ice twin preston id

[jigger_]

Looking for imfo on ice thickness on twin lakes,any would be great.

[panfishman13]

last time i was there there was 9" + of ice, but that was back in early january. all of the lakes and ponds i've been to recently had 8"-10" so i'd say you should be good to go.

[cpierce]

I was there on Tuesday.  I drilled multiple holes from 5 ft deep water up to 18 ft of water.  Unfortunately I didn't find any fish to slaughter.  I don't know where the fish were hiding. There were 3 other groups on the ice. I don't know if they caught anything or not. They probably did. Ice fishing is just not loving me. I didn't get a bite. I didn't even see a MINNOW on my fish finder.   The ice is about 24" thick with about 10 to 12 inches of snow on top.  I know that there are fish there.  It just didn't work out for me this time.

[panfishman13]

i think you might need to check your numbers there, 24 inches of ice?

and it'll be difficult to find the fish just using your fish finder, they tend to sit down low in the weed where they blend right in with the bottom.
if you don't see fish, drop a line and jig it about a foot off bottom. the active fish will come up to take a look at least.

you'll be most likely to find fish in or near weeds, near some kind of structure or change in the lake. either one of the dams are good spots to try, on an inside bend, or if you can find a sandbar or hump somewhere there should be fish near it.

if i'm not on fish within the first hour or two, i either radically change positions or set up dead sticks for cruising trout in about 15 feet of water.

[cpierce]

i think you might need to check your numbers there, 24 inches of ice?

and it'll be difficult to find the fish just using your fish finder, they tend to sit down low in the weed where they blend right in with the bottom.
if you don't see fish, drop a line and jig it about a foot off bottom. the active fish will come up to take a look at least.

you'll be most likely to find fish in or near weeds, near some kind of structure or change in the lake. either one of the dams are good spots to try, on an inside bend, or if you can find a sandbar or hump somewhere there should be fish near it.

if i'm not on fish within the first hour or two, i either radically change positions or set up dead sticks for cruising trout in about 15 feet of water.

Thanks for the additional info on technique.  Every little bit helps.

The length of my slush scoop is 20 inches, when I have to put my hand all the way in along with the ice scoop to reach the bottom of the ice, then it is about 24 inches.  I didn't measure all the holes, but I didn't reach the bottom of them with the scoop either.  Some of that may be refrozen slush on top, I didn't pay close attention other than I had to drill through it. 

My finder was in the hole as I was jigging at all different depths, and yes I usually see at least some fish come up or cruise by.   I tried several different types of habitats from the deep to the weedy.   I just struck out this time.  Next time will be the winner!

[panfishman13]

i'm very surprised, all the places i've been to recently have had 8" to 10" of ice. i guess Twin has been stuck in a cold zone for a while that the rest of Idaho isn't seeing.
good luck to you! i'm gonna see if i can get out there in a couple weeks.

[cpierce]

  It seems like it can really fluctuate thickness even on the same lake.  I was at Oneida last month and it varied in thickness from 8 to 20+ inches.  I am not sure why there was that much variation in different spots.  Oddly enough, I only caught trout at Oneida .... and they aren't stocked there.  It was probably because I wanted to catch some panfish!

[panfishman13]

i've fished Oneida a couple times trying for Walleye. both times we got skunked and packed up early, headed for Twin Lakes. much more success once we got there. have you had any experience with Stone reservoir?

[cpierce]

I have never ice fished Stone.  I have fished it in the summer time.  I know that a guy my hubby works with was ice fishing it last month up close to the dam.  With all the snow lately I am not sure on access.  I don't know if they plow the road into the dam area.  You might call Oneida highway dept to find out on the road conditions there before you go.   

I would love to know how you do.

[panfishman13]

oh man, we did great. the road wasn't too bad, but you definitely have to have 4 wheel drive if you want to get in.
we caught perch and a couple small-ish trout. there were hundreds of small perch, everywhere from 3"- 6" but as soon as you put on bigger lures, you get into the big ones. i hooked two 11" perch and landed one of them, and caught several 8"-10" fish. the biggest ones came on a perch color Salmo Chubby Darter in the smallest size, and seemed to travel in groups of 3-5 fish.
there's supposed to be crappie in there, and there's enough sunken bushes and timber that it's really good territory for them.

i believe you now about the amount of ice, we were drilling through 15+ inches.
i think i'm gonna come back during summer and slow-troll some small crankbaits and jigs for those big perch.

[cpierce]

Good deal!  How deep were you fishing?  I take it that they haven't ever plowed the road, or did it look like they occasionally plow it?

[panfishman13]

it didn't look like they plowed it, but there were a couple tracks going in and out. really heavy drifts, so be careful.
it really didn't matter how deep we were fishing, we started in 20' then moved to 10' then moved again to 13'. and we caught perch in all the areas, despite them being a couple hundred yards apart. there were quite literally fish everywhere.