A-Jay's 4th Annual Ice Out / Open Water Countdown Thread ~

[casts_by_fly]

Well it seems like my prediction was wrong by a couple weeks. My main lake to learn this year is now ice free and 39 degrees. Just in time for me to fly to Florida tomorrow for a non-fishing trip. Maybe when I get back if it’s still open I’ll go after some ice out slime darts while I do some bottom mapping. 

[DitchPanda]

35 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I sometimes get asked that too by relatives who live in Arizona or Florida. My response is usually the same every time: let’s talk in July or August when it’s unbearable there and comfortable here.  Gets pretty quiet on their end then.

 

Really though, the older I get, the more I start to dislike the winter here. I always wondered why all the retirees left in the winter for a southern destination and came back north in April. That’s obvious now.

Yep I agree. I used to be all about ice fishing..in fact there was a time I liked it as much or even more than open water. I haven't even gone once this winter and have no intention to. I'm creeping up close to 40 and I don't dig winter anymore.

[TnRiver46]

It’s dumping warm rain for many consecutive days here. The water looks like crap but I bet it’s warming rapidly 

[J Francho]

Back down in the teens and getting snow tonight.

[Dinky]

Finally got to go back to El Salto for some early February fishing. All the action was on swim baits this time. 

[FishinBuck07]

3 minutes ago, Dinky said:

Finally got to go back to El Salto for some early February fishing. All the action was on swim baits this time. 

Looks like a great time, enjoy for sure!!  But you didn't have to tease the rest of us!  haha

[Dinky]

Apologize for the duplicate. 
 

I will try Instagram next time. But likely not any better at using the iPad fir that either! 

[Dinky]

6 minutes ago, FishinBuck07 said:

Looks like a great time, enjoy for sure!!  But you didn't have to tease the rest of us!  haha

Sorry about that. I drove from Orlando to Lexington KY so I could fly to Matzalan with my buddy for our trip. 
We had our air travel cancelled and were 3 days late getting there. But it was worth it

Finally back here in Sunny Florida and ready to go out again. 

Bassmaster just finished their first Elite tournament of the year at Harris Chain and I’m heading out on the Butler chain next week. 

[slonezp]

 

[A-Jay]

Snow will move out of northern Michigan to the east this morning, making the way for partly to mostly sunny skies through the first half of the weekend. Highs on Saturday will warm up near 30 for most of the area before cooling a few degrees on Sunday.

 

Fish Catch Friday ~ 

How about SIX over 10 lbs !

 

5 Weeks 5 days & a Wake up

A-Jay

[roadwarrior]

That's as good as it gets!

 

 

 

                                                        

[T-Billy]

Structural work and deck are FINALLY D.U.N done. Battery box mounted midship on the centerline per Admiral A-Jay's suggestion. Floor is gonna either get a rubber stall mat, or one of those rubber backed throw rugs. Not sure which yet. Need to go shopping. On to electrical tomorrow.

Hunted high and low for a weather proof tackle box and couldn't find anything I liked. Ordered a Dewalt Tough System XL box to tote 3700 boxes. It'll ride in the center behind the rear seat and should hold 9 or 10 of them. Also ordered a Large size for soft plastic storage.

Forecast is looking good to be on the water possibly next week, but most likely the week after next.

[A-Jay]

51 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

Structural work and deck are FINALLY D.U.N done. Battery box mounted midship on the centerline per Admiral A-Jay's suggestion. Floor is gonna either get a rubber stall mat, or one of those rubber backed throw rugs. Not sure which yet. Need to go shopping. On to electrical tomorrow.

Hunted high and low for a weather proof tackle box and couldn't find anything I liked. Ordered a Dewalt Tough System XL box to tote 3700 boxes. It'll ride in the center behind the rear seat and should hold 9 or 10 of them. Also ordered a Large size for soft plastic storage.

Forecast is looking good to be on the water possibly next week, but most likely the week after next.

Looks awesome ~ Very well thought out.

Btw - looking forward that bump in my retirement pay.

Admiral's rack in some serious scratch . . . 

A-Jay

[NYWayfarer]

After part of my yard was snow free from the near 60 degree temps this week the bottom fell out today. A foot of snow fell and temps are dropping to the teens. 
 

 

[12poundbass]

We’re inching closer to the deadline to get all permanent ice shanties off the lake and the load limits on the roads are being enforced next week so we’re heading in the right direction. That being said there’s probably still a foot of ice on the lake and 2-3’ of frost in the ground. 

[MN Fisher]

2 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

We’re inching closer to the deadline to get all permanent ice shanties off the lake and the load limits on the roads are being enforced next week so we’re heading in the right direction. That being said there’s probably still a foot of ice on the lake and 2-3’ of frost in the ground. 

Far as the ice and frost-line - we're about the same.

 

Road restrictions - haven't heard.

 

Ice-house removal - southern MN (which I'm in) deadline is March 7.  Northern MN deadline is March 21. The split is basically a line between Duluth and Fargo/Moorhead.

[FishinBuck07]

@T-Billy that is looking good man!  Just in time, went and drove past Berlin up this way and we have open water!  Chocolate milk up into the willows, but open water!  Woo hoo!  Still ice in the bays, but the main channel is open.

[T-Billy]

1 hour ago, FishinBuck07 said:

@T-Billy that is looking good man!  Just in time, went and drove past Berlin up this way and we have open water!  Chocolate milk up into the willows, but open water!  Woo hoo!  Still ice in the bays, but the main channel is open.

Thanks. Got the transom transducer mount fabricated and painted today, and the wiring about half done. Fingers crossed for next weekend. We've got some nights above freezing coming this week. 

[A-Jay]

Seems we may be slowly, and I do mean ever so slowly,

creeping in the right direction.

It's like a glimmer of hope on the distant & mostly frozen horizon.

A-Jay

[roadwarrior]

Looks like spring arrives this week!

 

https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=35.09520980000008&lon=-89.78102689999997

[A-Jay]

So today is first day of meteorological spring (whatever that means),

 there's some sun here and the temperatures are expected to sneak into the upper 20s to mid 30s. The next chance for light widespread snow will be Wednesday as a weak clipper system sweeps through northern Michigan, but I'm pretty much ignoring that part. 

 

This is also the same month that the ice went out last year.

Might need some Africa Hot stuff to roll through before that happens in 2022,

but either way . . . . . .

 

5 weeks and a wake Up !

A-Jay

 

 

 

[A-Jay]

Fish Catch Friday ~

After the PB Musky and the parade of big Green Bass,

I bringing this one back with the local flair of topwater Brown Bass ~

 

4 Weeks 5 Days & a Wake Up ~

A-Jay

[12poundbass]

A warm windy weekend here, that’s the perfect recipe for ice melting. ?

[A-Jay]

5 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

A warm windy weekend here, that’s the perfect recipe for ice melting. ?

Rain is good !

Until it gets down to the mud.

Then it's at least a couple of weeks of dirty dog towels all around. 

A-Jay

[J Francho]

It was 12 degrees this morning.  Could jump all the way to almost 70 by Sunday.