Drove up to see ole Porky this morning. Looks like it's trying to freeze but not doing a very good job of it. There are a few ice shelves, but the thickness on the shelf closest to the dam was less than an inch.
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Were you able to get to the back to see how it was doing?
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Sorry to disappoint, but I didn't drive all the way to the back. I made it up the hill to the dam fine, but the tires on my truck aren't in the best shape. Should have got new tires for Christmas instead of fishing/ hunting stuff...but ... priorities! There was ice back there, but still lots of open water.
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Looks like there is a cold snap tonight or tomorrow so hopefully it will cap soon.
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Thanks for the update. Hope the weather stays cold and consistent for a couple of weeks.
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[quote ARICH7]Thanks for the update. Hope the weather stays cold and consistent for a couple of weeks.[/quote]
I hope it stays cold too. It's been a long time since I've fished Porcupine through the ice. I've never had a fast and furious trip there, but have pulled a couple decent fish through the hole. I know it's a bit of wishful thinking, but I'd like to try for some kokanee. I know they don't have much size to them at Porky, but it'd be fun to get a couple.
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The kokes are fun to catch throught the ice just dont get your lines tangled when they run. I've always used a pink ice fly below a flasher and done good when the schools come through
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[quote DjHill16]I've always used a pink ice fly below a flasher and done good when the schools come through[/quote]
That is the approach I was going to try if Porky freezes over good. I've seen a few videos online with a dummy flasher rig [cowbell or similar troll] being jigged by a motor to attract the school in. Then they used ice flies below a dodger/flasher to catch them when the school arrived. I just need to build me the attractor rig. If I ever get to test it out, I'll post a report.
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I did well last year through the ice there for both trout and Kokanee. Caught a lot more trout on the east end and a lot more Kokanee by the dam. Going after the kokes was fun, but it would be fast and furious for 5 minutes and then dead for 45 minutes. Definitely worth it once you get a few on the smoker!
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When the ice is clear you can watch the schools of kokes come across the dam. As soon as you see a group of anglers catching them get ready.
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[quote ARICH7]I did well last year through the ice there for both trout and kokanee.....Definitely worth it once you get a few on the smoker![/quote]
Any tips for the kokes? [PM if you prefer] I definitely want some for the smoker. I'd also like to try canning some and running some through the grinder for salmon burger patties.
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[quote packfish]When the ice is clear you can watch the schools of kokes come across the dam.[/quote]
That's cool you could see them. Were they running right below the ice, or was the water clear enough that you could see them down a ways?
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If the ice is clear you can see the school as a dark cloud coming. They are only 3 to 4 ft under the ice.
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[quote packfish]If the ice is clear you can see the school as a dark cloud coming. They are only 3 to 4 ft under the ice.[/quote]
That'd be an awesome thing to see. Don't know if we'll have clear enough ice this year, but here's for hoping!
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I'm not familiar with "flashers" , can anybody post a pic or link?
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The rig you described worked well for us on Strawberry last winter... Except we were fishing much deeper and I used a Maniac Cut'r bug in glow... On Porcupine the Koke are all depths but the most active fish are typically shallower and you may be fishing in 90 FOW but the koke will be down about 10 feet has been my usually lucky zone, but I've caught them over 40 feet deep too... but the key is being where the fish are and when they come through... Porcupine is definitely fishing large schools that swim past, where Strawberry and the gorge have been more individual fish rather than the way the schools run at the pig... Seems like a fish finder is critical to being at the right depth at the right time in the koke game... I really wonder how that new Garmin Panoptics is going to work for finding fish out to the sides.... I need to talk a few friends into hitting the pig with me and bringing their Panoptics so we can find the schools... Later Jeff
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Ran up late am to see if the ice had grown, doesn’t look like it, 1st pic is a pano of the lake 2nd is looking at the far end
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Nice pics. I ran up there this afternoon too. I happened to be the guy that was mentally unstable enough to venture out a little bit from the dam. The edge is soft, but a large step out puts you on fairly solid ice. 5ft from shore it's about 4" thick. 10 yds out was a skinny 3" of ice and about 25-30yds out it's a fat 2.5" of ice. I drilled a couple holes and put the fishfinder in. I was in 20 FOW. I didn't dare go out any farther away and was probably out farther that I should have. I love to ice fish...I don't like to ice swim.
I jigged a few offerings for 30-40 minutes but only saw one fish come through and it wasn't interested. I think I'll wait for more ice so I can get to better spots on the lake.
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Must of been after I was there as there were no tracks or holes lol, i didn’t feel like checking my swimming skills so stayed off of it, glad you made it out and back safely and were able to soak some gear for a bit. More cold we need more cold
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