I'm taking a friend to cascade on monday. He has never really been ice fishing and I'm a rookie(this year) especially at cascade. I have been trying to convince him how much fun ice fishing is but I'm taking on a new body of water(ice) that I have never been to before. I would appreciate some advice. Maybe where to go and park. He have no 4 wheeler or snowmobile so just walking with a sled. I hear sugarloaf a lot but I'm not sure how far out or how deep. Any help would be very much appreciated. If anyone wants to meet us up there that would be great too.
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You can hike out from the sugarloaf boat ramp, but it is a long hike. The walk in access areas before the ramp are closed after Feb 1 for bird migration/nesting, and last week they were telling everyone that they were going to start citing folks. I would either go out of Blue Heron, or plan on hiking a long way...
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Ok sorry I'm so clueless but where is blue heron? I have been trying to find it by doing a google search and nothing so far.
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Ok I think I figured it out. What about poison creek?
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Last time I was up there, during the McCall Snow Carnival, there were several fishing around the dam area, and towards the City ramp. Some were also fishing just north of the city ramp. Both of these areas would be super easy access, esp. the city ramp area. Heard they did pick up some trout. Gotta let us know how you did! Mike
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If you are willing to drive around the lake to Poison creek, and hike out a ways, you can do well. Ice fishing seems to reward those who work at it a little. I would go there if I was you. It is a longer drive, but worth it.
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how far is aways? couple hundreds yards or a mile?
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On the 8th I walked from Sugarloaf parking lot to a little past the south end of the island and it was 2 1/4 miles and 1 hour ( I walk fast). Ended up with one perch that was 13" or so in 38' and that is where I saw the most on the graph.. All came on jigging with a worm and even caught 2 perch crusing at 20'. Boulder creek (park on shoulder) had severel holes and it is about 1/4 mile walk but have no idea about any fish there. most parking lots were not plowed but the one out of Cascade was and Sugarloaf may have been plowed but not lately, one lane in but 2wd was ok. I didn't see a single bird it the closed area that I wanted to walk through to save a mile.
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I haven't been to Poison or Boulder this season but from what I understand by talking to multiple friends who've been there it's pretty much been dinks there all season. If you are looking for bigger perch it seems you need to be pretty mobile. Sounds like the big perch are coming from the deep water right now, which means you need to be in or near the old river channel. The old river channel is a pretty good walk from everywhere except Boulder, Poison, Crown Point, and the dam. I'm scheduled to take a group of noobs next Saturday. I think we are going to try the channel near Crown Point. I've never fished there..........
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Fished all day one big one. A few dinks and no trout. We had a few big hits on the jigger totter. We walked all the way from the boat dock to sugarloaf. Yea, I'm tired. What puzzled me the most was all our fish were caught on small jigs and worms nothing on cut bait. All were caught with no jigging. I have a fish camera that I usually smoke the perch with (funnest fishing I have ever done CJ last week) but the perch were acting very weird. They would come in to the jigging get a few inches away and then take off, sometimes in a hurry. Usually I can get them to bit 9 out of 10 times. I really don't think it was the camera because usually that will attract them. Not sure what the deal was. I was fishing in 37 ft and that seemed to be where the bigger fish on the camera were. We moved three times once to 22 ft and once to 26 ft. All I saw was a lot on very small perch. I'm just clueless as to why they acted so weird. Every fish acts differently, usually I can figure it out while they are looking at the bait but not today. I hope this helps anyone. My boot is size 14.
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cut bait is mostly a CJ or Lowell bait.... you will get the hang of it, just keep at it, some places are hit or miss, you will figure it out... and Cascade is surely a hit or miss lake, I can go there and catch 20, the very next day i'll catch 2, and I feel that myself and a few select individuals are very good at catching perch on that lake....
Matt
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Well, I would say your one of them[
]. Thx for the info. I really thought it was weird how scared they were of the bait once they got to it. Even with worms. Maybe waxies or power bait next time.
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Yea they didn't want it moving Sunday, plain hook and 1 split shot with a worm right on the bottom works on those days, just make sure you have small circle hooks so you don't gut hook them....
Matt
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