My 2nd Ice Fishing Report

[tjsa]

As per usual with me and my bud, up at 4 am, gather gear, he picks me up at 6 am. Drive to parking spot. We decided to try a put and take speck lake, was a longshot at best for one decent fish. Tried to use my pulk to haul gear in, but with low snow conditions, it kept hanging up on deadfalls, so strapped everything to my pack and off we went up a 200 ft. hill. Got to the lake and drilled holes looking for depths. Set up in 6 ft. to start, but drilled a few more down the shoreline and ended up in almost 10 ft. of water. Fished for 3.5 hrs. and not a bite.

Hmmm, should have had at least one bite by this time. Couple a pics of the lake.

 

 

Was a frosty morning, but only about -5C

 

Looking down the lake, sun is still behind the hill with cloud cover.

 

Nothing happened, other than good conversation,

So, we decide to pack up and go walleye fishing to the lake we were at last weekend. Packed everything up for the walk out, leaving the lines to pack last. And what do I bring up, but a salamander engorging itself on the end of my nightcrawler , poor little thing probably could not even breath, its mouth was expanded so much on the end of the worm. Sorry, no pics of the little blighter, cameras were already packed away, so snipped off the end of the worm with him and let him back into the water.

Back down the hill to the truck, retreived my pulk, stopped at a bait store for more minnows, and off we went. This is actually the first time I have used my pulk since I built it 2 yrs. ago, and it was effortless to walk the 15 minutes out to our fishing spot with my 70 lb. pack(I never pack lightly, just cannot for some reason) my auger, and the minnow bucket on it. There was a party at the launch that offered to drag it out with his quad, but I declined. Ran into him at the launch when we came out, and he was impressed that I could walk with that much weight behind me. But, since there is only about 4 inches of snow on the lake at best, it was not a difficult task.

 

Now, onto the walleye fishing. Got set up, and started jigging around 1:45 pm, in relative sunlight with a bit of cloud. We thought that the fish would not be receptive until around dusk, or 5 pm. Well, I hit 3 within 1/2 an hour, lost 2 just below the ice, and the 3rd I landed, a small 10 inch walleye, all before 2 pm, got a skanky pike around 2:15 , not what I wanted for sure. My bud had not had a hit jigging or on the set line.

Then a lull, a long lull, time to eat and drink(water only).

 

Then around 4:30 my bud gets a nice 15 incher(no pic, I was jigging at the time)and that was the time we realized that we had no way to measure the fish. So I know my right hand hand span is 9 1/4 inches long, (used to use it to quickly determine speck size in creeks)and made up a stick as a measuring device(gonna have tape on my hand auger for next weekend, and a seamstress's tape with me next time as backup for sure). I believe the stick we chopped of was 18" bang on, but don't know for sure.

So, my bud gets another on the still line exactly the length of the stick.

 

Keeps that one, then gets 3 more carbon copies of that fish, and since we do not know "exactly" the length of that stick, he let them all go.

I told him when he got home, to absolutely not measure that one fish he kept that was around the 18" mark, just in case it was 17 3/4 inches long and he could have kept 2 more,

 

Jigging late was not producing, so I moved one line out further, and set up a 2nd set line. Paid off on the first one I moved, got one around 15 inches, and he or she tasted great this morning. Sorry for the blurry pic, it looked good on the camera at the time.

 

My bud also got the biggest pike we have ever seen on this lake, most are 1.5-2 lbs., but this one had a bit more heft, and gave a decent fight.

 

 

OK, last picture, first time I have used the flash on my camera at night, just took a pic of my pack, and my pulk is slightly in it also, we walked back to the landing in the dark, despite almost a full moon, but with the cloud cover, wasn't a lot of help. but could still see where we were going regardless, and had to wait almost 20 minutes for the other party to load their snowmobile and sleigh(no ramp, backed up to a mound and cut off the roadway from us) and because of that, I missed the entire first half of COPS!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ah well, still better than sitting at home in front of the boob tube(or even surfing OFC for that matter, no offence meant)all day, but I gotta say, the beer tasted soooooo good when I got home and the gear was stowed, and enjoyed sleeping in until 10 am.

 

16.5 hr. trips are getting to my old body now.

[Smokey]

I figure that's a great day on the hard water. Thanks for the report and can you send some of that ice down this way.

 

Mike

[Joey]

Now that's just plain mean Tom

 

Well, we're all wishing for the cold weather, but I bet we won't be in March when we're freezing our butts off

 

Thanks for the report. Great pics

 

Joey

[tjsa]

Sorry Mike, I am not in charge of the ice, only the reports, lol.

[duber]

Thanks for the report.We are still having spring weather down here on the Bay . Will be at least 3 weeks before we are on the ice.+7C here today.

[joonmoon]

Looks like a decent day out on the hard stuff, wish there was some here too. Keep your auger sharp and your feet dry. Good report.

[tbayboy]

Wow, thats a serious day on the ice, thanks for the report. 70 lbs is a whole lot of jigs, glad the pulk worked well .

[mistyjr1]

Great Report Tjsa. I can'y wait for us to get ice on lake Simcoe is we ever do

Edited December 31, 2006 by Mistyjr1

[Greencoachdog]

Great report and pics Tom!!!.. but when I read the title... I expected your face to be in some of those pics.

[tjsa]

Shaddup Glen, lol.

[Abberz]

Thanks for letting me know how much I really miss the hard water....

 

Enjoyed the pics though, looks like a great day you had!

[lew]

Thanks Tom, that was a great read and congrats on a couple nice eyes !!

 

I must be the only OFNer that's happy the winter hasn't found us down here yet

[Mike the Pike]

Yes your hard water reports do please me .With no ice in sight in Montreal your reports also tease me.Thanks Tom keep them coming its all we have for now.Oh yeah we do have the Redneck fishing reports I like those too Glen.Pan fish eh............I really like Tom's pan fish LOL.MMMMMMMmmmmmGood fish fry.

 

Mike

[Clampet]

Thanks fer the report.

It's a lot of work for a few tiny fish, ain't it!

[tjsa]

Yeah, it is clampet, but thats' not the point of it all, never is actually. Especially speck fishing. 3 trips of nothing and one trip of great fishing is nothing out of the norm. Thats what keeps us who do it keep on trying.

 

Thanks for all the nice responses everyone, but, come on Lew, you should embrace the winter season a bit more,

 

One of the best things I like about winter fishing other than the comaraderie and conversation, especially when the bite is not going too well, is the open fire roasting of almost anything, sandwiches, sardines, kippers, deer and moose sausages, and my all time favorite, those small pork schneider's smokies

 

 

I absolutely love these things, never eat them at home, only ice fishing.

Didn't get the chance to yesterday, but soon, very soon,

 

Didn't have a fire yesterday, but my arteries are hardening just typing this post

[Guest mistyriver1]

Great post Tom, nice read. I'm dying to get out on the ice.

 

Is T-Bay still an 18 hour drive from Toronto ?

[Smokey]

Sorry Tom I guess I put too much faith into you and ice situation. I'm sure it will come and if not I'll be packing up and heading that way.

[fishindevil]

great report & pics well that was quite an interesting journey,and it was worth it for sure,way to go guys,happy new year to you from us...cheers

[mepps]

Nice report!

The butterfly is a nice manly touch too

[nautifish]

THAT WAS A GREAT READ & REPORT TJISA.........Love the pics too......& thanx for shareing.

 

Happy new yr

[tjsa]

Great post Tom, nice read. I'm dying to get out on the ice.

 

Is T-Bay still an 18 hour drive from Toronto ?

 

YUP, its still an 18 hr. drive from T.O. Misty, no getting around those couple of big a** lakes between you and I.

 

MEPPS, it is a nice manly touch isn't it, and I selected the flutterby colour myself,

[Moosebunk]

You're in your element now TJSA. Enjoy the winter season.