DWR up in the night?

[PutteringAlong]

Greetings,

I note that the DWR site says (as of 12/17) that the ice on Strawberry is still unsafe. Several posts here indicate otherwise. Has it changed that much in three days?
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[hedgesd]

First of all welcome to BFT. Second, the DWR site is and always will be very conservative with their reports. If you read a post on the site that says great fishing some place your probable two weeks to late. I use it more as a reference on conditions and if I'm heading out to a new lake it's very helpfull.
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[Theekillerbee]

Welcome aboard, it's nice to have you hear. The DWR is usually 1-2 weeks behind. Plus they are conservative. What I would consider safe, is not what they consider safe. Kind of CYA if you know what I mean. Good luck when you head out.
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[Kent]

When I drove by Strawberry late today there were a few people ice fishing; however, no one was venturing very far from shore. The safest place, that we saw from Highway 40, was next to the turn off to the Soldier Creek Dam. Most of the reservoir looked extremely unsafe.
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[Fishrmn]

Lawyer speak. First of all, there is a whole bunch of safe ice in some of the bays. There is also a bunch of unsafe ice out in the middle of the reservoir. The DWR ain't gunna tell ya it's safe to walk on and have you sue 'em when you fall through after they said it was safe.

And yes it does change a whole bunch in three or four days once the whole reservoir has a cap on it and the wave action ceases.

Fishrmn

[Hellsangler69]

Fox13 news tonight just announced that Strawberry has iced up with a video of ice fishers out there on the ice in Jakes Bay . But be careful and test the ice as you go out . I think I would stay in the bays like Mud Creek .I wish I could go but wont happen till after the holiday .
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Hi putteeringalong,[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Welcome to BFT. As everyone has said, the DWR site isn't as current as the almost real time info you recieve here. It's unbelievable sometimes. If it's going on today, some one usually reports it on the same day.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I noticed you got your sig figured out. That's great. It usually takes first time users a while, not to mention some help, to get those kind of things figured out. Glad you're jumping right in![/size][/font]
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[PutteringAlong]

[size 1]Thank you everyone for confirming my suspicions! Guess I'm getting cautious in my old age...

I was planning to head up this AM, but at 0500 I checked the CommuterLink website ([/size][url "http://commuterlink.utah.gov"][size 1]http://commuterlink.utah.gov[/size][/url][size 1]) and saw several inches of the white stuff on the road at Kimball Junction and it looked like it was coming down pretty hard. May head up early this afternoon if the weather/roads clear some.

I appreciate the warm welcome and hope to be able to contribute in the future! [/size]
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[Old_Coot]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]Welcome P.A.L,[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]I have been keeping EVERY weekly fishing report for the last year out of the Ogden Stantard Examiner's Explore section. I've discovered that they are always a week or two behind. This coming summer, I will be curious to see if they will give me an early edge to knowing where to fish by reading them two weeks early![/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]I must say, I love your signature block and picture (bibs and all). Cool picture and very nice monster perch (walleye).[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]Welcome aboard and start posting your fishing reports.[/size][/font]
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[tubeN2]

Hello there PutteringAlong, Welcome to the BFT message boards. It's always good to have new members aboard to learn from and share experiences with. We are all lookin forward to some more of your fishing reports.

Happy Fishing
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[PREDATOR]

From what I have seen from the reports here, it has changed a lot in the last week.

Another thing to consider is the DWR has to rely on a smaller info base than we get here at BFT.

Also, they have to be careful about what gets put up on thier site. Obviously liability can be an issue these days.

I love the DWR site, and the info thats available there. It may not be the most current, but the scource is hard to beat. You have the conservation officers, and the biologists who operate the fisheries available to you.
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[PutteringAlong]

Well Rob said that the weather looked better south than north (for us SLC suburbanites) so we packed up and headed for Schofield. Got there to a white out and nearly couldn't find the island! In about 4 hours three of us got eight nice fat 'bows (except Mark's first one which was pretty puny []) Kept two apiece.

I guess it was cold and snowy, but it was the first trip on hard water of the season for me so it was GREAT! Also close enough to the Solstice to count (is there any higer form of worship to the Sun God than pulling fish through the ice?)

Hope to make 'Berry over the holidaze. Thanks again for the welcoming and pointers. Look forward to chatting with and learning from you all!
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