Fishing Forum

Just curious if anyone has been recently and knows about the ice and snow conditions? Also any tips or areas to try for macks and splake. This is my first trip there so I'm pretty clueless. Thanks in advance.
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Just returned from Fish Lake today. Ice was close to 24 inches with 6 inches of new snow on top. The snow made walking more difficult - we did not attempt the walk across the lake. There are still fish to be caught, but it has definately slowed from earlier in the year. We caught 6 decent splake and 1 rainbow, with multiple smaller ones returned. We also caught quite a few smaller perch. We started beyond the weed bed, but did not do well there. When we moved in for perch, we caught trout as well.
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hey bob I'll be up there this weekend as well. If you see a red quick fish 6 and some wheelers stop and say high.
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hah will do! I will also be in a red quick fish 6
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The Folks and I are heading down as well sunday-tuesday, we plan on targeting jumbos and splake maybe picking up bows along the way. You mind sharing what depths you caught which species and how you locate the weed beds there brookie? This will be my first ice on fish lake and second time fishin there, i am newb. Thanks for making this post bob and for any info. []
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We fished out of the south marina. The weed beds line the perimeter of the lake and extend out on that south west side maybe 100 yards. With snow on the lake it is a little harder to tell, but you will see a line of fishermen at varying depths along the edge. Ask someone as you walk out how deep they are. If you put down and find you are in 20 feet or less you are probably still on the bed. If your line comes up with weeds you will know it as well. It drops off pretty fast from there. I usually go out beyond the weed bed in 40 to 60 feet and fish the top 15 to 20 feet of the water column for splake and rainbow. I hear the Macks are deeper on the bottom, but I have not mastered that art. This last trip, however, we did not do too well deeper. Instead we caught the trout in on the edge of the weeds about 20 feet deep right on the bottom. We caught perch there as well (as usual for that area). This trip, if we were not catching perch, we were also not catching trout. As I said previously, this trip was slower than earlier trips. We had to work a little harder for success.
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February is always tough at Fish Lake. Fishing just slows down. I imagine some of the reason has to do with the extreme pressure from anglers during January. The key is to find an area that hasn't been fished hard -- which means getting away from the parking areas. ATVs and snowmachines certainly make this easier. If you are willing to hike, do it. Get away from swiss cheese, and find an area that hasn't already been beat to death by other fishermen.
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Bobisfishin and DailyAngler,
Good luck at Fish Lake. You've received some good info from brookie and PBH. Here are some of my thoughts and recommendations:

If you're fising for perch, go small and fish in or near the weeds/weedline.

Once you catch a perch, cut small chunks up and use it as bait. If you're able to get the hook through the skin and meat, it will stay on for a while. It seems like rainbows, splake, and perch will all hit on the perch meat. (Meal worms usually work fine as well).

For rainbows and splake, I've had good luck with a chartuese paddle bug. On Saturday, I also had decent luck with a pink/glow Shrimpo.

Many times the fish will take the jig "on the drop". So, if I don't see any fish on the finder I often reel up and drop again.

I'm like brookie, I like fishing in deeper water and fishing the top part of the water column for trout and splake. We walked all the way to the east side and did ok for rainbows and splake.

For macks, I don't have any tips other than what I've heard. Fish in 60+ feet of water, go with a bigger jig, and use chub/sucker meat. I've only caught one big one there and it was pure luck. I was fishing the weedline in April (late ice) and hooked into and landed a nice one. =)

Good luck!
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actually we will have 2 red quick fish 3s
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Thanks everyone for the info, im going to try those gizzy/cutter bug things this trip. I love this site, being the fishin maniac i am.[]
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Have a good safe trip. The snow is still copming down pretty good. tell us how ya did
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