MacBride II – The Return

Left work early today with another guy and hit Lake MacBride. Fished under the power lines, a little bit to the South. Ended up with about 20 crappies between the two of us, and a couple of gills in the mix.

Fish were all right on bottom, and biting so lightly that you couldn’t detect it by the spring bobber. We got into a pattern where we were feeling for weight as we lifted the jig and then setting the hook, but easily missed over half the fish. Size was not spectacular, with most fish running between 7 and 10 inches – the larger fish turning up right at dusk. No lantern and a waiting family meant I was better off heading home than trying to tough it out.

Lots of ice – probably 8-10 inches in areas that weren’t open last week.

Has anyone been down to McBride since this last report. I was down last weekend and brought home 20 crappie in the 9-10 inch range but caught a lot of small crappie and a few blue gill. reports then were that some anglers were picking up a few walleye in the 12 -14 in range.

I didn’t get out at all this weekend, as both kids and the wife are sick. Can’t say I feel like a million bucks myself, but might head out this afternoon if all is going well here at the house.

How can I pass up ice fishing in 45 degree weather?

Do you guys ever get down to Coralville in the winter? Never been there myself, but I here it can be very good at times.

I did not get out either but my son just called and caught a lot of crappie at Mcbride today and said there was constant action. As far as the reservor a friend of mine went yesterday and fished the crates going below the Mcbride dam and caught a bunch of 10 to 12 inch white crappie with one going 13 inches. I wish I could get out but my grandson is in a basketball tournament and it just dont look like I can slip away but I told him we will get out next weekend!

Hit Odessa today. First time in two years. If I caught one fish, I caught 100. Nothing over 6inches and that includes the crappies. Most came within 10 of the bottom of the ice.

I’ve been on Coralville once in the winter – long enough to drill a hole and then run for the shoreline. There was an air gap between the ice and the water, and I didn’t think it very safe to stand on several hundred tons of ice suspended by only it’s own rigidity. I know there are people who fish it, though, so maybe that one time was just a freak occurrance.

I hit MacBride last night for about an hour and a half. Right at dusk I picked up a couple of dink walleyes and a pretty good crappie. All went back, since I’m not one to clean a single fish, and it was getting too late to try to make a go of it.

All the fish came in about a five minute interval, but that may be more my fault than anything the fish were doing. I was changing colors and jigs about every ten minutes if I didn’t get a bite, and it could be coincidence or not that the fish started nailing the last one (glow jig w/ waxie). No action on minnows, which really surprised me. I was fishing near the power lines (again, is my lack of originality showing?). Every time I go there, I think I should explore down around the main ramps some, and then I put the flasher down, see fish, and think, “Why move if they’re here.”

I’ll probably try to sneak out some night this week, if anyone is interested. I haven’t checked the weather, and the wife and kids are all sick, so at least two of the three of them is going to have to make a recovery before I can get out again.