GUIDED VERMONT ICE FISHING TRIPS

2012 Ice Fishing

2012-02-29T11:50:00.002-05:00

The 2012 Vermont Ice Fishing season is day by day and is really hard to plan in advance....this week it is locked up and is fishable but it will not last long....the upside is its going to be an early spring without a snow run off....I will be moving my attention back to my other primary blog www.vermontflyfishing.blogspot.com Thanks for the views and see you here again soon!

ICE FISHING ANYBODY????

2012-02-29T11:47:00.004-05:00

Vermont Ice Fishing

2012-02-29T11:44:00.005-05:00

These are pictures of a client / friend's tournament Northern Pike from Lake Bomoseen.

Icefishing is on hold!!!

2012-02-22T13:33:00.002-05:00

It is my opinion that until temperatures drop below freezing again the icefishing is on hold....the 10 day forecast has some colder weather coming this next week. The edges getting on the ice are extremely tender if not completely unsafe. So for the next couple days and this coming weekend I am not taking trips....sorry please stay tuned... it is completely possible it will lock back up....

Lake St. Catherine Ice Fishing

2012-02-15T07:06:00.008-05:00

Vermont Ice Fishing

2012-02-14T14:16:00.007-05:00

Tom's Bait Shop

2012-02-12T14:18:00.004-05:00

Rob and Jess Steele are the owners of Tom's Bait Shop on Rte 4A in Castleton

I buy almost all of my bait at Tom's Bait Shop. Rob fixes my gas auger and keeps a good supply of jigs, has all the terminal tackle including new tipups, augers, cleats, skimmers, sounders and always has the pulse on the area's fishing.
Tom's Bait Shop, for google map directions the use following address 456 Rte 4A Bomoseen VT 05732

Today was COLD....windchill today was BRUTAL -10 or lower at points....I was tying flies all day today but will be Bass and Pike fishing tomorrow on LSC...Thanks for the view!

Frabill Outwear

2012-02-08T11:28:00.004-05:00

I love my Frabill suit so much my girlfriend Tina "Beaner" just bought one too! This is an AWESOME Parka and Bibs...completely WATERPROOF...I am kneeing all the time on the ice with water and slush....its breathable and warm for a shell...I layer mine with a first layer of a under armor type product, then both fleece tops and pants, and a hoodie....this is one hardcore outdoor garment!

Here are some Internet sources to purchase one for yourself:
http://www.frabill.com/
http://www.glensoutdoors.com/Frabill-Suit-Jacket-Bib-Set-Gray-p/741x.htm
http://www.reedssports.com/Product/product.taf?_function=detail&_ID=25471&pc=2583

We went scouting a new pond yesterday

2012-02-07T16:40:00.009-05:00

The weather was great...the ice is 6 to 9 inches thick...we caught small perch, pumpkinseed and northern pike....the jury is still out be I think we will go back to this pond...we only had the second tipup out when Tina caught her first ever Northern Pike.

Vermont Ice Fishing for Largemouth Bass with tip-ups

2012-02-01T19:13:00.004-05:00

This is a 40 up tipup...set with a large shiner

This is a "FLAG"...a Bass has eaten the shiner

Largemouth Bass are a target species along with Northern Pike, Trout and Yellow Perch

This pair of Largemouths decided to come over for dinner:)

Afternoon catch

2012-01-31T14:11:00.003-05:00

This was the fish kept from yesterday afternoons trip....an additional Bass and 3 other Northern Pike were released....Plenty of safe ice and fish to catch! Click on the picture to enlarge.

Vermont Ice Report

2012-01-29T14:04:00.003-05:00

Lake St. Catherine: north of state park has 7 to 9" of ice and is fishing for Bass and Pike, the perch grounds also has people fishing it as does the
Little Lake and Lilly Pond.

Bomoseen: North end down (float bridge) to Crystal Beach has 6 to 8 inches of ice, bass and pike coming to big bait on tipups and the perch bite jigging spoons and jigs has been very good.

Lake Champlain: singing cedars, larrabees, lapham, and 10 acres are all safe areas

Ponds like Burr, Pickeral, Black, Roach, and Reese all have 10 to 13 inches and are fishing better since everyone now is spread out.
Thanks for the view and give me a call if you want to try some icefishing!

Plenty of safe ice on the North side of Bomoseen

2012-01-28T18:31:00.007-05:00

2012-01-18T20:53:00.002-05:00

Malletts Bay Produces Huge Pike
Posted January 11, 2012 - 5:03pm by Eric_LaMontagne
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The day started with low expectations. Thin ice, shallow water, and broken tip-ups and augers all led to the conclusion that it would be a slow day on the ice for Craig Smith and his fishing buddies.

And indeed it was to start. So much so that, after a couple hours, Craig left the ice for his son’s basketball game, leaving the line in the hands of some buddies. Around half time he got a status report from them: one fish, an 11.5lb northern. Nothing to be excited about. The slow prediction was proving itself.

After the game, Craig returned to the ice to check in on everyone. Still, there was nothing. They waited for a flag, but after a couple more actionless hours they made one last check of the traps, starting with the one nearest to the shanty.

Anyone who fishes with Craig knows that he gets his joy from watching others pull up fish. “The thrill for me is bringing others out on the ice. I usually set the traps and bait the hooks, but I rarely ever actually reel the fish in.”

This, he says, is what made this fish so special. “The most incredible part for me is that catching it was a total accident.”

As Craig emerged from the shanty to check the trap, the flag hadn’t been tripped. He sent the other guys out to the far traps, and went to check on the one he knew to be broken. As he approached, that’s when he noticed that half of the line was gone and more was still spinning out! “My heart jumped,” said Craig. “I knew it took a big fish to peel away that much heavy line.”

His assumption was correct. Craig had been fishing 6 inch shiners with 45 lb line, but only had a 20lb leader on the end. When he felt the pull of the fish, he knew he had to play it very carefully. “When it saw the hole, he was not happy. That thing was more pissed off than any other fish I’ve caught, and I’ve caught a lot of fish!” Over the next fifteen minutes, the beast passed under the hole four times, only to again disappear with the line screaming out of the reel. “It was crazy. When we finally did get him to the hole, he barely fit! Our 10 inch auger had broken earlier, so we were only fishing 7 inch holes.”

After heading across the road to Biben’s Lake Shore Ace to weigh and measure the fish, the final stats were staggering. 41.5 inches long. 22.53 pounds. 21 inch girth. A true monster. A few years back Craig had caught a northern that was around 3” longer, but this one weighed over 5lbs more. “A true freak of nature” he called it. Craig claims the fish is the third largest Northern Pike officially registered from Lake Champlain. While still awaiting official confirmation, one thing is for sure, this enormous fish is certainly one for the books. “My phone has been ringing off the hook with people congratulating me,” Craig says. “I’m very surprised and touched by the amount of support and encouragement people have been giving me.”

Story by Eric LaMontagne

Northern Pike are the King on the Ice

2012-01-17T09:01:00.002-05:00

A good friend of mine, Mark Stewart of Newport Vermont caught this Northern Pike this last weekend. Mark was icefishing (in the Northeast Kingdom) with tipups and caught this 38" Pike. The fish was released to play another day and was estimated to have weighed about 14lb....

Vermont Ice Fishing

2012-01-11T17:48:00.011-05:00

My girl friend, Tina "Beaner" Durgin and I did a quick scouting ride, photo shoot and jigging trip today. We didn't set any tipups, but I did set up some anchors for the portable shanty and we played with new and old toys....this was Tina's first icefishing trip and she told me that she would go again:)

Loading sleds...the wood is for semi-permanent anchor points for the portable shanty

There is between 6 to 9 inches of good hard (SAFE) black ice. So, I normally use my hand auger instead of the gas auger. When I set out a big spread of tipups you can bet the gas auger gets fired up.

The Aqua-Vu and Showdown depth finder are both excellent scouting tools for finding panfish.

Learning to jig through the ice is a process like all sports. This was Tina's first outing and I think she has figured it out.

We normally jig for panfish with 24 to 30 inch rods and reels with 2 to 6 lb test line. Species include: Perch, Bluegills, Crappie and Sunfish

This week's weather forecast

2012-01-10T13:37:00.004-05:00

We have a awesome ICE FISHERMAN'S FORECAST for the next 5 days:
Jan. 11 wed high 35 low 27 Sunny
Jan. 12 thur high 36 low 31 Snow
Jan. 13 fri high 34 low 18 Snow
Jan. 14 SAT high 24 low 1 Sunny
Jan. 15 SUN high 20 low 11 Sunny

And after that the weather guess is alittle below freezing straight through....AWESOME! We will have many more targets in short order.
Bass and Trout Icefishing season starts Jan. 21st.

Burr Pond

2012-01-09T07:43:00.002-05:00

I guided a trip on Burr Pond this weekend and there was a bunch of people fishing. We had close to 6" on ice and fun was had by all. Burr Pond has Yellow Perch, Bluegills, Crappies, Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike. It is tucked away on the hill across from Lake Hortonia off of Rte 30 in Sudbury Vt. This pond is a great place to teach people how to jig through the ice with very cooperative numbers of Yellow Perch.

There are places to ice fish now!

2012-01-05T12:07:00.000-05:00

The following places are (to the best of my knowledge) currently safe to fish....barring a huge warmup and further meltdown. The weather forecast is for warmer than usual, but cold enough at night to still keep and build ice. The following places are being fished as you read this: Burr Pond, Chittenden Reservoir, Roach Pond, Breese Pond, North End of Bomo (north of bridge), Red Rocks, Lapham Bay.
I will be fishing this coming Saturday and cruising/scouting. I do not fish on less than 4 inches of ice...The above mentioned places currently have 4-5inches or more of ice. Let's go icefishing!

We have safe Ice

2012-01-04T10:05:00.000-05:00

We have fishable ice on some ponds including one of my favorite icefishing places Burr Pond. The bigger lakes like St. Catherine or Bomoseen are not ready but we are good to go now on Burr pond...thanks for the visit and please stay tuned....Lets go ICE FISHING!

We are almost ready!!!

2011-12-30T13:16:00.000-05:00

We are very close to having what I call fishable ice....a couple more cold nights as the forecast is calling for and...LET THE GAMES BEGIN....

Tipup fishing for Pike, Bass and Trout

2011-12-08T11:05:00.000-05:00

This is a standand 40up tipup which I use that are made in Westfield, Massachuesetts

A flag is up... means a fish is eating the bait. People yell either "FLAG" or "TIPUP"....we usually set 5 to 8 tipups per person so it can get crazy busy when the "BITE IS ON"

feel for the fish and set the hook (jerk the line)

hand over hand play the fish up through the hole

and catch the fish which in this case is a small Northern Pike

Jigging through the ice

2011-12-07T08:23:00.001-05:00

The three main species to target in southern Vermont while jigging are Yellow Perch, Bluegills and Crappies. The rods we use are extremely light action in lengths of 24 to 27 inches long....reels hold 2 to 4 lb test. I like 3 lb test Sufix Ice Magic line....this is like 6X all you fly guys! Jigs are never bigger than a 10 and mainly 12's and 14's....tipped with larva or plastics....I will at times hang a fly for a dropper.....for Northern Pike, Bass and Lake Treout we will set tipups with bigger baits....the forecast is for snow and colder weather tonight finally....please stay tuned

The showdown troller depth finder

2011-12-03T15:42:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGm3PlwPTxk

A month away!

2011-11-30T15:11:00.000-05:00

It is going to be a month away until we go icefishing. I have already tuned and repaired tipups, painted and poured a ton of jigs, and will start to line reels with 2 and 4 lb test....tipup leaders....8 to 9 feet of 10 lb for bass and pike tipups, and 6lb on the perch and crappie rigs....I like eagle claw #42's in sizes 6, 8, 10....Icefishing is alot of fun! Give it a try this winter and thanks for your click:)

My favorite panfish target BURR POND

2011-11-19T15:29:00.000-05:00

FALL SCOUTING

2011-09-27T13:44:00.000-04:00

I plotted a route yesterday on Bomoseen from Crystal Beach to Black Rock...you would be amazed how different things look in the winter....I do spend a bunch of time getting ready for ice fishing....I really hope we find bull "gills" like we were into yesterday this winter....thanks for following!

summer time

2011-05-03T13:50:00.000-04:00

All you icefisherman should be scouting targets and weed edges during the summer....a handheld GPS is an extremely important tool....

Ice fishing forecast

2011-02-28T10:06:00.000-05:00

I looked in my Vermont ice Fishing Crystal Ball....and I think we will be able to fish about 3 more weeks...till around March 20th...especially on the smaller ponds like Burr Pond.

Leaders on tipups and light line on jigging rods

2011-01-31T11:52:00.000-05:00

I have been seeing alot of folks without decent leaders on tip-ups and with heavy mono on jigging gear. I use 8 to 10 feet of 10 or 12 lb test mono on my tipups and 4 lb test mono on my jigging rods. I use a barrel swivel to connect mono to braid, a couple small split shot and an eagle claw #L042 in sizes 6 or 8. My favorite jigging spoon is a 25mm Hali or a 11/2" Shucks Jigger minnow....both tipped with 3 spikes.
We have plenty of safe ice.....conditions on top the ice varies greatly!!!

We want a BIG ONE....

2011-01-27T10:46:00.000-05:00

Vermont Ice Fishing

2011-01-27T10:39:00.001-05:00

I have been tipup fishing Lake St. Catherine for Bass and Northern Pike. The other is Burr Pond where we jig for Yellow Perch, Bluegills, Crappie and Pike...

Vermont Ice Fishing Report

2011-01-25T14:08:00.000-05:00

The conditions on top the ice are now GREATLY improved....we had several very cold days and nights....one day it was -25 in the morning. Well it is "GAME ON"...finally the snow has settled or turned, the water and slush on top has honey comb hardened....its time to go ICE FISHING in southern VERMONT. All the guys that have hard side shanties will finally get them on.....all the snow we had was making it very hard to move around....not anymore, lets go jigging boys and girls!!!

Vermont ice fishing

2011-01-19T10:20:00.000-05:00

We are having a huge snow year here in Southern Vermont. Ice fishing is in high gear, Trout and Bass season is open, the main part of LSC has 5 inches of hard black ice. Waterproof knee high boots are a MUST....it gets very slushy around the holes with all the snow on the ice. Snow depths on the ice vary between 6 to 18"....the places I'm fishing this week for Northern Pike have 8 or 9" of ice and equal that with snow....The Pike fishing has been very good!!!

Safe Ice Chart

2011-01-14T12:30:00.000-05:00

The places I am fishing on have 8+ inches of ice. There is a bunch of snow on top and hopefully the wind takes can of that. Trout and Bass ice fishing season begins tomorrow.

Safe Ice

2011-01-07T10:48:00.000-05:00

Lake St. Catherine has 8 to 9" of very safe ice at the northern end at twin oaks off of Fern Cliff, Burr Pond has 9 -10", Bomoseen from crystal beach north to and pass floating Bridge has 6 - 8"....Lets go ICE FISHING!!! My new tool "Showdown" works GREAT!!! You can even see split shot and micro jigs on it.....VERY, VERY COOL TOOL.

2011-01-06T08:48:00.000-05:00

I just added this showdown troller depth/fish finder to my Ice fishing tools. It is AWESOME...you can see the fish, watch the jig and not fish like a blind man. Ice fishing is alot of fun...and I think you need to try it!! Call me today.

Its here

2010-12-30T12:44:00.000-05:00

It is here!!! ICE FISHING in Vermont is happening....I am putting new gas in the auger, tying new leaders on the tipups, cleaning buckets, getting sleds ready....LETS GO ICEFISHING!!!!

The 2010-2011 Ice fishing season

2010-12-29T11:37:00.003-05:00

The 2010-2011 Vermont Ice Fishing season has begun. There is fishable safe ice at: North End Bomoseen, Burr Pond and Fern Cliff LSC...I will be scouting around very shortly and will file a report before weeks end. Please stay tuned!!

I have to be honest!!!

2010-10-17T11:28:00.001-04:00

I have been thinking about icefishing....I do like fishing with 2 lb. test and a 24" rod!!!Iceshanty.com has been getting active also....hands down the most addictive forum on the web!

2011 Ice Fishing will be here before you know it!!!

2010-10-15T12:53:00.000-04:00

IT'S OVER!!!!

2010-03-16T15:07:00.000-04:00

Vermont ice fishing is a done deal!!! For current fishing conditions and reports for open water fishing please log on to my other blog http://www.vermontflyfishing.blogspot.com

Vermont Icefishing first week of March

2010-03-06T12:35:00.000-05:00

Lake St. Catherine Brown Trout

2010-02-24T09:51:00.001-05:00

The Trout fishing on LSC is hit or miss....HERO or ZERO.....but when you connect they are big ones. They are well fed on Alewifes and almost all of them have been over 3lbs. This one below is a 21" football at 5 lbs.

Tons of safe ice

2010-02-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

We fished Burr pond yesterday. There was over 14" of ice. Over the weekend, I was on Champlain and guys were driving all over it. The perch and pike are biting really good. Yesterday we did big numbers of perch and 5 pike. I smell a perch fry tomorrow night!

Lake St. Catherine Trophy Brown Trout

2010-02-08T08:41:00.001-05:00

Lake St. Catherine is producing some Trophy Brown Trout. I would not want to have beginners or children on trout trips. For Trout, you need to be set up in low light periods and there will not be alot of flags. With family groups, I like to target perch, pike and bass.

Above: My friend and fellow guide, Randy Mcguiness with a very handsome Brown Trout

Pawlet local Jason Gould with a 6 lb. Brown Trout from Lake St. Catherine

This is almost a 8 lb Brown Trout which was caught within sight of our hardside shanty

SAFE ICE EVERYWHERE!!!

2010-02-02T09:18:00.000-05:00

After the thaw and rain....it got cold. Real cold for 4 days and now all the snow /slush that was on top the ice....is ICE!!! We have fishable ice everywhere!!!! We have a decent 7 day forecast....lets go fishing boys....some time this week I'm going to put the light down for some night bite Crappies. I have plenty of time and dates.....call me.

FAMILY FUN FOR EVERYONE

2010-01-26T20:32:00.001-05:00

Northern Pike on a Hali Jig with 4 lb test

Afternoon/evening on Lake St. Catherine

2010-01-23T12:45:00.001-05:00

Father and son icefishing trip to Lake St. Catherine

2010-01-19T16:36:00.000-05:00

My son Nick and I got a chance to actually icefish yesterday for a couple hours. Nick's pike came on a large shiner off a tipup and was about 32". This Pike was SKINNY....he must not know where the alewives are. We missed a couple flags with big bait and had "a run and a drop". I caught my Largemouth on a Hali spoon with mousie grubs fished off a 27" rod with 4lb test. The Bass was about 18" and was a challenge to get through a 6" hole with such light tackle.

The biggest Pike are caught ice fishing

2010-01-09T10:54:00.000-05:00

You have to fish for trophy pike. This is NOT an action activity!!! Very BIG BAITS and you are more likely to not get any flags. Trophy hunters go weeks without catching fish....this isn't something I do. You are allowed up to 8 lines a person icefishing. Normally, I'll run 6 or 7 tipups and fish a jigging rod. When fishing a known big fish lake, I'll put out a line or 2 with some big bait and run the rest with normal sized bait. I really target action when running guided trips.

VERMONT STATE RECORD NORTHERN PIKE TOP TEN
Top Fish Records - Species Northern Pike
Northern Pike
30 LBS 8 oz ( 30.5 lbs )
Glen Lake
taken on February 19, 1977 by Bernard M. Golob
28 LBS 13.44 oz ( 28.84 lbs )
Glen Lake
taken on March 7, 2009 by Kalem Taft
26 LBS 12.64 oz ( 26.79 lbs )
Norton Pond
taken on February 22, 2004 by Michael Ryan
26 LBS 0 oz ( 26 lbs )
Kellogg Bay, Lake Champlain
taken on March 1, 1970 by Robert E. Bearor
25 LBS 15 oz ( 25.9375 lbs )
Norton Pond
taken on February 23, 1996 by Peter A. Marshall
25 LBS 8.64 oz ( 25.54 lbs )
Glen Lake, Castleton, VT
taken on February 1, 2003 by Joseph F. Bruno
25 LBS 3 oz ( 25.1875 lbs )
Glen Lake
taken on March 10, 2007 by Kyle Blanchard
25 LBS 2 oz ( 25.125 lbs )
Lake Hortonia
taken on February 10, 1970 by Raymond Bishop
24 LBS 15.68 oz ( 24.98 lbs )
Norton Pond
taken on May 23, 1992 by Mark Lewis
24 LBS 14 oz ( 24.875 lbs )
Glen Lake, Fair Haven, VT
taken on March 8, 1974 by Michael W. Ziezulewicz, Jr.

Ice conditions

2010-01-07T08:49:00.000-05:00

We had a nor-eastern snow storm last weekend. Here on Lake St. Catherine we got 18" of snow. The weight of the snow pushes down on the ice. Ice fishing holes allow water to get up on the ice. Not a bad thing long term but currently there is 2 to 3" of slush/water on the ice. It is just a little messy right now. I'll be out today looking for gills. The forecast is for single digit temps over the next 5 nights....a good thing!!! that slush will make ice and we'll be good to go for Trout and Bass season next weekend. They plowed the State Park yesterday but the gate is still closed. "Anything fishy" Osborne is itching to get his shanty in the park....this fall there was a bunch of really nice Brown Trout cruising the shallows in the park. Please stay tuned and I do have a bunch of open dates.

Ice Fishing video on you tube

2010-01-05T10:33:00.000-05:00

Check out this you tube video....it is the BEST explanation for icefish
i have ever seen or heard

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5JMSfLnNvM

Lake St. Catherine Ice

2010-01-01T10:03:00.000-05:00

I spent time on St. Catherine at Fern Cliff yesterday. More scouting with the Aqua-vu then actually fishing: marking weed bed edges on GPS and checking out ice thickness. We are ready to go!! Saw a really nice Largemouth and a decent Pike. Fish don't mind the camera until it moves.

Some Vermont lakes are now safe

2009-12-29T16:59:00.000-05:00

January Can Bring Great Ice Fishing Opportunities

Vermont offers great ice fishing in lakes throughout the state, and the action normally is great beginning in mid-January, depending on the weather. At least six inches of solid ice is recommended for safe ice fishing.
Vermont’s premier fishing destination, Lake Champlain, offers many ice fishing opportunities. Ice anglers can find quality fishing for many species on this 120-mile long lake, including landlocked salmon, lake trout, northern pike, yellow perch, white perch, walleye, crappie, and smelt. There is no closed season for trout and salmon on Lake Champlain.
Vermont’s ice fishing season for trout, salmon and bass starts January 16 and continues through March 15 on 40 other large Vermont lakes.

Frabill Refuge Portable Ice Shanty

2009-12-22T15:08:00.000-05:00

So, you think ice fishing is cold....not with a portable ice shanty and a Mr. Buddy heater that puts out 4000 to 9000 BTUs....The beauty of these shanties are they are highly mobile. We will be on fish!!

Lake St. Catherine

2009-12-21T10:23:00.000-05:00

Last night, Lake St. Catherine (main lake) finally locked up with ice. By no means is it safe!!!Tonight the forecast is for ...very cold!!! This Wednesday, I plan to jig Bluegills in a tiny pond on my road. I have been crazy busy painting jigs, making reel weeds, tying scud nymphs and getting ready. We will be catching fish on scud nymphs, 24" rods with ultra light reels with 5X & 6X....please stay tuned.

Vermont Ice Fishing Lakes

2009-12-17T15:13:00.000-05:00

The following is a list of lakes I ice fish and guide trips on:
Lake St. Catherine (the home lake, I live a mile from the state park), Bomoseen, Hortonia, Burr Pond, Chittenden Reservoir, and Emerald Lake. Its been 12 degrees all day and the forecast is for under 20 the rest of the week....Its making ice....please stay tuned. Some guys will fish on 3 or 4 inches....I wait for 6"...especially when guiding.

Vermont Ice fishing Target Species

2009-12-16T11:12:00.001-05:00

While jigging for panfish tipups are set up for Bass and Pike

Bluegills on jigging rods with 2 lb test and micro-jigs are a ton of fun

A bucket of Yellow Perch....YUM!!!

ICE FISHING in Southern Vermont

2009-12-16T09:56:00.000-05:00

Ice fishing will begin in a couple weeks. The little pond down the road will be fishable this weekend. The little lake on the south end of Lake St. Catherine is locked up as is the South Bay in Whitehall NY. Please be safe...I wait until we have 6 inches of ice. "Theres old and theres bold....but there isn't old and bold icefishermen"