Slow Afternoon at RP - 2/15

[MWScott72]

Due to household duties, I wasn’t able to fish the morning (which I generally find to be better).  Instead I had to fish the afternoon at RP, and while I did find some fish, it was much slower than previous outings.  Started around 2:30 directly east of the last pullout on the west side.  First hole was at 27’.  Only one tap in 10 mins so moved towards shore another 25 yds and was still in 27 FOW.  Slow action, but enough to keep my attention, so stayed there for 30 mins thinking it would improve.  After 30 mins, I punched a succession of 3 more holes.  First was 25’, second at 20’, and last was 15’.  Absolutely no fish in any of these holes, so moved back to my second spot around 4pm.  Fish were still there, but slow action with fish biting lightly and being picky (lots of looks only to go back down after inspecting my offerings).  It stayed like this until 4:45 when the bite finally picked up until about 5:30, then it slowed down again until 6pm when I left.  Probably caught 30 total and brought 16 home.  A couple pushing 10”, but average was closer to 8”, so size really decreased.  I tried both green and yellow Halies with yellow and pink rat finkies above, but what they really likes was a silver Swedish pimple with a white rat finkies above.  All were tipped with eyeballs.

Spoke to several anglers and the bite was definitely better in the early morning.  I never did set up my tent.  Probably should have because that wind was biting out of the north.  Tried to stay mobile to find the fish, and when I finally decided on a hole, 2 hours didn’t seem long enough to mess with iit.  My hands were COLD by the end.  Lesson learned…set up the tent!

[Jmorfish]

Hey Mike..glad you were able to give it a try for an afternoon..don't know if you don't go...I always try to show them something different, esp. for the baits used..perch eyes are great, but once in awhile they want a little meat for their meal, ei. the small cut pcs belly meat...and, I'll even revert back to a wax worm once in a while, just so they are seeing/smelling/eating something different..some guys are successful with a chunk of mealworm, spikes, or small pc of nitecrawler...anything like that to change up once in awhile...my last time out I was getting a lot more of the bigger males, leading me to believe there's more of the spawning activity going on in the shallower water where I was, at 15'...Hope I can test it out again this week, weather permitting...Guluk..

[wiperhunter2]

Due to household duties, I wasn’t able to fish the morning (which I generally find to be better).  Instead I had to fish the afternoon at RP, and while I did find some fish, it was much slower than previous outings.  Started around 2:30 directly east of the last pullout on the west side.  First hole was at 27’.  Only one tap in 10 mins so moved towards shore another 25 yds and was still in 27 FOW.  Slow action, but enough to keep my attention, so stayed there for 30 mins thinking it would improve.  After 30 mins, I punched a succession of 3 more holes.  First was 25’, second at 20’, and last was 15’.  Absolutely no fish in any of these holes, so moved back to my second spot around 4pm.  Fish were still there, but slow action with fish biting lightly and being picky (lots of looks only to go back down after inspecting my offerings).  It stayed like this until 4:45 when the bite finally picked up until about 5:30, then it slowed down again until 6pm when I left.  Probably caught 30 total and brought 16 home.  A couple pushing 10”, but average was closer to 8”, so size really decreased.  I tried both green and yellow Halies with yellow and pink rat finkies above, but what they really likes was a silver Swedish pimple with a white rat finkies above.  All were tipped with eyeballs.

Spoke to several anglers and the bite was definitely better in the early morning.  I never did set up my tent.  Probably should have because that wind was biting out of the north.  Tried to stay mobile to find the fish, and when I finally decided on a hole, 2 hours didn’t seem long enough to mess with iit.  My hands were COLD by the end.  Lesson learned…set up the tent!

Even if the catching was slower than normal, it sounds like you did good. Did you have any problems getting off the ice, were the edges soft?