Super User SoFlaBassAddict Posted March 10, 2015 Super User Posted March 10, 2015 I fish anytime the water is soft... Where the heck you been Eric ? Been building the SOBE wine and food festival since early November. Then a couple of small jobs right afterwards. Just finished up. Start taking some time off day after tomorrow. Had roughly 6 days off since we started. Quote
Super User Choporoz Posted March 10, 2015 Super User Posted March 10, 2015 How soon do you go fishing once the ice starts melting? One hour....wait... that was swimming after eating.....I meant 10 minutes Quote
Jaderose Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 I was pulling a jig off an ice shelf into open water 2 days ago. That soon enough for you? Quote
Klebs01 Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 I fish Castle Rock in Wisconsin as soon as the ice pulls back from shore. That lake is considered part of the river system, so there isn't a closed season. The bass aren't very cooperative, but the walleye and occasional Muskie keep my interest until they get active. Are you sure? I haven't seen that in the regulations. Do you know what section that exclusion is in? Not saying you are wrong. Just that I didn't know that and would like to take advantage of that exclusion. Quote
Super User Ratherbfishing Posted March 10, 2015 Super User Posted March 10, 2015 Assuming the weather remains about where it's at now, the first of April. We had about 10 inches of ice on the lakes and that doesn't go away overnight. Plus, truth be told, I seldom catch anything when the water temps are really low and I don't bother if I don't think I'll catch anything. Quote
wisconsin heat Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 As of right now, those of us in Michigan have to wait until the Bass season opens. Which is currently at the end of April. The DNR commision will hopefully be changing that to a year round catch and release with harvesting beginning at the end of May Wisconsin needs this too. Quote
FrogFreak Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 This year Minnesota moved the bass opener up to coincide with the Walleye Opener (May 9th) so not until then. Note: The first two weeks of bass season is catch and release only and it's different for the Northeast part of the state I believe. 1 Quote
hoosierbass07 Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 I hoping to get out on my kayak as soon as the ice melts. I'm only going into my second year of kayak fishing. Last spring I waited till it got really warm before I took my kayak out. I don't want to make that mistake again, I want to get in early spring as soon as I can. Being in a kayak though, I have to worry about falling in and hypothermia. So I will only kayak fish in a few small strip pits where I'm not too far from shore. Quote
bonzai22 Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 I start out fishing ponds first since they open up quicker then wait a few weeks to start taking the boat out. Quote
OntarioFishingGuy Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 Bass season opens later in the spring, but I generally fish for steelhead as soon as the rivers open up and clear a bit. When they thaw, the runoff makes them super muddy and almost un-fishable, so I wait a week or two before I fish for them. Quote
Patrick Morrow Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 For me to officially open the season the ice must be completely gone and the weather should be warm enough to comfortably be outside. Quote
Crank Bait Nut Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 Like Others Have Said , As Soon As It Is Safe To Launch. Mike Quote
Super User Oregon Native Posted March 11, 2015 Super User Posted March 11, 2015 Have caught many bass along the edges of ice on both reaction and plastics Quote
guitarglynn1 Posted March 11, 2015 Posted March 11, 2015 As soon as I can. I am hitting small ponds first and if there is flowing water I am fishing. I fished small ponds late last year that were half frozen over or more and just fished the spots I could. I'll do the same thing. Soon as I see as much as a small edge of the pond thawed out I am fishing. We have snow on top of ice on top of snow on top of ice here in this god forsaken frozen waste land of a state NJ. But the worst is behind us and the snow is slowly but surely melting. I am going to check a few spots this weekend and I hope I can fish one of them. Only way I'll know is if I get geared up and go check em out. At the very least I'll be setting up my combo and loading up my tackle which in and of itself has me super pumped! Quote
Super User Felix77 Posted March 11, 2015 Super User Posted March 11, 2015 ASAP ... some of my biggest bass come from the bank early in the season up north. Quote
TheBig1 Posted March 11, 2015 Posted March 11, 2015 Ice? What the heck is this ice thing you're talking about? 80 degrees and sunny today. Nice breeze keepin it cool. That's why no one likes you. 1 Quote
Super User F14A-B Posted March 11, 2015 Super User Posted March 11, 2015 This past weekend in Ky. @ my place the Water is open! As such, invasion of the mating frogs has in all earnest, begun! Time to get my shooting range bag out and get the earplugs in. Geez, they are loud. It will ( fishing ) only improve from here, save flooding. Quote
Super User SoFlaBassAddict Posted March 11, 2015 Super User Posted March 11, 2015 That's why no one likes you. Shhh....quiet you! 1 Quote
Weld's Largemouth Posted March 11, 2015 Posted March 11, 2015 As soon as I can. I am hitting small ponds first and if there is flowing water I am fishing. I fished small ponds late last year that were half frozen over or more and just fished the spots I could. I'll do the same thing. Soon as I see as much as a small edge of the pond thawed out I am fishing. We have snow on top of ice on top of snow on top of ice here in this god forsaken frozen waste land of a state NJ. But the worst is behind us and the snow is slowly but surely melting. I am going to check a few spots this weekend and I hope I can fish one of them. Only way I'll know is if I get geared up and go check em out. At the very least I'll be setting up my combo and loading up my tackle which in and of itself has me super pumped! What do you get on bit on around those ice edges in small ponds? I fish small ponds here on Long Island and i can never get a bite with ice still on the water.. Quote
BassObsessed Posted March 11, 2015 Posted March 11, 2015 As soon as the water opens enough to fish from the bank I'm ready. Two years ago in January I caught my biggest local bass of 7.3lbs on a shallow crankbait. Quote
hoosierhawghunter Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 ASAP! When i was about 14 i went to the local farm pond in the middle of winter, ice was about 2.5ft thick. I walked out with a pickaxe and made myself 4 or 5 good holes. Walked back to the dock and practiced flipping into them. Quote
Trenton Posted March 17, 2015 Posted March 17, 2015 UPDATE: ice was off enough yesterday at my local sportmans clubs little lake. So I went and got my lines wet, didn't catch anything, but man it felt great!! 1 Quote
Alpha Male Posted March 18, 2015 Posted March 18, 2015 There are a couple of lakes near me that the dnr is worried about winterkill so they put aerators in. This gives a football field size opening early in the season. In mn they can ticket you for fishing for a species out of season. So it crappie and sunnies until may. Quote
guitarglynn1 Posted March 18, 2015 Posted March 18, 2015 What do you get on bit on around those ice edges in small ponds? I fish small ponds here on Long Island and i can never get a bite with ice still on the water.. That particular pond is loaded with yellow perch. Late fall/early winter and then late winter/early spring when there is ice, that is what is biting and I just catch those. Wish I could say I have luck with bass under those conditions but I have not. But this year I have some new tricks up my sleeve and maybe this will be the year. Just waiting for some of the ice to finally begin to melt :-l Quote
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