Sunday, February 24, 2013

fox chain of lakes area ice fishing report

Given the bluebird skies and late winter ice, I thought that conditions weren't the best and we were prepared for sluggish fish. Within the first set of holes we drilled we found that the bite was anything but lethargic. These guys were spunky enough that they were hammering spoons dangled 4 feet above their heads. Not a bad start and we had a few gills and a crappie on the ice before even setting the tip downs.

The tip downs produced some very nice perch and these guys were as big as we have ever seen them in here. A few of them hit on the drop before the minnow ever reached the bottom. A good reminder to actually work your minnow as it descends instead of just letting it free fall.

a nice in-land perch
We had one of the best days panfishing yet. Fish came in packs and for a steady 2 or so minutes, you couldn't get the baits down the hole quick enough. But, as fast as they came was as fast as they were gone. That went on and off every 15 minutes or so for a solid 2 hours and gave us enough opportunity to sort out a solid bag of keepers. 

the truck bed of death
Oh, yeah and one consolation bass...

the lone bass of the day
Given the forecast for the next ten days and the solid cap of ice over 10 inches thick, I think we have a couple more weeks of ice trips to go. I'm not so sure how long before I get back out on the rivers but I'm getting that itch, so it may be sooner then later. We will see...


11 comments:

  1. Blake
    That bass is nice but for eating I would have to go with the gills. What a nice haul!! Thanks for sharing

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    1. i dont keep fish but my buddy is eating well

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  2. Looks like the pile we used to have in the basement after a day of fishing. Nice job.

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  3. Those perch are tanks for the chain! And the added bonus bass make for a great day on the hard water. Nicely done!

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    1. nothing wrong with the odd bass here or there

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  4. Those are some nice perch for sure. The chain has been really productive lately. I know what you mean about the itch! I was getting my boat ready over the weekend and then we got this snow. Hope you get a few more hard water trips in this year!!!

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    1. things are looking up for the chain of lakes area for sure

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    2. Last year I just started to fish the chain and did pretty good. Some nice fall largemouths and on the center bar on Marie did some good on the Whites. This year thinking I am gonna fish the chain much more.

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