going ice fishing tomorrow afternoon at foster arends in rochester! im not gonna walk on the ice though. im just gonna chop a hole in the ice with a spud bar and sit on the dock. maybe it will help the ice fishing itch.
That sounds like a safe way to take care of the ice fishing itch while we wait for thicker ice! Good luck and be safe!
Done that before and it gets you out fulfilling the urge.
Is Foster Arends safely walkable by Christmas? Is there anything worth catching in there? I’m always in rochester for Christmas and would bring some rods and my vex along if it would be worth it!
Aj….
Foster ice depends on the weather and snow. Christmas usually has Foster locked up fairly tight.
The lake has a healthy trout population that’s maintained for cast and keep, just like the SE trout streams. They stock it pretty good around the Christmas break period.
Don’t need anything fancy. Some people use minnows on a hook or small jig. Some will sink Power Bait dough on a hook with a split-shot. My personal preference is for a 1/12 [maybe its a 1/10] ounce Kastmaster jigging spoon in gold with a piece of orange tape on one side….this combo drives trout nuts in that lake. 1/10 ounce Little Cleos in gold with an orange stripe work well too. I usually up-size the hooks by one size and add a spike or two or a waxie to the equation for the scent.
Any rod spooled with 4 to 6 pound line, mono or fluoro will be best since you’ll be fishing in 10 to 15 feet of water or less most of the time. The water is very clear and braids can turn the fish. Low light periods can be outstanding as far as catching goes, but with snow on the ice and frequent clouds even a mid-day bite can be had.
If you’re here anyway, give the lake a try. Must have a trout stamp to possess the trout, which are under special regulations for year-round catching/keeping: 3 fish limit, only one over 16″.
going ice fishing tomorrow afternoon at foster arends in rochester! im not gonna walk on the ice though. im just gonna chop a hole in the ice with a spud bar and sit on the dock. maybe it will help the ice fishing itch.
So…..how did your excursion go? Not a lot of chopping, eh? lol Better take a long rod and a float for those troutskis for a while yet, huh?
Thanks for the info Tom! You only need the trout stamp if you’re going to keep fish, right?
Everyone has the iche soon soon I don’t like cold water so I like my ice nice n thick lol
No chit.
We will have ice for the next 6 months. Im also fat.
I talked with a guy doing the same thing in Bay Point Park Marina in Red Wing. He was going through 1″-1 1/2″ of ice, marking fish, but they were not responding to his efforts. I should have brought my stuff! But……it was awful darn cold & windy!
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