Final Update On Ice Season Goals - 500 Fish!

[joatmon]

Final update on my goals for the 2021/2022 ice season


They are as follows, with final "standings" in parentheses:

1)  Fish through the ice in October (completed, fished Moosehorn on 10/30/2021)

2)  Catch 5 species longer than 20 inches (finished with 3 - cutthroat trout, burbot, lake trout)

3)  Catch 400 fish through the ice (finished at 500 even - see picture of me holding the milestone fish, a slot cutthroat - I'm squinting, not grimacing...).  

The final breakdown by species was as follows: 

rainbow trout - 91 (longest 17")
tiger trout - 58 (longest 14"
brook trout - 2 (longest 9")
white bass - 152 (longest 11.5")
cutthroat trout - 72 (longest 21.5")
yellow perch - 91 (longest 10")
bluegill - 2 (longest 9")
largemouth bass - 12 (longest 17")
black crappie - 6 (longest 11.5")
Kokanee salmon - 1 (longest 13.5")
lake trout - 3 (longest 22")
burbot - 10 (longest 22")

I ended up with 32 total ice trips this winter.  I got skunked three times (two were at Willard, the other at Newton).  The lake tally:

Moosehorn - 1 trip - 20 fish
Trial Lake - 2 trips - 111 fish
Utah Lake - 13 trips (closest to home) - 223 fish
Strawberry (all locations) - 6 trips - 93 fish
Willard Bay - 2 trips - 0 fish
Newton 5 trips - 39 fish
Flaming Gorge - 3 trips - 13 fish
Rockport - trip - 1 fish


For next year, I am contemplating a couple of goals:

- overnight fishing at Strawberry
- perch trip to Cascade
- Montana fishing trip with my son-in-law and grandsons

I'm sure I'll add or refine as next winter draws close, but feel really satisfied with how this year turned out.

[Cowboypirate]

That is a heck up a run. Congrats. Trial lake sure gave up some nice numbers. What is your favorite story of the year. Amongst many I am sure.

[Fishin_Fool78]

Sounds like you killed it this year!! Dang. Save some for the rest of us!! Ha ha!

[Jmorfish]

Looks like a pretty good season...I enjoy doing a journal for all my hunting and fishing trips like you must be doing, but I just do the end of season tally, like you've done, for my bird hunt season...Fun, and informative, looking back on all those years...Guluk for summer and next year's ice goals...

[wiperhunter2]

Wow, 32 ice fishing trips, that's more trips than a lot of folks do all year. I thought you seemed to be getting out a lot this Winter.

[joatmon]

That is a heck up a run. Congrats. Trial lake sure gave up some nice numbers. What is your favorite story of the year. Amongst many I am sure.

Yeah, lots of great memories this year.  Most satisfying moment was probably targeting and catching a longer largemouth bass for the ice challenge.  Most frustrating trip was literally a sunup to sundown trip on Rockport, with a skunk buster coming AFTER sundown.  Or maybe hitting a deer on the way to Newton, followed by a putting up a skunk while fishing that day.  Overall, I enjoyed meeting many BFTers and others on the ice.  Oddest thing this year I shared ice two different times with several ice skaters/hockey players.  And of course, getting out with my brother catchinon was always good.

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Sounds like you killed it this year!! Dang. Save some for the rest of us!! Ha ha!

I did eat a few this year, but most of the 500 went back in the water with a sore lip and a better education!  However, I did smoke a few trout and that one salmon this year, and many perch ended up in fish tacos.

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Looks like a pretty good season...I enjoy doing a journal for all my hunting and fishing trips like you must be doing, but I just do the end of season tally, like you've done, for my bird hunt season...Fun, and informative, looking back on all those years...Guluk for summer and next year's ice goals...

Thank you.  I usually just capture the where and how many.  One of the reasons I post trip results is to provide details while they are still in my memory.  I should probably capture more than the hard facts, especially the people side of things.

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Wow, 32 ice fishing trips, that's more trips than a lot of folks do all year. I thought you seemed to be getting out a lot this Winter.

A few years ago, Craig and I set out with a goal to fish once a month.  This past winter our goal was to get out at least once a week, then hit Utah Lake as often as time and circumstances warranted.  Fortunately, I have quite a bit of flexibility in my work schedule and an understanding (and forgiving) wife!

My open water trips will be much more sporadic.  May try to be more regular on the cat contest this year and hoping to get my fly rod out.  I hope my waders still fit after two years of pandemic eating...

[Kent]

You did good.

[wiperhunter2]

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Wow, 32 ice fishing trips, that's more trips than a lot of folks do all year. I thought you seemed to be getting out a lot this Winter.

A few years ago, Craig and I set out with a goal to fish once a month.  This past winter our goal was to get out at least once a week, then hit Utah Lake as often as time and circumstances warranted.  Fortunately, I have quite a bit of flexibility in my work schedule and an understanding (and forgiving) wife!

I figured you were not working to get out that much, sounds like a really great flexible job. My goal is to get out at least once a week. In my best year, I got out 110 times but that was a hard pace to keep up.

[BearLakeFishGuy]

Still time to hit Bear Lake through the ice. You could easily "best" your cutthroat and lake trout sizes without much problem. The ice was 19" on the rockpile this past weekend and although it is starting to melt, it will be another week or so of good fishing.

[SkunkedAgain]

Scott, you are a tempter aren't you? I still haven't put all my ice gear away.... was thinking about the boat, but maybe the cats can wait...
Brett, pretty cool stats... you make me think I need to get back to keeping my fishing journal again... I enjoyed it, I just got lazy and quit doing it... Kind of like posting, I don't do a very good job anymore since the forum got more difficult for me to post on since my computer security won't let me start a post and the phone takes me too long... Anyway I enjoyed that post, thanks... J