Champlain Islander

What a swing in weather. We went from minus 20 a few days ago to high winds yesterday temps in the 30's to today and pouring rain, high winds and temps headed to the high 50's. Yesterday I was all over the lake on the wheeler but now with the wind and warm rain the wheeler will stay in the garage. Damn weatherman......

rockport

Thursday it was 60 when I left the house to go hunting and 27 when I got on the stand. Lost 30 degrees in about 20 minutes

Hawg Hunter

Hit the ice in Northern PA yesterday got a few nice bass and some gills

Champlain Islander

14 below this morning but the sun came out and no wind so it was OK. Perch bite was pretty slow. Did catch and release a nice 4 pound small mouth bass.

rockport

Oh I bet pulling a 4lb smallmouth out of the ice is a lot of fun.

Champlain Islander

Yeah it was a good fight on the medium perch rod with 6 pound test. When I fish for flat fish (sunnies, crappie and gills) I use a much lighter 30" ice rod with 4 pound test. The weedy bays where I fish for flats often give you largemouth bass, northern pike or pickerel in addition to oddities like rudd, bowfin or tench. Landing a 5 pound largie or a bowfin in short weedy water is always a chore. Most of the time though taking it slow and easy and they get caught and released. Lots of snow on the ice making it tough going with the wheeler. Good thing I have chains on the rear tires.

Mr. Slim

CI, just read on another website that a fellow was ice fishing in northern NY in St Lawrence county and caught a 45" northern pike. could bearly get through the 8 inch hole in the ice. what a catch.

Champlain Islander

That is one big north country pike. I have caught loads of them in the 6-10 pound range as an unintended catch while pan fishing but never had one close to being that large. It must have looked like a gater coming through the hole.