Ice Fishing

[Everet14]

Just wondering if everyone is getting excited for the hard water season this year? I know I am! Has anybody purchased any new gear they are excited to use? Any new jigs, tackle, sonar equipment, etc.? I hope this year will be a great year.
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[idahopanfish]

I haven't bought anything yet but am considering a bigger sled and maybe some type of seat setup that rest on the both sides of the sled, any ideas on the seat setup or design would be appreciated.

I will be seeking out the crappie at Salmon Falls Creek Res. this winter and the walleye.
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[Everet14]

Ok I take it the ice fishing bug has not hit real hard yet! But I would like to hear if anybody has anything new or they are excited about but I guess ill wait till the season gets a little closer. Good Luck everybody
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[idahopanfish]

Sorry I didn't sound excited but I still want to have some seats for my sled any ideas?
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[windriver]

I can't help you with the seat setup. I just bring the folding camp chairs.

I am excited for ice fishing this year. I check the air temperature of several places in our area. I know of a couple of places that often are ready to go by Thanksgiving. As far as new equipment this year I am hoping for a Vexlar but it probably won't happen this year. I need to order new blades for my auger. I also need to order mealworms. I use rainbow mealworms out of California. As much as I ice fish it is worth it to order in bulk.

Good Luck
Windriver
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[BrianID]

Sorry about the late reply. I've been too busy with other stuff to post much lately.

I'm also excited about the ice fishing season. I'm considering a few purchases (ice shelter, new auger, etc) for the ice fishing season but have not decided if I will get any of them yet. I will likely buy a depth finder of some kind though. Bought a new ice rod on sale at the end of last season I look forward to using.

Should be a good ice season at some places. There were several places hit hard by low snow pack last winter and probably won't be worth fishing this winter (American Falls Reservoir, Johnson, Winder, Foster, Pleasantview, ?Crowthers?, ?Palies?).
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[Everet14]

Sorry, I dont have any ideas for the seats. Is there any ideas on the internet? All I use is a bucket so Im afraid im not much help. I just purchased a custom rod today so I am pumped for that. I also found a couple of new jigs I would like to try, I will try to post pictures soon.
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[idahopanfish]

I have a sled to haul my gear and I have seen the seat setups in the shelters where the seat is a hooked on the sides of the sled and was just wondering if anyone had built their own and had some ideas. The buckets don't give me enough back suport, actually none[] I carry a colman director chair but I am hoping to come up with a way that I am more compact and mobile. Thought I could use a chair like I have on my pontoon or something

I can't afford a fancy finder but with the help of this group I learned how to use my bottomline fishin buddy where it would pick up my jig and of course the fish as they came by.

Going to have to get the auger down check the plugs and fire it up, change the line and grease everything up. But for now I hope to still get some crappie on the soft water[cool]
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[BrianID]

I thought I would bump this to the top.

This cold weather has me hoping there is a chance I will find some ice before the end of the month. The weather forecast says it should be cold for the next several days.[cool] Anyone else thinking about looking for ice in the next week or two?

I think I will have to start tying a few ice flies to get ready for the ice season. I will probably have a contest for ice jigs or other stuff post sometime in the next week or two.
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[flyguy66]

Brian,
I've been hoping for some early ice this year as well. I've heard rumors of people ice fishing last year at Henry's lake before the November 30th closure and thought that would be a hell of a place to ice fish. Anyone else have info. they'd like to share about ice fishing at Henry's or other still water locations that will have safe ice here soon?

The earliest I was able to get out ice fishing last year was mid December at Chesterfield and the ice was around 5-6 inches.
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[windriver]

I went through the Wendy's parking lot yesterday and got excited when I broke ice in a pot hole! I am a die hard early season ice fisherman. That being said everyone who ice fishes the early season should take every safety percaution necessary. I would hate to hear about anyone dying because they got excited and did not wear a life jacket, take a rope, bring a float tube, a spud bar to check the ice etc...

On another quick note if any of you are new to ice fishing. Do not check the ice with rocks. The snow covers the rocks on the ice and then the rocks ruin peoples auger blades later in the season. This has happened to me multiple times.

Good luck to all
Windriver
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[OvidCreek]

I just finished this trimester of teaching, and I have been going steady since March 1st (probably my last post!) It was one heck of a fire season, and I have had little fishing time since ice break. I am totally pumped for this ice season; this is truly my easy time of the year, and I have till March 1st to ice as many fish as possible. I leave tomorrow for a Salmon, Challis, and Stanely fishing/hot springs trip that will last perhaps until Wednesday. I am really tempted to bring the ice gear. Just got a new power auger and I want to use it! Perhaps Stanley or Alturas Lakes will be froze? Air temps have been near freezing for highs in Stanley for the past week. I agree with Wind River about the early ice! I promise I will be posting steadily until March 1st. I am a seasonal in many aspects of life.

Ovid Creek
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[fishingrocket]

Michael & the rest,

I too am excited for ice fishing. For some reason the ice fishing is best when the ice first appears. It is dangerous, but as others have already pointed out, there are methods that make the level of risk acceptable.

I too have no respect for the lazy ones that check ice with rocks.

I use a folding camp chair for my chair. It is comfortable and has a good back rest. It is fairly heavy but traveling in a sled makes it nearly weightless.

My sled is big enough to double as a boat by the way. I have also jumped in it and slid down a hill, skimmed across a few feet of open water to get on the ice. Coming back, I ran pushing it ahead then jumped in. I stayed dry that way while others ended up wet to the crotch.

When fishing areas that potentially have big fish, I use full length poles with good drags. I usually cut my holes in a line and create an ice burm at 90 degree angles to the hole. The line will be either downwind or downsun such that I sit in my chair and watch the rod tips and relax as if mezmerized. This keeps the wind off of me or the sun off of my face depending on the day. Sometimes when the wind is out of the south, it works well for both. If a bite happens too quickly or when I am fighting another fish, the rod gets sucked in until the reel catches on the burm and the drag pays out the line. I have not lost a rod using this method.

When prospecting, my holes are further apart but still in a line. I have a power auger so I may drill several lines of holes at various points in the lake until satisfied with my catch rate.

Obviously, I don't mess with an ice hut. I have pretty warm clothing and don't go out when it is below zero. It is pretty miserable in those conditions anyway and the holes gel up too fast.

FR
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[idahopanfish]

So have you ice fished Devil's Creek?
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[wackmaster]

I live about a two miles from Devil Creek and fish there often.

No ice yet but shouldn't be long if this cold air sticks around.
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[idahopanfish]

Would you be willing to share some ideas on where to fish there during the derby in January?[angelic]
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[wackmaster]

As soon as it gets iced over I will start fishing. I will post a report with info and tips.
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[luv2hookem]

I saw some info on the Devil Creek Tournment awhile back, but nothing recent. More info would be helpful, could you or someone else post it. Put info on the Utah Board would be nice too. Thanks
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[wackmaster]

Devil Creek Ice fishing Derby will be on Jan. 19th. To sign up and get info go to [url "http://www.bigdogfishing.net"]www.bigdogfishing.net[/url].
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