Simcoe whitefish from yesterday

[Dutch01]

Been a while since I've posted a fish report, figured I was due. Always helps when you have a nice pic to post too. Reports of my recent skunkings would be boring I'm sure.

It was pretty windy on Simcoe yesterday and I again brought the wrong hut. I nearly died trying to pull my heavy flip last weekend on the north part of the lake in deep snow. So this time I brought a small and light popup only to find out its mostly glare ice and my flip would have been perfect. ?

Setup in 32' and we were marking a few but not catching anything. We had five guys in three huts. I had to wait for the winds to die a bit before I could move shallower but I eventually got set up in  22 feet.

I had one perch in the hut by 4 o'clock and I was packing up to leave. I had a minnow on a tungsten jig deadsticked while I was packing up. I reached for the power button to shut down my finder and right then had a good mark so I held off a second. I saw a tiny twitch in my line and set the hook. At first it felt like a large perch darting but I soon realized it was something bigger shaking its head so I backed off the drag and let it run a bit. Tougher than I thought to get its head into the 6" hole but I eventually got it. I was so stoked! 

Catching a whitefish was my season goal. I'd hoped I'd learn and apply skill over the season but I did it through perseverance (over 50 hours on the ice so far this season) and dumb luck. I'll take it ?

Can't wait to get back on the ice! I still want to catch one I can say was skill.

PS: The ice was moving a little and created a shove near shore. We found a place to cross but it was a bit ugly by EOD. This was south shore.

 

Edited February 3, 2019 by Dutch01

[Dutch01]

My setup and a perch

 

[Dutch01]

My Whitefish ❤️

 

[Dutch01]

The shove

 

[TJQ]

Nice fish...  I would have expected more snow on the lake.

[Dutch01]

I know right? The north end has loads of snow.

[misfish]

28 minutes ago, Dutch01 said:

The north end has loads of snow.

Yup, loads.

 

Nice fish buddy. Now catch one the real way, not the lucky way.LOL

They are all luck.

[Acountdeleted]

Wow. Nice whitefish. 

[misfish]

16 minutes ago, jerpears1 said:

Wow. Nice whitefish. 

See Jer, anyone can catch them.

[Dutch01]

Lol thanks!

[Acountdeleted]

18 hours ago, misfish said:

See Jer, anyone can catch them.

Ice fishing....... that's the sport that people with healthy, functioning knees do during the winter correct? 

 

........ Actually my knee isn't terrible now. Walking around mostly healthy. Doing my physio 2-3 times a day. Main reason why I haven't gotten out on the ice since surgery is I can't really sit for more then 20-30 minutes without everything getting sore and stiff. I figure I'll get out once for my overnight on Nippising in a month then maybe once more on my Laker Lake but that will be it for the year. 

I sure hope the whitefish are as feisty next year as they have been this year and last.