NEW Ice Conditions forum for IA

In the last week or so we’ve been contacted by members to add a forum to keep track of the latest ice conditions across their areas of interest. Out of those suggestions sprang these new Ice Condition Reports forums.

How to use them…

Create a post for each specific body of water or area and make your initial ice report. After that first post for a specific body of water is made then all subsequent ice condition updates should be made to that post for that specific body of water, even if you didn’t make the first post. Doing things this way will make it easy to find all available info for a specific body of water.

A word of warning…

Ice condition reports are to be considered a helpful guide and NOT 100% reliable information. No ice, regardless of thickness or condition is 100% safe. Reports shared here are to be considered guidelines and a reflection of the average condition of the body of water on a given day. Travel with caution and ALWAYS ice fish with a buddy!

We got a little snow in NW Iowa yesterday and the temps are going to dip below freezing every night this week. I’m sure our Iowa Great Lakes Moderator, Ryan Hale will be keeping a VERY close eye on ice conditions on Okoboji and Spirit Lake. I also see by the Okoboji Live Cam that there must have been a little snow there too. Shouldn’t be too long before ice begins to form. Hey Ryan, I’ll be ready with a bottle of peppermint schnapps!

Wade,thanks for the post!!!The local ponds around here are iced over right now.Very thin layer but with the temps below freezing at night things are looking good.
That schnapps sounds good.But what about peach,apple pucker,butterscotch,watermellon,hot damn?
Ryan Hale

Quote:

---

Wade,thanks for the post!!!The local ponds around here are iced over right now.Very thin layer but with the temps below freezing at night things are looking good.
That schnapps sounds good.But what about peach,apple pucker,butterscotch,watermellon,hot damn?
Ryan Hale

---

Didn’t know the ponds were icing over yet. Thanks for the info. I see that the weatherman is saying we’re gonna have temps in the low 50s on Saturday here! Nights have been really cool though. I may have to hit the Missouri River for a little open water fishing this weekend!

What little ice Central Iowa had a week and a half ago is all gone. This week shows lows at night below freezing but days above freezing. Sorry about that…

Mcbride still has open water in the high lines area and north to the major arm going
east. Four huts were located up and around the corner “west” of the high lines. At
present were probably making a inch a day.

I will be fishing in the am at the little pond east of the cedar river off blairsferry (south side of road) near palo. I will be in a solo shack with my 4 year old son for his first outing… Should be interesting.
If anyone is out just holler.
jc

Do any good Jeremy?

Yesterday I fished the 2 little lakes in the back and blanked, I then went out front with the crown and caught a half dozen crappies. Sloooow Day. We need some more of the really cold nasty weather to turn these fish back on. Last thursday I couldn’t keep them off the line.
jc

The one that the bridge passes over is called mud lake. It’s got as much as 15′ of water in places, and I know there’s a handful of crappies in there. Not a lot of size to them last time I fished it, but it’s been a couple of years since then, so maybe that year class is getting to keeper size. The gills in there were much better, lots of 8 and even a rare 9″ fish. The pond seemed really hit or miss, some days were diamonds, some real turds. For its size, I suppose it gets an awful lot of pressure during the winter – it’s pretty rare to cross that bridge on a nice day and not see a couple of cars.

I might need to go look at an arial shot to see which two ponds you were fishing… I didn’t think any of the other ones had much depth to them. Anyone ever do any tip-up fishing in the backwaters around chain-o-lakes there?

Also, anyone know if PC is frozen yet?

the 2 little lakes are easy to get to.. Go down to mud lake and head straight south about 200 yards and you will see them. They are old sand pits and very deep. There are plany of fish in them but you are right about the hit or miss. Out of the 3 lakes typically one is producing. Give me a ring if you want the tour… I will most likily be out on sunday looking for a few bites as long as the ice is still good.
jc

Quote:

---

the 2 little lakes are easy to get to.. Go down to mud lake and head straight south about 200 yards and you will see them. They are old sand pits and very deep. There are plany of fish in them but you are right about the hit or miss. Out of the 3 lakes typically one is producing. Give me a ring if you want the tour… I will most likily be out on sunday looking for a few bites as long as the ice is still good.
jc

---

Hey Jeremy, not doing any thing Sunday afternoon, would’nt mind having a
tour of those two sand pits,,,, never even knew they were there. Unless those are the ones this guy keeps chasing people out of. I can share one of my vexilar’s.

I am planning on being there Sunday morning around 8 or 8:30 I will be in a clam 2000 so if you are interested in seeing the 2 sand pits look me up. I will be on the one closest to the road to start.
jc

I’ll be churchin’ in the early AM. Maybe afterward I’ll tune up the auger and try to get out in the afternoon.

Looks like I am going to be late… My dog is having some problems… Hope to be there in a couple hours.
jc

Well,
Looks like I was one of the only ones down today. We managed 50 or so tiny little fish. My 4 year old thought it was perfect. We purchased a Clam 2000 so we were much more comfortable than in previous trips. For $200 I can only say its the best house for the money.
jc