I convinced my son to go ice fishing yesterday and we headed off in the direction of Strawberry. When we got to Chicken Creek the temp on the car said -22. There were so many people at every pull off that there weren't any spots to park. The temperature was so cold I hope there weren't too many permanently frozen to the ice. We decided to go east to another lake and were surprised that there were only three trucks there. The sun was up by then and the temps got much better as the day went on. By the time we left the temperature change was 40 degrees. The ice and frozen slush were so deep that my new Ion almost ran out of auger but I was very glad that I didn't have to hand drill that much ice. Fishing was good in the morning but slowed down a bunch in the afternoon. The warmth also softened up the top layer and you stepped through to slush on every step. We managed to catch three species, rainbows, cutts, and something that had brookie red spots and black and white fins but a more grey body. Im wondering if I caught a splake ? I left my phone at home so I didn't get a picture.
(02-23-2025, 02:49 PM)JeepNut Wrote: [ -> ]I convinced my son to go ice fishing yesterday and we headed off in the direction of Strawberry. When we got to Chicken Creek the temp on the car said -22. There were so many people at every pull off that there weren't any spots to park. The temperature was so cold I hope there weren't too many permanently frozen to the ice. We decided to go east to another lake and were surprised that there were only three trucks there. The sun was up by then and the temps got much better as the day went on. By the time we left the temperature change was 40 degrees. The ice and frozen slush were so deep that my new Ion almost ran out of auger but I was very glad that I didn't have to hand drill that much ice. Fishing was good in the morning but slowed down a bunch in the afternoon. The warmth also softened up the top layer and you stepped through to slush on every step. We managed to catch three species, rainbows, cutts, and something that had brookie red spots and black and white fins but a more grey body. Im wondering if I caught a splake ? I left my phone at home so I didn't get a picture.
Glad you were able to get out, even with the cold start, crazy the temps swing that much in a day. I'm never caught a splake that had red spots but black and white fins are normal on brookies. Splake do have grey bodies. Hopefully others will respond, to give more feedback on their thoughts. What color jigs gave you your best success?
(02-23-2025, 10:07 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote: [ -> ] (02-23-2025, 02:49 PM)JeepNut Wrote: [ -> ]I convinced my son to go ice fishing yesterday and we headed off in the direction of Strawberry. When we got to Chicken Creek the temp on the car said -22. There were so many people at every pull off that there weren't any spots to park. The temperature was so cold I hope there weren't too many permanently frozen to the ice. We decided to go east to another lake and were surprised that there were only three trucks there. The sun was up by then and the temps got much better as the day went on. By the time we left the temperature change was 40 degrees. The ice and frozen slush were so deep that my new Ion almost ran out of auger but I was very glad that I didn't have to hand drill that much ice. Fishing was good in the morning but slowed down a bunch in the afternoon. The warmth also softened up the top layer and you stepped through to slush on every step. We managed to catch three species, rainbows, cutts, and something that had brookie red spots and black and white fins but a more grey body. Im wondering if I caught a splake ? I left my phone at home so I didn't get a picture.
Glad you were able to get out, even with the cold start, crazy the temps swing that much in a day. I'm never caught a splake that had red spots but black and white fins are normal on brookies. Splake do have grey bodies. Hopefully others will respond, to give more feedback on their thoughts. What color jigs gave you your best success?
Gold tungsten was the best