02-19-2012, 03:37 PM
I wanted to drop a quick report, being its a long weekend, and some anglers may be considering an ice fishing trip to the Gorge. We found safe ice, up to 5-inches clear, in the backs of bays along the eastside of the reservoir in the vicinity of Holmes Crossing. We could see ice all the way down to the Pipleline, but I'm unsure of the thickness. The main channel is also sketchy, with some open water pockets still present.
My buddy and I took our boys burbot fishing and they iced 36 burbot and one lake trout before calling it around 830PM. They had a blast, not only catching burbot, but doing kid stuff like rock-hounding, wrestling, and fueling up on snacks. One of them even asked if we were going again next weekend?
Fish were caught on a variety of glow tackle with sucker meat, including: Yamamoto grubs, Northland Buckshots, and wobble heads (Tubedude specials). Depths were 10-45 ft, and fish hit both dead-sticked rods/tip-ups and while jigging. Fish ranged up to 2 lbs, so nothing big, but they kept the kids busy and will make for a few good meals.
That's the short version and hope it helps, Ryno
[signature]
My buddy and I took our boys burbot fishing and they iced 36 burbot and one lake trout before calling it around 830PM. They had a blast, not only catching burbot, but doing kid stuff like rock-hounding, wrestling, and fueling up on snacks. One of them even asked if we were going again next weekend?
Fish were caught on a variety of glow tackle with sucker meat, including: Yamamoto grubs, Northland Buckshots, and wobble heads (Tubedude specials). Depths were 10-45 ft, and fish hit both dead-sticked rods/tip-ups and while jigging. Fish ranged up to 2 lbs, so nothing big, but they kept the kids busy and will make for a few good meals.
That's the short version and hope it helps, Ryno
[signature]