better days ahead

Fishing on Sunday afternoon was cold, wet, and foggy as all get out. Lord knows if instinct didn't take over, I certainly would have gotten lost on the way to a river I have fished countless times. 

Conditions then were on the rise, and now they are more comparable to flood stages. When we first started fishing the flows were moving at a slow and steady pace but at the end of the day the river was really starting to kick and the water had really colored up. 

My buddy flipping spawn and me swinging streamers both came up empty and soaked to the bone, but that’s just fine because there are better days ahead. 

flipping a nice run

ending my ice season

As the ice fishing season here begins to give way to warmer times, I finished my season in much the same fashion as it began. No, I'm not talking about anything outrageous. I didn't ice any monsters but the crappie bite this year was at least consistent. Trying to target the crappies a bit harder then say bluegill has made it a very enjoyable season.

Me and Damien set out at a down right reasonable time in the morning for a small little lake that typically is off the beaten path. It took a bit more effort then I remember in reaching the lake, though it has been over a year since my last visit. The snow on our route to the lake lay undisturbed by no one other then a few woodland creatures. Here you really could visualize the total snow fall from our last series of storms while stepping into almost knee high drifts. Not an easy walk.

our destination, a tucked away "little" lake

The ice was solid and thick but had a layer of water on top with another layer of snow on top of that. Every step would send my boot through the snow and slush til it found the solid layer of ice but quickly the water would seep in to fill any depression. This wasn't really easy walking but at least it was better then coming through the drifts on our way in.

I spent a good portion of the day fishing a Swedish Pimple which certainly helped keep away some of the smalls, but alas there were tons of these baby fish who liked to investigate our baits. The spoon did however give a few decent gills and crappie.

hand sized gills on the swedish pimple

the average sized crappies for around here

Damien did manage to connect with a few bass, and I popped a hook on one as well. This one if I recall took a panfish jig and wax worm and was just barely skin hooked in the top lip.

this bass sure peeled of some drag

And to wrap up the season, here was the best crappie of the day, Damien caught this 11 inch fish with a serious underbite.

funny looking crappie face

And now, I begin the process of breaking down my ice gear and moving it to my basement. Time to start preparations for spring steelhead and early season trout, both I hope to be fishing this month as much as possible. For those of you I know that are fishing the 2013 trout opener this weekend, good luck to you all.