Ice fishing thread
Massachusetts
Post your ice fishing pics! I got my first ever pike yesterday out in Cheshire!
The biggest of the trip. 39".
Nice pike dude! Great eating also if you cut the Y-bones out before frying em' up.
I wanted to keep one but the kid I was fishing with has a soft spot for pike. He might have cried lol. We caught some for the fry pan though.
Moons is that Cheshire Reservoir? Great spot for bass. Just so you know Pike are incredible eating if you never tried one. Oh and stay out of western MA cuz if I can’t shoot deer I sure as hell don’t want to not catch fish either lol
Spike that's the res. We caught a ton of bass too. Really nice spot. I'll be sure to stay away ;) lol. Saw 7 deer in a field out there..........
Hard to beat fresh fried perch and crappie! I'm trying to make it out Sunday afternoon. A local pond had 13" last weekend, so I think it'll still be fine after this warm front moves through.
Probably have more recent ones... but this one was the easiest to find. This was before I had kids by a year or two, those are my buddies kids, one is now about 16 and the other is 13... Nice bass, I think it was from Browning pond in Spencer...
With the “warm” weather how long do you think it will take for things to refreeze and be safe again?
Sosso I think we should be fine. Most of the ponds have a foot of ice. We shouldn't lose that much. I'm planning on going sunday.
Will that's a nice bass!
was out yesterday,i was leaving and saw 2 coyotes,the male was black and white??? ever see this before....it was coming right at me,had to scare him off!
Big, I’ve seen them with that coloring, especially around Echo Lake in Hopkinton.
They have some domestic dog in them I think. I bet that's where the variety comes from.
Went over to Jerry’s and got outfitted with tip-ups, auger, etc. Headed out tomorrow afternoon for first ever ice fishing. Hitting lake Chauncey for what vet it has to offer. Here’s hoping there’ll be ice.
Random question, a jet sled full of tall boys, and Jameson isn’t the illegal out on the ice is it? I can’t find anything prohibiting it.
In other news if you would like some tall boys (usually gansett and wormtown) I will be out on Lake Chauncey tomorrow doing my best to resemble a fisherman.
Real quick trip out onto the hard water this evening. Couldn't keep them off the hook for about 45 minutes. These poor souls swallowed the hook, their new home is going to be in a soft corn tortilla with avocado and sriracha aioli.
Perch are yummy. Let us know how the pickerel are... ive always avoided eating them...
Will, I love pickerel. You've got some bones to contend with, but if you make a slice down the center of the fillet on either side of the y-bones you can usually get the majority and have a nice clean fillet. I usually make fish tacos, because if you do have a stray bone you barely notice it with everything else in the taco.
Dang, that looks awesome. So if you end up eating the bone, it just crumbles and down the hatch?
I'm mostly catch and release, just keep a few now and then ice fishing or if my wife wants to go catch a mess of bluegills / cappies or other pan fish to fry up. Those taco's look GREAT!
Coolest thing I’ve seen in a while.
So far I've been skunked (only been out once). I'm headed out tomorrow morning. Is it true that you want to fish in 3-5' of water for Pike this time of year? It's hard getting ice fishing tips online that aren't from some source out in Wisconsin.
We went ice fishing Monday for the first honest effort of the year. We caught 7 trout, a few pickerel and 2 bass. Jocelyn caught a beautiful golden trout. I've been fishing a long time and have yet to catch one! A few friends came along and caught their first fish through the ice as well, it was worth braving the cold!
Wow - that Golden Rainbow Trout is cool. I've never seen one here in MA - that's awesome. What a fun fish to catch!
Those electric drill driven auger adapters are AWESOME.
Saw a guy with one last weekend Will. Cuts like butter. He said one battery will do 20 holes in 10” of ice. The adapter kit is $70. Beats lugging the gas one around. It’s quiet also. I always felt guilty about plowing holes in front of someone’s house at 6:00 a m on a Sunday morning
Damn that’s a cool looking fish. Mount that sucker.
Amazing fish I wouldn't think twice about mounting that
I live across the street from Whalom lake. Never been ice fishing. I know where some released trout usually hole up and don't get much pressure. Have enough tackle and rods, but nothing to make a hole. Is an auger the only way to do it?
I dont know whats more unique, a golden trout, or a young lady that ice fishes! Both are keepers!
Is a golden trout same thing as a palamino trout? Remarkable fish!
Can't complain this year!
Jeb - I think it was a hatchery "experiment" in one of the VA's years ago, and became a novelty. I know a lot of fly only water in Europe they stock em, and it's gaining popularity in the US as well... A fly tying blog from France that I follow, the posts pic's of them often, some giant, like 25-30" long! There was an interesting article about them in, I think, American Angler a year or two ago...
Public - that's hysterical - you live like 10-15' from me. I used to drive by there daily when my kids went to daycare at Twin City Christen Early Education Center... And we often head over that way still to go to Cherry Hill in the summer.
Wow, what a crazy looking trout!
Will, to answer your question further up the thread, once you get the feel for the v-shaped cut to remove the y-bones (similar to pin bones in fish like salmon and snapper) there is little risk of bones remaining, but if one does slip by they are tiny and no big deal when just one or two, the problem arises when you get 30 in one bite.
My rod and gun club used to release a golden trout every year. If you caught it during the fishing derby it was automatic first place.
I've been out twice this year. Nothing both times. I used to icefishing alot when I was younger. Feel like I'm out of touch. Was looking for deep water with medium and large shiners. Am I doing something wrong?
public, ice chisel. thats what i use.
Hmaximus - I treat ice fishing just like softwater fishing. Ill go to MDFW's site, and download the map for the pond - most (not all) ponds in the state have a map with topography, inflow, outflow, fish species etc.
If I'm fishing for warm water fish, Ill look for the shallow edge of a drop off, via the map. Drill a series of holes from deep to shallow along the drop into the shallower, ideally still weedy, water and let the fish tell me where they are. I tend to mostly hover like 1-2 feet off the bottom with minnows if fishing warm water fish... While if I'm trout fishing I tend to have a few tilts up at the top - within a few feet of the ice with small minnows as well.
Just like summer - I look for topography transitions via the map - the tip of an underwater point or it's sides where it drops into deeper water, a main lake hump, A flat that holds consistent depth (if intel shows it has green vegetation), corners where a drop off bends one way or another. The fish tend to move more slowly, but they still love cover and the ability to ambush prey or avoid predators.
Some lakes you just have to acclimate to - for example some smaller ponds there is no obvious cover, you just have to learn the pond... just like summer, keep moving till the fish teach you whats going on.
Not fool proof, but can certainly workout.
I jig a lot, I'd only do that if I was kidless, just more fun that tilts to me. BUT, I use the same strategy jigging and it works there as well.
HFSC, next time you do it, If you dont mind snapping a few pics, that would be awesome. I'm having a hard time visualizing what you are saying. Makes sense... But I'd love to better understand your technique. Thanks for the tips!
Public, I use an ice chisel also, like bigsevig mentioned. Mine probably weighs about 30 pounds and with a foot or less of ice you bust through in just a couple minutes. Perfect for eastern mass where our ice never gets all that thick, but a chisel sucks if you're trying to go through 30"+ inches.
I can definitely post some pics next time Will. This particular bone, as far as know, is unique only to the pike family, so without pictures it's pretty hard to describe.
So apparently all of the fish in this lake are geriatrics. The gum my shiners for about 50-100’ then spit them out.
Ugh...
sosso. try a #1 hook directly behind dorsal fin,under where it attaches to back? always get mine,although a nice bass fell off as he came out of the hole last time...!
Big - thanks! I’ll give it a try.
I always set my hooks at the back of my jigs and fake worms and whatnot, but when fishing with live bait i always move the hook forward. Makes sense to Keep the hook at the rear.
I’ll go for it.
Oh, and to all you experienced ice fishermen: Ice fishing, it’s like regular fishing, but with more drinking, and less responsibility...is that pretty much it? Cuz I’m only into my 5th hour and damn if ice fishing isn’t an excuse to get shitty.
Success!!! 22”. Has to throw him back but so much fun none the less. Caught another 20” not a minute after letting this one go! Well, I’m hooked.
Ice chisel? I have a digging bar that is heavy with a 2.5" tip. Same kind of thing? I'm probably going to be the guy on the ice where someone else will be like, "Hey Bob, come take a look at this joker trying to ice fish."
Public - if you fish a commonly fished pond/lake, you can chisel out yesterday's holes pretty easy - your bar will work. Just sharpen it a bit.
Sosso - I dont drink, so I dont know, unless you could a ripping caffeine buzz :)
That pic of how to fillet out a pike/pickerel is AWESOME!
Thanks come November! Those pictures do a much better job than my piss poor explanation.
Moons sooner or later you're going to be a tv star on North Woods Law. I watch every episode so I'll keep my eyes open for you.
Moons, always remember Probable Cause, Miranda rights, 5th Amendment, and you must be found guilty by a jury of your peers ! My money is on Moons.
Hahahaha, would've been a riot if the cameras were rolling for the whole beer fiasco up in Berlin.
Jeb, Ive secretly wondered the same. When they occasionally show "the good guys"!
Oh yes, that's what I meant. They show the good guys pretty regularly.
Was trying for a laker on little squam today ended up getting one flag and this is what I pulled up. 40 feet of water on a smelt.
Heck of a pickerel. Just about pike sized.
Congratulations, Tekoa
Nice pic Moons. Sucks that Moons is a giant of a dude so all his fish look smaller then they are. I’m 5’4” so all my fish look huge!
Hells bells guys, Moons is 15 feet tall. That pickerel is sturgeon-sized.
Hell of a pickerel, Moons! My bro and I got into a mess a of big pickerel a few years ago. We were fishing for rainbows, in the summer, in 30-40 feet of water, on Winona, not far from where you caught that thing. The big ones seem to follow schools of bait in deep water.
Lake Winni ... derby coming in 2 weeks... can't wait!!!
Nice fish folks. Moons that's amazing, I dont think I've caught a pickerel past about 20ft of water. Unreal, 40 feet! WOW! He's a stud of a pickerel too.
Those pike are awesome bonehead - is that CT the state or the oxbow or what not on the CT river here in MA?
Little Chauncey is ok, Lake Chauncey reminds me of safety class that's been broken but hasn't blown out yet. It's ~8 thick, but it's in pieces that are mattress or bathtub size. Walking on it last Friday was a little scary, the whole lake is breaking up.
1st light
1st light
Plenty of ice and fish at Goose pond in Tyringham.
Good day !
Good day !
Anyone fishing the Nh derby this weekend?
Yep I’m up in Wolfeboro. Going for rainbows with my brother in law. Where you at?
Parking at Laveitt Park beach and meeting a bunch of crazy bastards out by beaver island. They had the camera out there today. Good report lots of lakers around they were just finicky though. They caught 2 that went about 4 pounds. Good luck Chuck. Venison breakfast sausage egg and cheese for breakfast, backstraps for lunch if you want to drive across the lake. More than welcome!
Thanks Moons! Sounds like a good time, I hope you hook onto a big one. Post some pics of your success. If I head up there to enter a fish I’ll let you know
Fun day - 4 lakers 4 rainbows and 1 salmon. All sent back down the hole, so no derby winners today.
Been spending this winter searching for pike mostly out of Quinsigamond which have so far eluded me. But got this 7.75lb Larry yesterday morning on a big sucker. Thrilled to finally get a trophy sized fish this year after countless hours. Set her free to deposit all those eggs in the spring. Was sad sitting there all day yesterday listening to the sound of ice rapidly melting though...
Wow is right. Holy cow that’s a monster.
Thread hijacking, but look at the evolution of wealth in the background !
Xi and chuck, nice fish!! Great to see the young ones out there! BQP, that thing is a slob!! Congrats.
We fished all day yesterday. Got 3 flags, caught 1 small laker. Out of about 15 guys. Spent the night out there with a bunch of cusk set ups out. This morning, 0 cusk. Half day on the ice, 0 flags!! lol still a fun time with a good bunch of guys.
My buddies have caught some nice pike lately
Lots of nice catches on here. Congrats! I’m still sitting here dreaming of open water.
That largemouth is a fatty BQP! I think ice fishing is just about done in my neck of the woods unless we get another prolonged cold snap.
12" of ice and there hitting
Nice fish xi! I got a good one today
Thanks Moons, did good on Sat. Yesterday morning, not a flag.
Xi and Moons - those are sweet fish. Nice Bow's and LMB! How were the pond's edges - a bit punky but still pretty good 20 feet out?
Will I was up in Nh. 20" still.. buddies back home say it's real sketchy now
Anyone still hitting the hard water? I assume it's only the western MA guys, if any. I am gearing up to fish Newfound lake tomorrow. Hopefully post a picture of a nice lake trout tomorrow night! Backstrap is marinating, and beers are on ice! Should be a good day.
The one and only flag of the day
The one and only flag of the day
I think I'm done ice fishing for the year. Put all my gear away a few weeks ago. Getting ready for the April 1st salmon opener in NH now. My bro and I usually do well on lake Winnisquam opening week.
Cool HFC! How do you guys target them?
We troll and drift shiners from our kayaks. Usually targeting areas where rivers and streams meet the main lake or there are also a couple drop offs and random deep water humps a short paddle from my parents place that always seem to hold fish early in the year. And later in the summer those drop offs and humps hold some killer smallmouths. You ever fish Newfound after the ice melts?
Nope, but rumor has it right after the ice melts all the lakers are up top. I was told to drift/troll big streamer flies on the top. Definitely gonna try it this year
Rumor is correct Moons. We catch a bunch of lakers fishing from our kayaks throughout the month of April. I'm sure the streamers would work well. I'm usually dragging shiners with the tiniest split shot I have, but same idea. I'll be fishing winnisquam atleast a few days in April, if you're around when I'm up that way you're more than welcome to come out with us.
Sweet man I'll have my kayak up here. Looking forward to it
Cool man. I'll shoot you a message soon.
Cant believe how fast the ice washed out. Last weekend a few lakes I saw guys on are wide open today. Pretty cool how fast it washed out.
