Blizzard

Blizzard

     The best fishing is during a snow storm.  Started fishing around 6:30 am and caught most of them around 7:30 - 8 am.  The new kids showed up, when we were finishing up.

Last fish

Time to go...

 

The new kids....Charlie and Tom

Eight

Eight

     Eight O'clock was when the fishing got good.  Poles were going off and soon we had our limit of trout.      

     Finally,  one the lakes sealed over so we could  get out on.  Further out, the ice was six inches thick.

     The trout were down ten to twelve  feet...three turns off the bottom.   We're  using a small jig, tipped with  a wax worm and a pink marshmallow.   The temperature  Was in the  single  digits and a light snow and wind....Great day to be out on the ice.

Montana

Montana

    Went to check ice in Montana.  Looks like there was an inch of ice before  eighteen inches of snow, blanketed  it.  Will be a long time, before the ice will thicken.   Maybe this cold snap will help.

Snow

Snow

     We have been hitting the ice, hard this week, trying to find the fish.  This morning, we were fishing in a snow storm and catching them one-after-another.  We were catching:  bluegill, crappie and perch...going back in the morning.

Back

Back

     Our neighbors came back for another exhibition.  This time with warmer clothes, auger, ice scoop, sled, ice poles,...etc.  Fishing still slow and just got a dusting of snow.  The ice is four inches thick on some of our lakes.

....don't give up, there are fish in the lakes.  Just not red, hot, fishing yet.

Newbies

Newbies

     The newbies (Tom and Jan) to the neighborhood and to ice fishing.  

                              Jan caught a nice blue gill...

...................and the new Tom, is trying to figure it all out.

2 3/4"

2 3/4"

     No not a number from Harry Potter but the thickness of some of the ice, up here.  Just a few lakes have this much, others just sealed over.  Refer to the safe ice limits, if you are planning to adventure out.  The fish were out deep and barely biting.  The high pressure, probably had something to do with it and fishing mid-day.

Ice

Ice

   The ice is starting to form around some of our lakes.  Unfortunately, it's going to warm up, so it will go away....but very, very soon......we'll be ice fishing.

High

High

   High pressure  had moved in, so fishing is a little  slow.  We managed to catch two meals worth of crappie,  perch, and bluegill.   Beautiful  day to be fishing  on big D  Lake.

Snow

Snow

   There was a slight break in the weather, to do a little  crappie  fishing, at a near-by lake.  We caught, several  meals worth, before  it started to rain again.  Up above us, there was snow on the hill.  Looks like we may be ice fishing  early,  again.

Tiger Muskie

Tiger Muskie

      Tom caught a beautiful, 35" tiger muskie on an ultra-light fishing rod and a crappie jig.  He was crappie fishing, when this one took the line.

Trout

Trout

     Beautiful morning to go trout fishing, up here in North Idaho.  Caught our limit, quickly. 

Small

Small

     We wanted to try a closer lake for Mackinaw.  There is one, just on the other side, in Montana.  We caught two small ones, I heard the larger ones are down deep, right now. 

Finally

Finally

     It is finally cool enough for the fish to start biting.  This has been an unusually long, dry, hot summer for North Idaho.  We went to one of our usual fishing holes and caught enough crappie for supper.

Legend

Legend

 
      There is a legend of large blue gills in one of the lakes, farther north from us.  We had to see if it were true....you decide (this one was almost 10"!).

 

Back

Back

    We went back to pike fish.  2 were caught, the largest was 35" and 12.87 pounds, caught by Tom.  I had another monster, but my line broke right next to the boat.

Biggy

Biggy

   We went back to NW Montana, to pike fish.  4 were caught and the biggest was 36" long and 13.55 pounds.

Pike

Pike

    Went back to pike fish, in NW Montana.  Tom caught a nice 30", 8.25 pound pike.  Marie caught a 23" pike.

Starting

Starting

  The pike are just starting to bite, up here, in nw Montana.   Tom caught a small 22 incher.

More Fishing

More Fishing

     Tried another lake, up here in North Idaho.  Same amount of ice.  Today, was a catch-and-release.  Here is one of our beauties. 

Still Ice

Still Ice

     We still have 2 feet of ice on the lakes, up here in North Idaho.  There is about 12" of good ice and 12" of white ice on top of that.  Here is our haul. 

Perch

Perch

     The perch were biting, this morning, up here in North Idaho.   The ice is about 24" thick.  I caught mine, on a perch talker.

Crappie

Crappie

    Even though high pressure was moving in, here in North Idaho, we didn't get skunked.  This beauty was 12".

17" er

17"er

     Tom caught a nice 17" bass on a perch colored, Rapala, rattlin' rap, up here in North Idaho.  There's 11" of good ice.  We caught lots of nice red-ears and blue gills.

 

 

10 Inches

10 Inches

   10 inches of good ice, up here in northern Idaho an nw Montana.   The pike fishing is e extremely slow in Montana,  but the pan fishing is red hot in North Idaho.   Caught lots of 8 to 9 inch bluegills today.