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Fished with a group, including a new ice fisher. Started off good, but then tapered off as the morning went along. We caught a couple of perch and a bunch of trout. Biggest was 17”. The trout were on the bottom or suspended at 15’. There was an occasional trout cruising just under the ice. We were fishing in 22 FOW. Best bait was meal worm or wax worm. Tried nightcrawler and powerbait but had no hits on those. Lure color varied. They didn’t seem to have a favorite.
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Thanks for the report, how big were the perch?
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Fished Echo last Saturday. Getting on the ice was a little sketchy, a couple broke through and got their feet wet. Getting off the ice was a wet experience for all. Fishing in morning was slow but around 1:30 it opened up. We ended with 16 trout 13- 17" and 3 perch. Definitely need 8' plank though unless things have changed. Trout were right under the ice down to about 10 feet below the ice. Perch right on the bottom.
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Sounds like a good day for trout, any size to the perch? Where did you get on the ice at?
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Feast or famine with the perch size. It was 10” or 4”
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We got on the ice in the state park near the launch ramp, but the ice was pulled back all the way around the lake it looked like. Perch were 3" - 9", first ones I have ever caught.
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As cold as it's been it's amazing there is a gap that big, I guess the water level must be raising from all the snow we have been getting. Looking like all the lakes around here will be full this year.
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Lakes are filling !! Temps are cold enough, but with the inflow of water, the edges don't hold very well. Will continue to get worse and worse for ice fishing, better and better for open water fishing !!
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Agreed and next week the warm up really begins.
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Got a late start on Echo yesterday. Didn't get on the ice till about 10 am. Neither of us had any cash with us to pay to get into the park so parked at grass Creek and accessed from there. Great ice conditions, solid edges, maybe an inch of snow on top, no slush. Only downside was the wind. I was able to get a couple of 3 inch Perch and half a dozen 14 to 16 inch Rainbows. My brother had a better set of holes I guess. He was able to get a couple of dozen 10 to 12 inch Perch and about the same on Rainbows.
Still no edge issues when we left at 4:30 pm.
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Bryce Lowder
I do what the voices in my wife's head tell me to.
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Not bad, considering the late start. Glad to hear the edges are better than a week before. Wow, 10 to 12" perch, haven't heard of many that size being caught lately. How deep of water were you guys fishing in?
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We were actually targeting trout. Fishing 16 feet of water. I had both of my rods set at 8.5 ft down. He had one rod at 6 ft down and one on the bottom and still caught the trout on the bottom along with the Perch.
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Bryce Lowder
I do what the voices in my wife's head tell me to.
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Wow that is pretty shallow for perch compared to other reports, maybe they have started moving shallow in advance of their spawn[:/]. Not sure where grass creek is, it is on the side by the Freeway?
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Looking on a topo map, it is on the east side about a mile upstream from the state park. And that's all I know about that.
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The older I get the more I would rather be considered a good man than a good fisherman.
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Walking access on East side south of the resort. For now free parking. When the lake is closer to full it is a nice access to the south end.
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Bryce Lowder
I do what the voices in my wife's head tell me to.
