Ice Fishing at Willard 11-10-22 (Video Added)

[TubeDude]

Another great report, video and pics Pat. Very cool catching that nice wiper, not many of those showing up this time of the year. Since ice season is coming we figured we need to get use to those colder temps, so we decided to get out there on Fri but it was sure nice when that sun came out. Were there many folks out there on Thurs? Our best colors were chartreuse and silver and one of your silver flutter spoons, I think they are called. Also caught a few on blue and silver snare spoons. Not sure how much time we have left until ice blocks our launch. A couple of members are talking about a ice fishing trip this weekend on the Idaho board.

I didn't do nearly as well as you guys.  But I only worked the vertical stuff for about an hour.  While the fish were there...and active...I got enough bites to keep me busy.  As I posted, I got more attention on the tiger patterns...both orange and pink.  But I did get a couple on the silver and chartreuse.  Didn't try blue and silver but should have.  Might have got another wiper. 

Ice usually starts forming pretty quickly once the nightime temps get down in the teens.  Still in the 20's...but not much above the teens.  Most "normal" years sees Willard getting skimmed over around the first or second week of December.

A note on that wiper.  He had a really big gut and I suspected he was full of baby shad.  Not so.  Hardly anything in the stomach.  But there were two huge gobs of visceral fat.  He has been dining well and storing up some fat to carry him through the winter.  Too bad he didn't live to make that happen.  He became a part of my "surf n surf" dinner last night...fillets topped with pieces of shrimp and oven broiled.  Good stuff.

By the way, I have been playing around with adding some wire droppers to some other base lures too.  Gonna give them a try sometime next week.  Here are some pics.