I just wanted to post a quick report on the fishing and ice conditions in the Alexandria area. I’ve been on a number of lakes over the past week and for the most part vehicle travel is sparse. The accesses are getting pretty poor and breaking up a little. The ice has little to no snow or water on it, so travel by foot or wheeler is very easy. On most lakes the ice is in good shape and should remain decent for the upcoming weekend. The creeks and rivers are flowing like crazy so just stay clear of any ice that’s near those areas.
The fishing has been pretty decent with some very nice panfish coming to the ice. That said the fish do seem to be more finicky than they normally are this time of year. Normally they become so aggressive I’m able to use a small 1/8oz Frostee. This technique seems to help me weed out the smaller fish and actually attract the larger fish when the bite is on. Not this year though, I’ve had to stick with 2lb test line and #14 ice jigs tipped with a spike or two. The fishing is still great just not quite as easy. The pic below is of my cousins boy and his first Marcum sunfish. With a little coaching he had that locator figured out in minutes. He was telling me, how to use it after a while 
I love seeing the look in someone’s eye when you know they got it figured out.
Looks like Dad is going to have to make an unexpected purchase, because if Avery couldn’t use the locator it was hard to keep the little guy interested. How could we blame him, we’d probably lose are interest too if someone took away our locators
Even with the slower than normal fishing, now is still the time to get your kids hooked on ice fishing. The weather has been great. Then throw a few fish in the mix and they have no choice but to have a great time!
