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Post 28 Mar 2023, 11:55 • #1 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
the guide said usually the ice is getting thinner by late March, this year it's still getting thicker. Fortunately it's still just under 3 feet so our augers can reach the water. Up on the Grand Mesa there's 5 feet of ice on the lakes..



I've never been any kind of ice fishing enthusiast. This year the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers hosted a guided trip on this high lake, with the agenda of getting more people interested in the self-sustaining brown trout population. Since Covid the spawning browns in the feeder streams have been hit hard, with a number of 20-27" trophies taken out of the breeding stock. We're trying to get new regulations to protect these fish.

I wandered around the encampment asking questions as is my wont. Paul kindly invited me to fish with them. Three of us are then lined up sitting on buckets, staring at holes in the ice. Patricia pipes up, "I keep thinking of Grumpy Old Men"..
not sure how Paul and I felt about that..



There wasn't much happening in the encampment, a few small trout. Paul has a nice simple Humminbird ice fishing sonar, could see the jig falling on its circular LED display. The guides had high-fancy sonars which they said work about 50% of the time, took him a year to learn. Both of these sonars agreed there might be fish down there though our sampling did not support that.

We walked 10min toward shore for another spot. There were holes pre-drilled there and some blood in the snow which we took for a hopeful sign. Action was faster here though still just the smaller stocked cuttbows. Apparently CPW stocks the lake through the ice - drives the truck out, uses a giant truck-mounted auger to drill a hole, and dumps the unfortunate trouts into the icy wastes. I'm startled the fish survive. There's a decent population of mysis shrimp here which I guess is what they are eating.

51 years of fishing to get my first fish through the ice..



That's an Aliexpress glass rod, 4'7" with an Abu 4600C.
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=73257
The rod's a bit long for ice fishing, and the guides are too small, made it work. Gold Yapada Gossip 2.5g spoon with single barbless hook.



We were hoping for an Artic char, Colorado state record 4.7lb caught in this lake, or some kokanee salmon, or one of those legendary browns. None of that happened. The odd thing about ice fishing is you can't really think about it - there's no hatch to match, no fly presentation to think about, no difficult casts to holding spots - just drowning some mealworms on jig hooks, or hopefully jigging small spoons for the predators. Even the tackle is boring, short little bits of graphite rods and cheap spinning reels. Still with 3 feet of ice, it's the game..

There's a fox making a living off what the ice fishermen leave behind. He came trotting across the ice to check if we'd left him a nice pile of fish guts. Sadly no.






The fox and I, contemplating on the ice..
He did leave a tuft of fur behind which I salvaged to tie flies with.


Last edited by doug in co on 28 Mar 2023, 12:10, edited 2 times in total.

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Post 28 Mar 2023, 11:56 • #2 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/27/16
Posts: 2327
Location: US-IL
Was going to try icefishing again this year now that i have access to some decent spots and heated tents.Safe ice lasted about a week.4 years ago my buddies were drilling thru almost 3 feet.When i was youg spent many weekend days sitting on a bucket and mostly not catching fish but the company was good and a nice hot lunch and coffe at the end of the day was nice.I used to have more fun and luck fishing the open water in the Chicago harbors for salmon steelheads and browns .You used to get a winter pass and could fish off the endless maze of boat docks.Why those fish were there still baffles me.


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Post 28 Mar 2023, 12:00 • #3 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
Quote:
used to have more fun and luck fishing the open water in the Chicago harbors for salmon steelheads and browns .You used to get a winter pass and could fish off the endless maze of boat docks.Why those fish were there still baffles me.


they probably preferred the open water too ;-)


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Post 28 Mar 2023, 12:22 • #4 
Master Guide
Joined: 09/23/18
Posts: 614
Location: Eastern Wa
Awesome report packed with info. Congratulations on your first "thru the ice" fish. Cant believe its still that thick right now!
Nice outfit. My second ABU was a 4600C in about 1980. Wish I still had it.


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Post 29 Mar 2023, 08:36 • #5 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19078
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Something you learn fishing the salt, with 15,000 sq mi of protected inshore water under 2' deep, the gamefish follow the baitfish.

Thanks for the report and *brrr* photos.


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Post 29 Mar 2023, 08:55 • #6 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 05/22/16
Posts: 1760
Location: SJC
Great report !

I hear you about this winter; it's been storm after storm out here this year. Supposedly La Nina has transitioned to El Nino, whatever that means in the new climate era of the Anthropocene. Lots of snow this year piling up in the Sierra.

Have been getting out onto the local reservoir in my kayak, but the water has been the color of chocolate milk. Hasn't been this full since 2019.


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Post 29 Mar 2023, 20:41 • #7 
Guide
Joined: 06/15/20
Posts: 260
Location: Toledo, Ohio, USA.
That fox is awesome. They are magical creatures.


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