Its here

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

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!!!

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!!!

IT'S OVER!!!!

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

Lake St. Catherine Brown Trout

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

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

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!!!

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

Northern Pike on a Hali Jig with 4 lb test

Afternoon/evening on Lake St. Catherine

Father and son icefishing trip to Lake St. Catherine

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

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

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

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

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.