12-22-2019, 04:36 PM
Hit Willard early Saturday. Wanted one more shot at transition water before the North Marina froze completely.
Ice is filling the last of the bay. A little open water around the north boat dock, near the boat ramp, and the boat ramp out to the lake was still open. Three boats on the water in the morning. Spoke to two of them. The bite was very slow. They had made catches of perch, but 1,2 or 3 seemed to be about it. There were people on the southside of the north marina fishing ice rigs off the boat docks. That side is capped but still unsafe to venture out on. I did not talk to them, so cant report on the bite there. As a side note I also drove over to the south marina. It was fully capped. I talked to one fisherman who had walked across it. He said very, very risky still. He had not graphed anything of note and no fish in his bucket.
As for me....
I fished the docks next to the boat ramps in the north marina and the outgoing channel from the point of land on the south rocky pier.
I caught two smallish perch early in the morning on a cream atomic ant jig tipped with a meal worm. Bite was so very light. I also had a hit on a lindy jigging spoon in a perch color.
I caught a monster largemouth (at least for me as I dont target largies with ice gear) on a white ice fly tipped with a meal worm. I must have dropped it right in his mouth while he was snoring.
No action at all if I had a dead stick rod in. Had to have some action on the lure. Or maybe the bite was so light I could not see it on a dead stick presentation.
I also caught one more perch in the channel on a pink floating jig, slowly retrieved and tipped with a worm. I think I missed a couple more bites on that rig but a bit of breeze and hard to pick the difference between a light bite and wind action on the line.
I did end up tieing a 2 ft clear leader to my bright yellow ice line. I just did not like how far down I could see that line. maybe to I am to paranoid?
The bite was slow. I am ready to move over to the ice gear. Cookie is ready, too.
As for the video... Battery was dead after 15 minutes in the cold on my gopro and I left my spare at home. So most of the filming was attempted with my cell phone. Really hard to reel in a bass and hold a cell phone at the same time and the perch video catches were a complete bust. It really helps to have Cookie along to share filming with but she had Holiday tasks to finish. But, I am sharing the video anyway, cause ice bass for me is so rare - so why not share.
https://youtu.be/zFoZ0WGWq3g
[signature]
Ice is filling the last of the bay. A little open water around the north boat dock, near the boat ramp, and the boat ramp out to the lake was still open. Three boats on the water in the morning. Spoke to two of them. The bite was very slow. They had made catches of perch, but 1,2 or 3 seemed to be about it. There were people on the southside of the north marina fishing ice rigs off the boat docks. That side is capped but still unsafe to venture out on. I did not talk to them, so cant report on the bite there. As a side note I also drove over to the south marina. It was fully capped. I talked to one fisherman who had walked across it. He said very, very risky still. He had not graphed anything of note and no fish in his bucket.
As for me....
I fished the docks next to the boat ramps in the north marina and the outgoing channel from the point of land on the south rocky pier.
I caught two smallish perch early in the morning on a cream atomic ant jig tipped with a meal worm. Bite was so very light. I also had a hit on a lindy jigging spoon in a perch color.
I caught a monster largemouth (at least for me as I dont target largies with ice gear) on a white ice fly tipped with a meal worm. I must have dropped it right in his mouth while he was snoring.
No action at all if I had a dead stick rod in. Had to have some action on the lure. Or maybe the bite was so light I could not see it on a dead stick presentation.
I also caught one more perch in the channel on a pink floating jig, slowly retrieved and tipped with a worm. I think I missed a couple more bites on that rig but a bit of breeze and hard to pick the difference between a light bite and wind action on the line.
I did end up tieing a 2 ft clear leader to my bright yellow ice line. I just did not like how far down I could see that line. maybe to I am to paranoid?
The bite was slow. I am ready to move over to the ice gear. Cookie is ready, too.
As for the video... Battery was dead after 15 minutes in the cold on my gopro and I left my spare at home. So most of the filming was attempted with my cell phone. Really hard to reel in a bass and hold a cell phone at the same time and the perch video catches were a complete bust. It really helps to have Cookie along to share filming with but she had Holiday tasks to finish. But, I am sharing the video anyway, cause ice bass for me is so rare - so why not share.
https://youtu.be/zFoZ0WGWq3g
[signature]