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Illinois => Ice Fishing Illinois => Topic started by: bluegill63 on Jan 04, 2004, 08:20 AM

Title: Will ice be safe even with
Post by: bluegill63 on Jan 04, 2004, 08:20 AM
Hi guys as you know we have had them darn warm tempatures here lately. What I want to know the lakes I fish had some skim ice on it but now with all this snow we are about to get today. Will the ice freeze real good and be safe with the snow sitting on top of it. If you have any warning signs on this subject please relay them to all of us. Thanks.
Title: Re:Will ice be safe even with
Post by: Iceman Cometh on Jan 06, 2004, 01:04 AM
went out early this morning to check the thickness(at yates city-25 miles nw of peoria) and freaked out!-even the small farm ponds I fish(3-5ft deep) were wide open-went home bummed! Oh well, only gotta work two nights this week-hopefully be thursday-i'll post a report then.
Title: Re:Will ice be safe even with
Post by: Pop on Jan 06, 2004, 08:23 AM
KT, it won't be a long wait now.  The river even has skim ice over the back waters this morning.  Everyone is walking around grumping about the weather and a few of us are excited that it is 1 degree.  Isn't life great?

Pop
Title: Re:Will ice be safe even with
Post by: Iceman Cometh on Jan 07, 2004, 03:04 AM
Finally-POP-finally, Going out this morning -took 2 days off from work just because of the ice -now I just hope it's thick enough! I'll give ya a report here!
Title: Re:Will ice be safe even with
Post by: Pop on Jan 07, 2004, 09:21 AM
I am waiting for Saturday.  If we have good ice then, I am taking a few days off.  Last year it was the end of the second week of January before we had safe ice.

I was in Peoria Saturday and Gander Mnt. is now, according to my wife,  on my $100 store list.  I can't turn around in the parking lot without it costing at least a hundred dollars.  You were right about Galyan's, a real let down.

Pop
Title: Re:Will ice be safe even with
Post by: Iceman Cometh on Jan 09, 2004, 05:39 AM
Been out the past 2 days into evening-ice barely thick enough for my 240lbs.(2 and1/2, maybe 3 inches)-1st day caught a few bluegill in maquon, not any until dusk-had a scare with my stepson- we had drilled two holes to try to fish together in the hut-we had kept our distance from each other due to the ice thickness-when we tried to stand up and move the hut closer to his hole the ice broke into a nice(LOL) spiderweb right beneath us and we both actually felt it sag! Luckily we moved slow and didn't break through and he went back and retrieved the gear-had a safety line and picks, but when it happened I forgot about both and if he hadn't kept his head I might have sunk both of us jumping from the hut-even though I have more hardwater experience he saved us! Also went out this morning to a different lake and though it's bigger, it had more ice! Not much,still only 3". Problem was, I've fished this lake before and it's practically fished out, so I only got one bite and plus, I was fishing during midday. Going to the honey hole this morning to check the ice, but it's lost so much water the last 2 season's, last year ice fishing wasn't as good as it has been. I'll post another report when I get home! P.S. been using the marmooska jigs for the first time-I'm impressed both by the weight to hook size and the angle of the hooks- gonna try some of genz's new angled jigs today, too(can't remember their name,sorry)
Title: Re:Will ice be safe even with
Post by: Iceman Cometh on Jan 11, 2004, 03:43 AM
see my report in the "any central Il. ice fishermen..." thread-and as aside not, didn't even get a bite on the marmooska's and the angled genz jig(wish I could remember what it's called!)-fish were very finicky today!
Title: Re:Will ice be safe even with
Post by: bluegill63 on Jan 11, 2004, 05:49 AM
Hey Kim do you ever use the Genz pounder jig it is a horizontal presentation and it is a good jig. Orange/Glow was doing good yesterday. I was taking my little glow lite and charging them up and boy were the fish hammering it yesterday. Wasn't getting any bites till I started to charge the glow up. [size=8]GOOD FISHING TO YA!!!!  [/size]
Title: Re:Will ice be safe even with
Post by: Iceman Cometh on Jan 12, 2004, 02:57 AM
yea blugill63, I've used the pounder or at least i think i have, i thought it was a vertical jig though that looks like a beetle/ant jig-and the only fish i caught sat. on the genz worm were after i "charged" them! hope you get out soon- i'm back to work tonight after beening off most of last week to fish-bummer!
Title: Re:Will ice be safe even with
Post by: bluegill63 on Jan 12, 2004, 06:31 AM
Your right Kim sorry I meant the worm. Orange was the killer yesterday to we caught cats and bass crappies and gills was a great day would have been better if sun would have stayed away lol.