02-09-2006, 01:08 AM
[cool][font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][#0000ff]Just hadda get my tube in da watta. Believed the reports. Headed for Willard ready to rumble with some crappies, wipers, wallies or whatever. No pride, just anxious.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe and I rolled up to the North Marina about 9 AM. Air temp 23. Still major ice on the eastern 2/3 of the marina. Walked out on the docks on the south side. Evidence of fishing through holes drilled around the docks, but the ice looked about 2". No thank you.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There had been open water from the ramp out into the lake. Skim ice for about 50 yards out from the ramp this morning. Having broken through my share of skim ice before, we launched the tubes and started rocking our way towards the open water channel.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Made good progress for the first few feet. Then the skim ice turned into 1/4" ice and then 1/2" ice. It finally became about an inch thick within a few yards of the open water in the channel. Both TubeBabe and I were kicking and rocking and rolling, side by side, trying to break the ice up. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We were stopped dead by the thicker ice. Then, I developed major muscle spasms in the hamstring areas of both legs. Game over. I managed to thrash my way back to the ramp, stood up and worked out the knots and decided to bag it. The breeze coming in from the lake looked like it was going to finish the job we started before we left.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We did meter some fish at all depths out to about 16 feet, where our forward progress ended. We vertical jigged with a few different jigs and baits but no bites.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There were a few folks that came and went over on the docks while we were playing icebreakers. Nobody stayed long.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Water temp was 36 and the air temp just the same as we drove off to Taco Bell. Got a lot of exercise, but no fishing. Make that a LOT of exercise. Shoulda launched off the point in open water but that wouldn't have been half as much fun. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It was a pretty morning and we got to watch a couple of bald eagles flying around.[/#0000ff]
[/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1]Attachments:[/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=14330;"]![[Image: image.gif]](http://www.bigfishtackle.com/images/gforum/files/image.gif)
[#333366] FROZEN DOCKS.JPG [/#333366][/url](138 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=14331;"][#333366] SKIM ICE TO OPEN CHANNEL.JPG [/#333366][/url](99.0 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=14332;"][#333366] ICEBREAKER AT WORK.JPG [/#333366][/url](258 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=14333;"][#333366] THICK SKIM ICE.JPG [/#333366][/url](154 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=14334;"][#333366] GIVING UP.JPG [/#333366][/url](102 KB) [/size][/black][/font]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe and I rolled up to the North Marina about 9 AM. Air temp 23. Still major ice on the eastern 2/3 of the marina. Walked out on the docks on the south side. Evidence of fishing through holes drilled around the docks, but the ice looked about 2". No thank you.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]There had been open water from the ramp out into the lake. Skim ice for about 50 yards out from the ramp this morning. Having broken through my share of skim ice before, we launched the tubes and started rocking our way towards the open water channel.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Made good progress for the first few feet. Then the skim ice turned into 1/4" ice and then 1/2" ice. It finally became about an inch thick within a few yards of the open water in the channel. Both TubeBabe and I were kicking and rocking and rolling, side by side, trying to break the ice up. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We were stopped dead by the thicker ice. Then, I developed major muscle spasms in the hamstring areas of both legs. Game over. I managed to thrash my way back to the ramp, stood up and worked out the knots and decided to bag it. The breeze coming in from the lake looked like it was going to finish the job we started before we left.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We did meter some fish at all depths out to about 16 feet, where our forward progress ended. We vertical jigged with a few different jigs and baits but no bites.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]There were a few folks that came and went over on the docks while we were playing icebreakers. Nobody stayed long.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Water temp was 36 and the air temp just the same as we drove off to Taco Bell. Got a lot of exercise, but no fishing. Make that a LOT of exercise. Shoulda launched off the point in open water but that wouldn't have been half as much fun. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]It was a pretty morning and we got to watch a couple of bald eagles flying around.[/#0000ff]
[/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1]Attachments:[/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=14330;"]
[#333366] FROZEN DOCKS.JPG [/#333366][/url](138 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=14331;"][#333366] SKIM ICE TO OPEN CHANNEL.JPG [/#333366][/url](99.0 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=14332;"][#333366] ICEBREAKER AT WORK.JPG [/#333366][/url](258 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=14333;"][#333366] THICK SKIM ICE.JPG [/#333366][/url](154 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=14334;"][#333366] GIVING UP.JPG [/#333366][/url](102 KB) [/size][/black][/font][signature]