C J Strike, ice report

[fishingrocket]

Did not fish but thought that I should tell you guys what I found at C. J. today, Tuesday 1-10-2017.

There were some folks at the point where the Cottonwood access road departs from the highway. They were watching a front end loader slowly clearing the road in and said they thought a road grader was coming also.

I went in at Jacks Creek and there was no need for road work there yet. I drove to the edge of the water.

I took a 4-wheeler out about .78 miles for a non-fish related mission. I noticed that it pulled hard at times and the chains on the front were essential. When I last checked the ice several days back, it was over 8 inches thick but I can only speculate now since I had no time for such surveillance. There was a slurry of slush water on top of the ice about 6 inches deep, partly ice crusted but looked miserable to deal with for ice fishing. Those of you that have dealt with it in the past know of what I speak.

The forecast looks spooky for a couple of days. The temperatures may stay above freezing until Thursday morning. It will get cold enough after that but there may be some new hazards by then....

We all know that the reservoir currently holds millions of jumbo perch, so there is some premium fishing waiting for those who come prepared....

FR
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[fish-o-holic]

Thanks for the update.
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[Fish-Offender]

Thanks for the report! Thinking about heading that way soon and I was wondering if anyone has accessed cottonwood lately? I heard that the road was plowed but it is pretty icy and chains were needed, is that true? Thanks and happy trails.
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[HiPlainsFisher]

I was just out there yesterday evening. I had the whole lake to myself! Which is usually great, but not so much when you get stuck. Even worse when your brother-in-law has to come rescue you!

You heard right, the road is glare ice. I didn't really think about it till I started skating down the hill. I managed to stay between the ditches till I reached the parking lot. Then I figured, heck, I'm here, I may as well fish and worry about climbing out later. I have a Nissan Pathfinder, with really good tires. They are also siped, which I swear by. I've never been stuck in this rig, till last night. I couldn't get enough traction on the icy road, so I tried to hug the side and get some better footing there. I went 2" too far over and got sucked right into the ditch. My BIL rescued me using my F-250 with chains. The truck had no problem on the road at all.

So yes, in my opinion, 4WD with chains are a must till that ice can melt off, which I think will be a while.
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[HiPlainsFisher]

Oh, by the way, I caught one decent 12" trout just below the ice. I only got about an hour of fishin' in, and was using worm on a leadhead jig near the bottom at 35'. Gotta catch that first perch to get some cut bait! Will probably try again this weekend, because you KNOW they're in there.

The ice is in good shape, at least 8" and the wet stuff on top has frozen. A pair of cleats would help.
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[Fish-Offender]

Thanks HiPlains! That's exactly what I was wondering. Sorry your fishing trip turned into vehicle recovery but I'm glad you found help. I had a similar experience on my last fishing trip. I now own tire chains[bobhappy]. Good luck and happy trails.
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[Duck-Slayer]

Heard on another forum that they closed the Cottonwood access road can anyone confirm?
Matt
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[idahopanfish]

Yes it was closed
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[Fish-Offender]

Just got back and I fished the narrows, but I did see a large barrier blocking half of the cottonwood road with a sign on it but I didn't stop to see what it said. Judging from the number of people I saw fishing cottonwood not many people heeded the closure if it was. It was a minor metropolitan area there. It was pretty crazy at the narrows too, everyone and their dog were there. Literally. There were so many dogs running around it was ridiculous. Most of the dog owners made zero attempt to control their dogs, they just let them run amuck through everyone's setups and bark at everyone and everything....pretty annoying on a good day on the ice. We did decent and caught most off the bottom in 38' of water with green jigs and cutbait. Mealworms did pretty well too. I wouldn't go down the narrows road unless you have 4 wheel drive and if it warms up, it could be quite nasty. But as long as it stays frozen, it's not too bad. Happy trails.
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[idahopanfish]

Thanks for the report. Guess I just whimped out when I saw the ice. Even with 4x4 and good tires plus the kitty litter I had I just afraid of going back up the hill. Glad to hear it wasn't a problem!
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