Fishing Forum

As the subject says, I'm going to be at Magic on Friday and Mackay on Saturday. Anyone have any updates that will be helpful?
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No, updates but have fun. At Mackay most of the Kokanee have been caught near the bottom at several different depths. Go with Ratfinkies tipped with wax worms under a flasher.

Windriver
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At Mackay they have been doing better at the upper boat ramp and by the Dam . For some reason the middle ramp where most of the ics shacks are has not been as good this year . Curt G.
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Good to know. I've heard you'll get more Rainbows by the dam as well. Is that consistent with your experience. If we go by the dam, how deep of water should we target, any idea?
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I am not sure of the lake level , and most people are targeting Kokanee . By the dam but over by the cliff I have done well on Brookies also . Curt G.
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Since becoming a part of this forum, I've read a lot about flashers. What exactly is that? Something like a castmaster that is flashy and catches the fish's attention?
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It is a fishfinder , there are several brands . Vexilar seems to be one of the popular ones . Hummingbird also makes several ICE Models . Curt G.
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Well in this sense it is a lure above the ice jig or fly that atracts the Kokanee. Like a Castmaster or Swedish Pimple.

Flashers can also be the type of fishfinders that are used for ice fishing like Vexilar or Marcum.

Windriver
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I may try Mackey on Friday, its been a few years since I've fished it. Hard to drive that far when Ririe is so close. Keep an eye on the weather, look like there is a storm coming in on Saturday.
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What color of Ratfinkee? What size? Can I pick some up somewhere in Mackay? I don't have any right now.

Do you think a Bro-Bug with the tail pinched off would suffice? That is what I was planning on using.

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Think Pink for kokanee White for Rainbows . I think pink paddle bugs with the tail pinched off for Kokanee , and white paddle bugs with the tail for Rainbows and Brookies . Curt G.
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A regular tube jig in pink works well also. Thats all I have used at Macky and Ririe. I am sure that the bro bug in pink would work fine.

Jim
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I know some of you have talked about going to Mackay today? Any of you make it out there? I'm thinking of going tomorrow if the weather agrees with me.
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Well, we got skunked at Mackay on Saturday, caught a couple trout at Magic on Friday but all in all, the planned trip didn't turn out that well.

We decided to stay an extra day and hit Magic on Monday. The trout fishing was pretty good at Magic on Monday. We caught 10 or 11 with only 2 under 15 inches before noon.

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Thanks for the report on Mackay. We decided not to head out there, due to the weather and a schedule conflict. Were you going after trout or kokanee? Did anyone else seem like they were having success? Hoping to get out this coming weekend, but we'll see...!
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We fished just down river at the upper access. There were some guys catching quite a few trout just off the bank and upstream from the upper access area. No one else I saw did anything worth talking about.

We had some stuff set up and targeting Kokes and other stuff set up to target trout. Didn't get either. Had a few Kokes withing sight right at the begining, but all they would do was bump the jigs. Then they left, and nothing after that. I did get 2 bites on my trout set ups, but I was too slow to get there and they were gone.

It was windy and cold so we didn't even start fishing until 10 or 11. We were done by 3. My wife had cold feet so we went to the hotsprings in Challis. I highly recommend that!
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We ended getting out to Mackay on Saturday. We got there about 8:00 am and fished at the middle boat ramp (despite what you all have been posting. I wanted to fish down by the dam, but I didn't want to be disagreeable...). The ice was roughly two feet deep (good thing I convinced my uncle to come with his gas auger!). It was slow for us: a school came through around noon and we landed 6 kokanee between the three of us. There were others over by the "village" who were knocking 'em dead! I was using a pink tube jig below a castmaster and wasn't getting any hits. I ditched the castmaster and immediately landed a couple. Not much action between 12:00 and 2:00.

I've gotta tell you, though: although our success was meager, this is the first fish I've caught in the past 8 ice fishing trips dating back to winter '09. I appreciate the insights and tips that you all so freely give.
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