Bass through the ice

Well it’s that time of year again. Gather up some friends and a pile of tip ups and head out to the back waters. Our usual hot spot for first ice is shady maple, but this year must be different. All we managed on saterday was one lunker and some hammer handles. Ice it thin but you only need an inch and there is at least two. Well next weekend we’ll probably mosey on back behind the hospital and give it a shot. We didn’t have a scale and my body was too cold to judge the weight but, I would definately say a little over four.

kevin

Nice Fish Natureboy….You’ve had a good year full of some solid lunkers

You definitely have more ambition than me when it’s below zero out!

Awesome! I live about a mile north of there on county K. One of my favorite spots as well. How much ice is in there? Hint: there are some big perch in there as well!

Nice fish, but 1 inch is not safe ice and neither is two, especially with any current.

current is non- existant and we are cautious. Every year we’re the first out and we’ve never had a guy go through. First ice is suprisingly strond due to it’s elacticity. It sounds obsurd but it proves itself when someone walks by you and the ice bounces. Our rule of thumb for early ice is never go alone and stay very shallow. The deepest spot were we fish at shady is 5 six feet max with an average of 3 feet. As for the perch. AMEN to that cade. In the last three years we’ve pulled two over two pounds out of there and probabaly 30+ over 12 inches. Shady (as older people can remember much more than myself) has been steadily declinging from the icefishing powerhouse it used to be. Three years ago we would have constant tip up action acompanied by giant bluegills in decent numbers. two years ago we had great tip up action but really had to work for any sunnies. last year we had alright tip up action but with no sucess for gills, and then with the exploration of an aqua vu we found absolutely no gills. I know it’s been filling in but it seems odd that there are almost no gills in there now. which must reflect the low predatory fish numbers. Just my two cents. Well till next weekend. good luck to all. Maybe I’ll see some of you out on the ice this year.

kevin

I grew up on CTY K also. Shady Maple use to produce large numbers of 15 inch crappies, 12lb plus Northern, and 9 inch gills in the early to late 70’s.
There use to be more water and alot less weeds.

yep first time I ever ice fished in my life my dad took me down alittle over ten years ago and there was an ice shante city and we slaughtered giant gills. This picture is for cade. THERE ARE NO BIG PERCH IN SHADY Hope to cya out there buddy

here are two northerns I caught in one night two years ago. believe it or not they are the only two northerns over thirty inches i have ever kept out of shady. I wanted the meat bad but thinking back I wish I would have released them because I think the fish stay in there their whole lives and they get huge.

another

I have to agree with fishingscout…If your buddy walks by and the ice starts bouncing it’s not telling you how the ice is safe and strong, it’s telling you get the hell off, it’s only 1″…think. There is not a fish anywhere worth drowning for.

BIRDDOG

Dandy pike. Tip up fishing is a blast… victory goes to the guy with fastest feet!

I agree about safety issues as far as death goes. There are very few things ever in a persons life that may be dying for and of course a fish, deer, or duck is never going to be one of them. But honostly if the dnr recomends three inches, and that is assuming that there is going to be a whole load of guys out on the ice, than how dangerouse can two inches be with four guys. I’d like to see a myth busters on the actual static weight capacity of ice/ per inch. I’m not trying to argue just trying to defend my own intelligence.(not saying that I have much ) just don’t think that I need to be implied that I don’t think. one 170 pound man has about 120 sq/in of surface area on his feet. So a 170lb person at rest is only putting off a force of 1.42 pounds per square inch on ice. And a 170 lb man standing on half on one foot such as taking a step is only putting off 5.67 pounds per square inch on the ice. When put into perspective two inches of ice seems a lot safer than you’d think.

The one variable missing in your equation is that the ice is not always a uniform thickness and varies in a given area. It’s those thin spots that get ya.

I speak from experience of going through the ice last Saturday.

Everyone will have to decide for themsleves what they feel safe on. I would NOT have been out in any water last weekend that was over four feet deep (my approximate wader depth). Three of five guys went through at various times, 2 did not.

Natureboy- I wonder how many pounds per square inches that penguin in your avatar exserts just prior to going through the ice?

I was just watching the news and saw they had to pull a guy out of Lake Onalaska today. I wonder what his PSI is?

I can’t wait for this weekend!!!

Hey let me know if you are going. IM heading to stoddard probably this weekend but maybe shady maple as well. You look familiar. There is probably a very slim chance of this, but you look kind of like the guy that took my picture down there a few years ago with a 7-1/2 pound walleye. Probably not you, but you look like the guy that did. I remember that day. We caught some jumbo perch and then that walleye to cap it off…probably my best day ice fishing ever. I know there are some beastly fish in there. I tangled with a 21 inch bass this fall i also lost some 38+ inch northern in there as well. That perch is just amazing i about soiled myself when i saw that pic. My neighbor told me that about 30 years ago, he caught 2 crappies, a 17″ and an 18″ down there. Unbelievable, but i believe him because he is the nicest guy i have ever met. It certainly can be an incredible fishery, but i agree that it has sloped off. Its kind of sad. I will see you out there this winter…just let me know when you are heading out

ACTUALLY CADE I DID TAKE YOUR PICTURE WITH THAT WALLEY. I’VE GOT IT LYING AROUND SOMEWHERE. I’LL FIND IT AND POST IT. THAT WALLEYE WAS ALMOST AS LONG AS YOU WERE

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I can’t wait for this weekend!!!

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I can’t tell you his PSI, his body temp was LOW.

I don’t think that ice is going to much of an issue in calm water areas this weekend. Sat afternoon I’m going to be at shady so if anyone wants to get in on some tip up action pm me and we can meet up. Sunday I’ll probably start at shady and then go down to stoddard for gills. Ice fishing is always fun with friends so don’t be shy.

Kevin

sounds almost exactly like my plan! I was thinking sunday for stoddard, but i dont know about saturday so maybe i could meet up with you down there if you want. Sounds cool. PM SENT! Ha thats really funny that you just HAPPENED to be the guy that took that pic. That fish was huge i still remember that like yesterday. Seeing that head come up in the hole about made me crap my pants. Well anyway i would be interested..cya out there this winter!