.postimg.cc/mz735in5n/20171215_005635.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/mz735in5n/)

Thanks Reel. Is the snow that deep out there already? I'm thinking of driving out solo on Sunday and blazing my own trail south of the harbour. My 4x4 truck has snow tires but they don't have much grip  ::)
Blue Igloo  :tipup:
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: fugly1 on Dec 16, 2017, 04:18 PM
was out on Friday. f150 4x4 studded tires, lake was fairly smooth not much snow and what there was  were drifts that you could navigate around or drive through,some smaller ice ridges,fished from 8:00 -3:00 one dinker on the ice and missed a few ,very slow for us fished in 12 F.O.W. and 14- 15" ice heading out again on Monday.
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: Blue Mago on Dec 16, 2017, 04:56 PM
Nephew was out today , limited out between three guys , not overly fast action , but a day on the ice is better then a day at work  ;D ;D
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: Blue Mago on Dec 22, 2017, 07:50 AM
Plans being made to head out this Saturday .......any new info i should be aware of ...Have my new portable home made shack to try out
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: flat liner on Dec 22, 2017, 09:53 AM
we were out 2 miles from 103 where the ice got rough but this was 2 weeks ago. had 13" of ice and fished 17 feet of water. it was very slow. we moved in and stopped a couple times but even slower. I have heard that balsom is doing good and about 17" of ice where the buddy's last went.
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: Blue Mago on Dec 22, 2017, 05:15 PM
Getting on is good then ? just me and the kid so don't want any issues getting on ....won't go out more then a mile i'd think ? nephew was out that way last weekend ( shack rental ) and he figured 16 inch's of ice ....he had his flasher and between three they got limits .....hanging at 4 feet he said  ?
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: Blue Mago on Dec 23, 2017, 08:48 PM
Well the big windy lived up to her name today...wow ! When we got there it wasn't bad , after lunch he picked up and a few times it got fairly bad .....lots were leaving around two and we should have as well .......a few small nibbles but noting ou tof the hole , thinking the weather had a part ? but my nephew had a friend out on 103 and apparently he was nailing them...............loc ation location i guess
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: Blue Mago on Dec 29, 2017, 08:59 PM
Heading out tomorrow morning for another shot at it , anyone been there this week ? heard rumors of a slow bite ??
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: Blue Mago on Dec 31, 2017, 09:17 AM
So we took the #103 this time , nephew had rented there so why not try it ? I was surprised at the difference in ice quality if you can call it that ? , very different from the #100 location .Still very cold , but we were toasty with two burners going ......propane is cheap when cold ....lol.....But a slow bite  , to flashers going but very few marks , managed three 16 incher's between three guys . The Barometric Pressure ( as i have been told ) was way over 100 so it shut the bite right down ! Won't be going back till it's below 100 , a bit over two hour drive for me so quite expensive fish ...........lol
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: reel on Dec 31, 2017, 08:37 PM
So we took the #103 this time , nephew had rented there so why not try it ? I was surprised at the difference in ice quality if you can call it that ? , very different from the #100 location.

What was so different about the ice quality ?
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: Blue Mago on Dec 31, 2017, 08:51 PM
More broken and rough , must have busted up in the early part of freeze up , a lot of air bubbles frozen in the ice in places , just all around different  .....drive able for sure ,The wind had obviously been blowing hard as my nephew said the week prior there had been snow cover as he had not noticed the ice . There were lots fishing there so i have to assume it's been good , there was what we figured was a  pressure ridge further out , we were on about two to two and a half miles i'd guess  ? .......
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: Blue Mago on Jan 06, 2018, 10:02 AM
Was out yesterday on #103 just shy of the pressure ridge , managed three small eaters , threw back one small one , buddy caught three , one 26.5 incher , but the bite was slow again ...pressure still high , but see it has dropped already today , my buddy is heading back tomorrow so with the warm temps predicted it migh go down to a 100 or less so then they might be biting .
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: tightline06 on Jan 16, 2018, 08:47 AM
Can anybody tell me if there is a way to get from grand marais to #103 using a side by side? Making a trip to LW from out of province and would like to just drive the side by side straight from the motel if its possible. I see a road/trail on google maps that follows the shore all the way to 103, but can't tell if its actually doable with a quad. Any help would be appreciated.

TL
Title: Re: Balsom
Post by: Blue Mago on Jan 20, 2018, 06:58 PM
Went out today , got there early for what some call a good bite ..........by noon we had two small eaters between two of us Ton's of traffic , but it seemed many were leaving after a while , some were floating around to find something i assume .Went to Gull lake for some perch action ........managed four desent sized perch in three hours , packed it in early .At this rate my ice fishing season is coming to a stop.Just not seeing what we were last year