Arrived at the main state park ramp at 6:40 AM on 3/1. First boat on the water. No fog like last week, thankfully.
Surprisingly, there was still quite a bit of ice left after the warm week. Was able to sneak past the huge sheets via a narrow channel on the north shore, and finally ended up as close to Charleston as the ice would allow.
Fishing was not as hot as it normally is in late winter, usually this time of year you cannot hardly keep your gear in the water thanks to the recent stockings. That was not the case, which allowed for more time in my heated seat and heated cab. I'm not complaining. Fairly slow fishing, but the average fish size is much larger than usual, in my opinion - about 18 inches for us. Didn't see a ton of fish on the livescope either, so it was not an obvious issue of "fish were there, but we didn't have what they wanted".
The wind shifted the ice around on us while we fished - the way we snuck around the ice had closed up, so we ended up doing some ice breaking. Thankful for a .25" welded aluminum hull. After slow and careful going, finally made it back to the pool of open water by the main ramp - where half the state had convened into their own little wave pool... A lot of boats in a little water.
And finally, be sure to donate to your local literacy program, because despite the "no parking" signs, both sides of the ramp were lined with parked cars, and a nice gentleman was prepping his boat in the middle of what little space was left. Some of us have big boats and long trailers - makes it really hard to pull down the ramp and swing around with cars everywhere.
As an added bonus, somebody was fishing power bait literally on the ramp, and I had the privilege of unwinding his line from my prop shaft.
Despite dealing with the cognitively impaired, could not have asked for a nicer day on the water, though I am excited for my usual spots to thaw. Prefer to be floating than standing on ice.
Surprisingly, there was still quite a bit of ice left after the warm week. Was able to sneak past the huge sheets via a narrow channel on the north shore, and finally ended up as close to Charleston as the ice would allow.
Fishing was not as hot as it normally is in late winter, usually this time of year you cannot hardly keep your gear in the water thanks to the recent stockings. That was not the case, which allowed for more time in my heated seat and heated cab. I'm not complaining. Fairly slow fishing, but the average fish size is much larger than usual, in my opinion - about 18 inches for us. Didn't see a ton of fish on the livescope either, so it was not an obvious issue of "fish were there, but we didn't have what they wanted".
The wind shifted the ice around on us while we fished - the way we snuck around the ice had closed up, so we ended up doing some ice breaking. Thankful for a .25" welded aluminum hull. After slow and careful going, finally made it back to the pool of open water by the main ramp - where half the state had convened into their own little wave pool... A lot of boats in a little water.
And finally, be sure to donate to your local literacy program, because despite the "no parking" signs, both sides of the ramp were lined with parked cars, and a nice gentleman was prepping his boat in the middle of what little space was left. Some of us have big boats and long trailers - makes it really hard to pull down the ramp and swing around with cars everywhere.
As an added bonus, somebody was fishing power bait literally on the ramp, and I had the privilege of unwinding his line from my prop shaft.
Despite dealing with the cognitively impaired, could not have asked for a nicer day on the water, though I am excited for my usual spots to thaw. Prefer to be floating than standing on ice.
