With the recent deep freeze, I figured the ice would be ready on Big Lake so I thought I'd give it a try. A secondary reason was to test a new set up for some underwater videos from a little different angle.
Got off to a late start and hit the ice around 1pm. Knowing that Big Lake had only recently frozen over, I decided to stay really close to shore. Ice felt solid so I dug two test holes about 30 ft from shore. Found about 12 inches of ice with 6 of it being clear ice and the other 6 inches a much weaker white ice. Still that's plenty of ice so I set up my portable shelter and turn on the propane heat and despite it being -1 deg when I started, it was nice and comfy.
What surprised me today was the number of small salmon I saw, We used to see them maybe 10 or more years ago, but about 5 years ago, they just seemed to completely disappear. But they are back in force now. Not sure if they were silvers or reds but the one I accidentally snagged was about 8 inches long. I was amazed when I looked at the video how many were actually in the area. The day was cloudy so not much light and I didn't see anywhere near that many looking down the hole even though I was in a dark shack.
Ended the day with two rainbows 15 and 16 inches long. One caught on a pearl krockadile spoon and the other on a dodger and jig with a mini hoochie.
I'd say the underwater footage was okay but will need to work on additional lighting or another angle. Next time, I plan to bring my underwater lights and give it a go as well. I had to lighten up the video so its a bit grainy. I will work on that. I guess it's not a bad first effort. Will be better on a sunny day. I hear the new gopro 2 cameras are much better in low light conditions. I guess I will have to pick one up!
Video Link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKTBrnQHkDs
