Put My Ice Gear Away Mostly Did I do Wrong?

[SkunkedAgain]

It might have been too soon Jeff, but don't blame anyone for being disappointed in the ice this year.

We took the shuttle at Strawberry last Saturday. Still lots of ice. Between the ice and frozen slush it was almost the full length of my auger to punch through. I'm planning to alternate between Strawberry and Scofield until at least the end of the month. Might try Rockport if edges firm back up.

That being said, my ice fishing has been limited in terms of locations. And quantity of fish hasn't always been there, and yes, there have been a few skunks along the way. When I made my first trip in early November, I thought this would be a great year. But sketchy to no ice at lower elevation lakes really threw off my plan to catch more panfish and other species this winter. I think I caught less than five perch, one crappie, and no bluegills. Conversely, I have been able to catch some bigger trout and burbot this year, so not necessarily disappointed in the quality.

The water year looks good, so maybe next winter we will have decent amount of water and get some colder, ice sustaining temps. One can always hope...

Hey Brett, you've done well using a poor year to the best benefit... I kept thinking the ice will get better and then I'll go try this spot or the other and ended up not getting much ice time in... plus I had a bunch of weddings and other events during the best of the ice season, so I really blew it this year...  but hopefully if things go well this summer on the project, I'll be ready for a good one next year...  Still might make one more trip assuming I can get away... Would be fun to hit the berry and I appreciate the condition update... Sounds like lots of ice if the slush doesn't come back too nasty... Thanks Jeff