Hi all,

The ice finally started to give way on the lakes round here on the 23rd of April, and I have been busy taking pics of the ice retreating as a kind of record to look back on in years to come, keeping a close eye on how the weather/wind/temps etc.. affect the ice.

I iced fished a lot later last year, even though the ice was probably safer for longer this year, just had other stuff going on....so the first opportunity i had to cast a line was not soon enough....lol...i would have cast into a puddle by the side of the road if i could have.

I did not intend this report to be so long...but i kept putting off writing it up.....but now I’m at work (boring night shift) and have some time on my hands...lol...at work and have time....at home...not so much...ironic.



Anyway....here's a few pics of Lake Wabigoon the week of 21st April, showing the gradual retreat of the ice...AT LAST!


































I think it was around Thursday 30th April that i noticed that there was a large enough area at Olsen's landing to cast for some Pike, so i dropped by at Lew's place and we arranged to go that afternoon.

We blanked, didn’t even get the Blankety Blank cheque book and pen for our efforts and Lew sliced his thumb open opening a new lure packet,.

But it felt great to cast a line again and Lew got to try out some of his homemade Musky lures.




LEW TESTING HIS HOMEMADE LURES






I had been talking to another pal of mine called Dale about getting back to a lake we had blanked on in Jan/Feb for some ‘ice out’ speckled trout.

He called me Friday night (30/04/09) and we arranged to meet the next day...neither of us knew whether the ice was actually out yet on the lake...but we were gonna chance it....we arrived to perfect conditions.

Half the lake was still covered in ice....more slush really, with a slight breeze clearing the ice slowly but visibly........



PERFECT CONDITIONS GREETED US











WE WERE IN BRKYGTR'S 12' WITH HIS NEW TROLLING MOTOR.








Its not a very big lake.......so we covered a fair bit of water, and having ice fished it before we knew the structure/layout pretty well,.

After trying shallow, then deep, we headed over to the retreating ice to fish the ice shelf.... we were casting various mepps and blue fox spinners, split shot rigged worms, I even tried the floats .....nothing!




TROLLING THE ICE SHELF












I had stupidly underestimated the weather, and had not brought warm enough clothing , so when the wind picked up Dale took pity on me and we found the most sheltered shoreline and breaked for a cast and a bite to eat..

Dale had brought some moose smokies (like bratwurst) he had someone make up from a bull moose the got some time in the Autumn.....damn good smokies!



FOUND SOME SHELTERED SHORE FOR A CAST







AWESOME LUNCH...THANKS DALE!








After lunch we headed back to the ice shelf, this time we were trolling what i think are called 'gang troller' rigs....i.e. 4 or five large in line spinner/flasher blades with a hook at one end, we had earthworms on the hooks..

After freezing our cojones off in ever increasing winds with no fish taking, we decided to get back to the landing while we still had juice in the battery, as paddling against whitecaps was not on our list of things we most wanted to do....


TROLLING THE ICE SHELF AGAIN





We got back to the vicinity of the landing and started to cast again, i tied on a ‘little cleo’ spinner/spoon to give me a better casting distance if nothing else, and started to cast at the submerged boulders along the shore.

That produced the only action of the day, a large swirl, and a fast follow , but no strike.

This encouraged us to try a bit longer but at around 2pm after 6 hours trying we decided to try a splake ( splake are a hybrid speckled trout/lake trout) lake further up the road........



WENT UP THE ROAD FOR SPLAKE....UNFORTUNATELY THE NW WIND HAD BLOWN THE ICE TO THE WRONG SIDE OF THE LAKE MAKING ACCESS EVEN FOR CASTING FROM SHORE IMPOSSIBLE






After that we called it a day and i made the 2 hour journey back home to Dryden. On the way back i noticed that one of my favourite lakes for bass(sm) had open water, and stopped to cast a few lures, nothing taking......probably a bit too cold still.




THIS LAKE IS RIGHT BY THE HIGHWAY AND HARDLY EVER FISHED BUT HOLDS THOUSANDS OF BIG SMALLMOUTH BASS...I WILL RETURN....lol.

I was greeted by a welcome sight on Sunday morning (3rd may)...OPEN WATER AT THE BOTTOM OF OUR YARD!.......I had a few things/chores to sort out so got busy with the intention of getting my first big ice out pike later in the afternoon...man was i psyched up.......




YAY...OPEN WATER!










By 5pm i had done the chores list and got some big sucker minnows for bait.....only to see that whilst in town running around the wind had changed direction and blown the ice back into shore.....DOH! No fishing today...lol...but got some nice pics anyway as the sun went down.




DOH...WHERE"D ALL THE ICE COME FROM
















NICE SUNSET PIC OPPORTUNITIES THOUGH


















I was working the next day, but was back by 7pm and had to give it another go, the strong SW winds during the day having cleared a good swathe of ice from our shore......The sucker minnows were still lively, so i made the short trek down the lawn, full of anticipation on a beautiful evening....




A FISH!.....but a small one





That was it...not another bite....wow...this time last year it was non stop 30"+ pike one after the other, mind you the water was warmer last year at this time. Anyhoo, i took some more sunset pics as i was waiting for the fish to bite........




MORE SUNSET PICS



























I did not get out on the 5th of May....but coming off the night shift on the morning of the 6th i gave it another go out the front....no fish again........but it was a beautiful misty morning ...soooo...lol....took some more pics as the mist cleared.....hopefully I was gonna be posting some fish pics again soon.......



NICE MISTY MORNING , BUT STILL NO FISH






























My new Minn Kota Terrova 55#, Autopilot with Universal sonar and remote control(Co-pilot) Arrived around the 10th May . Bought the quick release mount and got the 54" shaft for windy days . The deploy button alone seems to be worth the extra dosh over some of the other brands/models on the market, just push the lever in, press down and the thing just glides out of the cradle...sweet!

Only seven more sleeps till she hits the water....hmmmmmm.....now all i need is a had Lowrance GPS combo unit so i can hook my trusty old X67c to the front and use the big GPS with me by the tiller! then i woke up from my dream....lol any ways....here's my new addition....







I still had work to do getting the boat ready, parts ordered etc...etc...and I got to it in the next week. I was even prepping the wee lad for his maiden voyage....got him a mini PFD yesterday, lol....he was not too sure at first...but he had a goofy grin on his face by the end of the fitting





BORN TO FISH!















Went fishing at work on 10th May, I work with kids in care and take our boys out every chance i get...which is lots during the summer....gas( ooops…I mean petrol) and minnows on expenses cant be bad, and the kids love it so its a definite win/win.

I had heard the suckers (a kind of carp like fish) were in the creek and thought it would be fun to have a go catching some.

I had a net which would have been easier but the kid wanted to use a rod and line, so i grabbed some small minnows and we headed out. I got 2, the kid tried but was unlucky.


QUITE A FEW IN THERE, GOT A COUPLE SMALL ONES





After that we headed up the road to a good bass lake by the highway, i kinda thought the water might still be a bit cold and the bass not very active as the lake is spring fed and the ice only cleared of it a week ago.

I was wrong, we were there for an hour and got 5 all from shore with slip bobbers and minnows, i lost a real lunker...aint that always the way.



KID HOOKED INTO FIRST ONE, IF IT WAS NOT FOR CONFIDENTIALITY YOU WOULD SEE THE BIGGEST GRIN ON HIS FACE





I GOT 3 SMALLER ONES AFTER THAT










AND OF COURSE THE BIG ONE IS 'THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY'





After work that day i decided to have a few casts at the bottom of our yard......and finally got a decent pike...water must be warming up now, lots of minnows and shiners in the shallows.

It should be non-stop big pike down there now for the next 2 weeks before the water warms up more and they move away from the bay, they are always around, but for 2 weeks at ice out there are usually large numbers of large pike right there.

I only had one big minnow left so after i got that one i called it a day and grabbed a few moments to watch another beautiful sunset.



THATS MORE LIKE IT.....MAYBE 30"





USUAL GREAT SUNSET












Well, the next week went quickly too, and before I knew it, it was Friday 15th May, the eve of walleye opener.

I tried to make sure that my boat was ready to go for walleye opener tomorrow and not have a repeat of last year where my outboard was still in the shop for opening weekend. I did good too......



GOT MY NEW TERROVA MOUNTED 2 DAYS BEFORE








DID A GOOD JOB WINTERIZING THE YAMMY LAST YEAR....PUT THE EARMUFFS ON THAT MORNING AND SHE FIRED UP AND PEEEED FINE AFTER 5 OR 6 PULLS






So....all set for Saturday 16th May......well....maybe not.....the weather has been evil here...snow/sleet/heavy rain and really heavy winds, we watched with horror as the last big pine on the lawned section of our waterfront got ripped down the day before( we lost a bigger one right next to it the year before ) can you spot the difference?




NOVEMBER '08








MAY 14th 2009






AT LEAST I HAVE NOT GOT ROUND TO BUILDING A DOCK.....OR BOTH DOCK AND BOAT WOULD BE TOAST!






















Any way....silver linings aside....despite getting all the gear ready to rock and roll, and having been so psyched up for the open water at the weekend after what seems like an eternity, mother nature looked set to get the final word , here was the outlook for our opener....................




NOT LOOKING TO GOOD FOR A BOAT TRIP







My buddy Lew and me were planning to just hit Wabigoon for the opener, but if the wind didn't stop us, a windchill of -14 was putting me off the idea. I called Lew on the Friday morning and he was also going off the idea....but he came round an hour later on his new toy with his cousin and his young son and we went for a test drive.

The trip doubled up as an opportunity to check how the trail into Dore lake was for hauling our boats in in the near future.

I also got to ride a 4 wheeler for the first time ever.....pretty cool....i knew i 'needed' one years ago...but after riding it its a definite....lol. Getting into the small lakes this year and late season ice fishing next year is gonna be great!





LEW'S NEW TOY


















THE TRAIL IN WAS OK, BAD IN A FEW SPOTS , BUT DO-ABLE.....DORE LAKE LOOKED GREAT TODAY!











I"M SURE LEW WAS THINKING WHAT I WAS....SHOULD'VE BROUGHT A ROD AND CAST FOR JACKFISH!







LEW'S COUSIN RICK AND HIS SON







AND BAILEY THE DOG





When we got back we decided to wait and see, but both thought we would probably end up going somewhere in the boat for opener....maybe a little lake called Pritchard, just up the road...but it was looking pretty cold and nasty....hopefully I’d have an actual fishing report with fish by Saturday evening.

The 16th May Saturday finally here, we got out eventually on Walleye opener, weather could not have been worse really, woke up to a howling blizzard....yup...snow blizzard, with temps below zero and gusts up to 55kmh. I was not gonna be denied, and my fishing buddy Lew is just as diehard and was not being put off by a little arctic blizzard....lol.

LOL....MUST BE MAY LONG WEEKEND






On my way home from work that morning at 7 am, I decided to look at a little lake just up the road from me, it was perfect, despite the howling winds it was completely sheltered....well , sheltered enough that there were only ripples on the lake as opposed to the 3' breakers that were washing up against our shore on Wabigoon.

Not being completely insane we decided to hit the lake at around 3 pm when the temps were above zero, and as luck would have it the skies cleared and the day turned out o be sunny.....but it was friggin freezing!


WE HIT THE LAKE AT 3PM






The lake is a bit of a bowl, very small, more like a pond. We were marking lots of fish, mostly suspended at 10' in 17' .

A few spots showed the tell tale arches of walleye stacked up on the bottom, but they were not biting today, water temp was 41F.....brrrrrrrrr.

We were using jigs with the little spinner blades, but tried various tried and tested walleye rigs/set ups but no luck.

We figured the sandy beach was the mostly like place for the walleye so close to/during/after spawn, as the rest of the lake did not offer up any creeks or other suitable spawning areas. But after about an hour on the beach without a hit, despite marking lots of fish, we decided to explore.

We tried the weed edge which is productive in summer and were rewarded almost instantly.....but it was only jackfish...small too, but a welcome change from nothing!



A DOUBLE HEADER OF SNOT ROCKETS TO GET US STARTED






We set off round the back of the lake after the weedline, basically we tried the whole freakin lake, our plan was to cover it all then head back to the beach for the 'evening bite', thinking the walleye we could see on the graph might switch on at dusk.........that did not happen....lol.....and we had to be content with a snot rocket bonanza....we caught at least 20 between us....nothing big, but better than catching nothing....especially since it was pretty cold out there today.


CAUGHT LOTS OF THESE LITTLE GUYS





The weather people at least got it right for Sunday, 15-20kmh winds, clear skies....a bit more pleasant than blizzards of late. I decided to try for a big pike at the bottom of the yard whilst i was waiting for Lew to get sorted for midday, really pleasant morning but no fish....lol....hope this pattern does not last long.


THE WEATHER HAD IMPROVED FOR SUNDAY'S ADVENTURE





I THINK HE GOT BORED OF DAD TRYING TO CATCH A FISH....LOL






Lew joined me again this time we hit Lake Wabigoon. I only met Lew this winter so we had never been on Wabigoon before on soft water. We had swapped plenty of stories about where/when/how many we had caught so we decided on a plan that incorporated both our proffered destinations and headed out.


We tried a shallow creek bay hoping to find the spawn activity....no joy. We then headed to a couple of lakes connected to the main Lake by weeded channels.

When we got there, there were around six other boats where the channel opens to the first main lake, Scott and his wife (Scott being last years Red Lake Walleye Classic winner) were there so we thought good chance there were fish there as Scott would not waste his time, but there were too many boats so we went to the next lake down.

We tried on a nice hump i fish in the summer that produces great walleye, bass and big pike, but given the time of year neither of us expected to catch anything...and we didn't.

About an hour or two later(lost track of time, it was just nice being out in the boat....and relatively warm) we went back to other lake to find it deserted apart from one boat in a corner i wanted to try....so we trolled around the entrance where Scott had been before....we marked fish and caught snot rockets but that was it...still no elusive walleye.

We heard a boat motor and realised the only other boat on the lake had vacated the corner i wanted to try so we headed over there. This corner of the lake had produced really well for me last year,.

I hooked into a good 15" Sauger as we approached the bay. Promising. Then we anchored up and started to cast at the edge of the muddy water and the clear. Lew tried a cast right up against shore...and got this in 2' of water......not unheard of to catch these on this chain of lakes...but rare,


WHITEFISH?...WHAT THE HEL!!!!









WE ALSO CAUGHT A LOT OF PERCH






We caught a few more pike and a load of perch, then the crappie and walleye bite started. We were getting really nice crappie and walleye too, all crappie at least 10-12 inches with the best one going to me at 13"....go team #3! (I Know….lol…yup…the fish is really called a Crappie)

The walleye were all at least 17" with a couple coming in at over 20, but not enough to upgrade team 3's current entry


WALLEYE AND CRAPPIE ON JIGS





SOME REALLY NICE CRAPPIE TOO





The bite was really on, and we were catching a lot of pike and perch in between the walleye and crappie. They were hitting right under the boat which was fun and it also meant that i could watch my jig on the sonar just like ice fishing.


RIGHT UNDER US...JUST LIKE ICEFISHING...EXCEPT KEEPING THE CAMERA STILL ON THE ICE IS EASIER LOL




THE STRINGER WAS STARTING TO FILL UP NICELY





LOTS OF CRAPPIE TODAY





The crappie was a bit of a double edged sword. I had caught the odd one here or there over the years...but a pretty rare catch. Apparently somebody had transported and illegally put them into this lake a few years back.

Seems like they have taken hold good now, but after discussing this with a Conservation Officer (bailiff) last year....although they are fun to catch and eat....they could do some serious damage to the other species according to the guy.


The bite started to slow and eventually came to a halt. We only needed one more walleye for our 8 between the 2 of us and moved back to the channel opening to try and get it...without any luck....but we had enough crappie to make up for not getting our limit in walleye so decided to call it a day....but what a day...slow to start but then made up for it in a frenzied multi species 2 hour blitz....great fun.....


A PRETTY GOOD DAY IN THE END





HAD A GOOD SUPPER SUNDAY TOO, YUM...CRAPPIE AND WALLEYE MEDLEY

Wow, what a re-entry into non ice fishing! That has to be the single most hugest report I have ever seen lol. New toys are always a good thing I say Got to love Team "Limey" lol. Great start though mate, just got to get better. You need to move that fallen tree too, it looks unsightly Perhaps you need a new chainsaw :?

Nice pictures and like the look of the fish

WOW! thats it simon im moving to canada!

Any chance of putting a tent up in your garden?

Thats a AWESOME report! still a bit chilly over there though!

bloody marvelous Simon , took me half hour to get through all that post !