Gorge ice update.

[Bigred1]

Wyo700, I don't know were it came from, but I almost emptied my sled and crawled in!  I`ve been ice fishing the Gorge for 30 years and ain't seem nothin like that before.  Did have a good day though, between four of us we got forty mac and two 5lb ling.  One mac was around 15lbs (released) and the rest were pups.  I got pictures but don't seem to have much luck posting them.

[Z.L.BRAWLEE]

i too have fished the gorge for a good number of years and have never heard or felt any thing like that! it did it twice yesterday near buckboard!! fishing was good! lots of pups. had a very large fish snap my st. croix rod like a twig! it was heart breaking!!!!

[Baiter]

I also felt the ice-quake on Friday.  We were fishing near buckboard and the water shot out of our holes and scared the dickens out of us.  This was on friday and the ice was also loud on saturday but no more than usual.  Caught plenty of small lakers and nothing big.  Went in shallow to get a few rainbows for the smoker, ended up with four nice ones between 4-5lbs.  Also, took my dad out to firehole Friday night to catch a few burbs and ended up putting six on the ice.   

Yesterday we did some scouting to see how the ice was farther down the lake.  There was about a dozen people out fishing on the main channel at squaw hollow and another group about a mile farther down.  Anvil is also frozen but looks really thin and with a lot of gabs/cracks between the ice sheets.

baiter

[wyohunter]

How thick is the ice at Buckboard? Going to head that way tomorrow and fish Monday, Tuesday and maybe Wednesday morn.

[wyo700]

took the wife out today back to the same holes i went with my dad yesterday.  we had same success catching one more fish than the day before with 15 today.  but i guess i better mention that my wife caught 11 of them and i only caught 4, it happens evertime i bring her.  but i know she had fun.  if she couldnt catch more fish than me she probably wouldnt want to go. 

we kept four of them and i did the poor mans lobster recipe for the first time.  i wasnt sure what to expect but i have to say it was delicious, suprised me how much it actually tasted like lobster.  i ate it with some melted butter.  i will for sure cook them that way again.

[Z.L.BRAWLEE]

How thick is the ice at Buckboard? Going to head that way tomorrow and fish Monday, Tuesday and maybe Wednesday morn.

i
the ice was about 6 inches thick at south buckboard in the main channel

[WYIfish]

Wyo700, I don't know were it came from, but I almost emptied my sled and crawled in!  I`ve been ice fishing the Gorge for 30 years and ain't seem nothin like that before.  Did have a good day though, between four of us we got forty mac and two 5lb ling.  One mac was around 15lbs (released) and the rest were pups.  I got pictures but don't seem to have much luck posting them.

I had the scare of my life today.   About dark I kept hearing the rock wall 100 feet from me dropping a rock now and then on to the ice.  It became more frequent after an hour. The ice was booming so I figured it was just ice shaking the bank.  Pretty soon one big rock fell on to the ice, and then the whole bank came down, made a large 4 inch high pressure wave across the ice that came to me and kept on going.  I was scared  well, you know, one must check one self some times. I didn't get off my bucket for 1/2 an hour until I felt the ice fractures would have healed. It was amazing, the wall was 15-20 feet wide, 30 feet tall, and 4 feet deep.  Half of the rock ended up going through the five inches of ice and busting out a place 30 x 25 big.  Scary as all get out.   Crawling into your sled would have been good, I was trying to figure out how to get inside of my five gallon bucket!    Then it got dark and I wasn't real excited to go pick up my tip ups that were about 50 feet away from the main event.   Geeze!

One small lake trout, fish didn't seem to want to eat what I was offering them.  Marked a lot of fish in 80 feet of water, they would follow the jig but not take.

I think I shall go shop for some new Hanes tomorrow, never hurts to carry a spare set.

[appleye]

Appleye's big adventure,

Wife and I headed for Flaming Gorge early Sat. after 7 hours we arrived in Green River. Picked up a park permit and fishing license for the wife. Still 5 degrees. Get a little breakfast and were off like a herd of turtles! I drive to south of Buckboard because I've never been there before. I took a road to nowere. Dang GPS it looked like it ended by the lake only 100' straight above. Turn around and find a way down to the lake. We head south about one mile and fish 1/4 mile off shore 90' and no bites. We are near some folks an they aren't catching anyting as well. We decide to move.

GPS shows the river channel bending up against the west shore. I pound out a bunch of holes. First drop wife gets a ling about 30" long. Yea GPS! For the next 2 hours I run around trying to get the other poles set up and down to the bottom. I manage 5 lines in the water and I am getting run ragged getting bait and taking ling off for the wife. I keep missing and loosing. Wife says quit setting the hook and reel. Works much better. The bites dies down and I get the clam set up and the heater running. I get my lake trout rod set up I get to jig a little. Lakers are found up next to shore 50' to 60', 10' to 15' off bottom. I caught about 15 before it gets cold and we are tired (night shift people). Wife is a little miffed about the "Ice Quake" thing. I tell her it's just the lake making ice it's normal. LOL She's not buying it. On the way back to the truck we find the "Ice Quake" has open a pressure ridge with a 3' gap. Thank goodness for the ATV, had to back track a ways. Loaded up 12 ling and four lake trout, no big ones. WE see a 17lber a guy caught in the middle of the lake 78' he said. Big Bend area.

Next morning we head back to the same area. We talk to some folk from Utah that had fished all night ,8 people for 4 ling. I tell them about our action the day before and they asked if they could try the area out. We moved to the spot and start putting holes down. In a few minutes ling are flinging all over the place. Not sure how many are caught as I went shallow to fish for the lake trout. Wife estimated that in three hours they caught 30 to 40 ling. I have non stop action on the lake tout. No big fish, maybe 4lbs but a lot of action. I estimate about 40 lake trout landed. Same depth as day before using a white tube and cut bait. Ice was 5" to 6". Weather was great and not much wind which still seems strange.

A great weekend, hope to make it back soon.

[MaineWyofishslayer]

NICE! TRIP!

[crawler_II]

My fishing partner and I fish burbot every weekend. Would you care to share your GPS coordinates?

[doublehaul]

On your 1st post you ask someone for GPS coordinates where they hammered fish last weekend?

Appleye-If you have time, could you post a photo of that 30" ling your wife landed?  Those are such weird looking fish.

BTW- Great job working for success on a body of water you've never fished before. That's always the hardest part simply going off maps and GPS and cross your fingers the fish will be there.

[Long Point Slammer]

40 north, 55 east.  He he he he he he he!

[WYIfish]

40 north, 55 east.  He he he he he he he!

Sorry, you have that backwards, it's 55 east and 40 north.

I find my best treasures are those I work for, not those that are handed to me.    Any place one fishes on the gorge will produce ling.

On Saturday the 23rd. at Buckboard Marina, 3 PM, I will offer information on where we all can catch a  ling or forty of them.  

I will not cut your holes or bait your hooks. Sorry.

[WYIfish]

On your 1st post you ask someone for GPS coordinates where they hammered fish last weekend?
 

BTW- Great job working for success on a body of water you've never fished before. That's always the hardest part simply going off maps and GPS and cross your fingers the fish will be there.

They're ling, there everywhere. I have yet to fish a rocky point on the gorge through the ice and not catch at least one.

[Moose-51]

Gotta gree with Wyfish here.  I personally don't think location is very important.  Technique and bait selection ect is more important.  It is not rocket science.  Use fresh bait, chubs, suckers, worms, ect and *lightly* jig 6" or so off the *bottom* and you'll catch plenty of the buggers.

[crawler_II]

On your 1st post you ask someone for GPS coordinates where they hammered fish last weekend?

Burbut are all over the lake... Like I said I fish them every weekend. More curious about where they're being caught than anything. My friend and I fished south of where this gentleman was on Saturday night and got 27 (more decent ones than dinks).

If anyone wants to start fishing burbot I'm more than happy to share where to go and some simple techniques to get you started. I'll be out again Saturday night south of Holmes Crossing fishing the bays for those slimey bots!

Take care.

[Bigred1]

Here are a couple of pictures of my son-in-laws first Ling.  He caught it in the middle of the day on a tip-up set to 15 feet in 45 feet of water, go figure.  WyIfish is right, they are all over the place.  By the way, she was full of eggs, oh the eggs,  we will never get rid of them.

[doublehaul]

Cool pics....So I guess the consensus is that they are everywhere.  I meant no disrespect crawler.

[WYIfish]

Here are a couple of pictures of my son-in-laws first Ling.  He caught it in the middle of the day on a tip-up set to 15 feet in 45 feet of water, go figure.  WyIfish is right, they are all over the place.  By the way, she was full of eggs, oh the eggs,  we will never get rid of them.

Day before yesterday I caught a 24 incher in 74 feet of water ten feet off the bottom, and a 28 incher at 80 feet in 84 feet of water; both on a 3l4 ounce gold dr. spoon tipped with sucker meat while I was trying to catch lake trout.

I think we will be surprised at the number of ling in the 24-30 inch range this year. They are deeper and stay there. I find many in the 10 inch range as well, they are like little whiskery demons.

Nice fish there Bigred1, where's your first big ling???  You must see my big reel/rigs

[crawler_II]

Having a rough time figuring out how to post pictures. Can anyone help out?
Thanks

[crawler_II]

Hopefully this works. Last Saturday night burbot fishing with my friend.

[WYIfish]

"The night belongs to the Lings"....
Nice mess of slimers.

[mallardmuncher]

That is some good eating

[Moose-51]

Yep that is some good eating right there.  I'm headed up tomorrow night trying to decide between firehole or buckboard.  BB is further away... but i think the lingin there is better personally.

[minnowguy]

Nice mess of ling there crawler.

[troutsdaddy]

If a man could get rid of that many everytime he went out we might have a slim chance to put a dent in the population.  Props on such a bountiful harvest.  Wonder if a coyote would lick on the slime pool that was left when you went home?

[minnowguy]

Has anyone caught any lakers with small ling in them? I would think they would be eating them also since there is so many small ling.

[fishley]

Has anyone caught any lakers with small ling in them? I would think they would be eating them also since there is so many small ling.

 I released a 35lber last yr that choked up a 22'' ling.

[Z.L.BRAWLEE]

the fishing was good today and the weather was sweet! big bend is producing some NICE lake trout! hope to see you all out there tomorrow!! tight lines

[WYIfish]

the fishing was good today and the weather was sweet! big bend is producing some NICE lake trout! hope to see you all out there tomorrow!! tight lines

The fishing was great today, I had my best day ever count and size wise.   I saw about 40 caught by our group, lots of fun, lots of great guys, made me real proud to be an ice fisherman.   Then the lingers showed up at dusk...