Cedar Rapids Area

Well, pheasant hunting (which was going great, up until the snowpack crossed 18″ ) is just about done for me and the dog. A group of us hunted some great ground up near Shell Rock last Sunday, but the birds were in large flocks (40+) and you couldn’t get near them for a shot. I did manage to pot a very large, older rooster for the wall; a real beaut with long spurs and tail feathers. It was a “Hail Mary” shot (40+ yards-and the bird utterly folded, Winchester high brass #5s work!), plus the bird was in great shape so I took it to the taxidermist, but it was hard earned. I’ll probably take the dog out one more time, at least, before she closes; but I think I am just about done chasing ringnecks, for this season.

So…

Its time to switch gears and get ready to ice fish!

On my round of chores this afternoon, I stopped by some ponds to check the ice out. It looked mostly OK and there were some holes drilled by earlier fisherman, which were between 5-6″ thick when I busted them open and looked closer. I would still recommend taking a buddy and being very careful. The snow was essentially blown off some of the ponds, but I would not take anything for granted.

Another buddy of mine fished a larger pond this afternoon and found ice only 3-1/2″ near the center, which is getting a little too thin for my comfort levels. Saw reports on the IO board about guys getting some specks in the Cedar River backwaters over at Ellis, that might be a worthy option to explore, as well.

I might try to get out for a couple of hours tomorrow afternoon on some ponds, if I do, I’ll post a report.

Regards,

Joe

Ok, so I got out this afternoon for a quick trip at a pond here in Linn county.

Ice was marginal. While it was 5-6″ in spots, I found plenty of places barely 3-1/2″ It was milky and honeycombed, but was not making a lot of noise, so it seemed pretty strong. While I never want to take a bath in freezing water, the pond I fished is very shallow and I had my safety gear; just in case. I recommend everyone do the same. Take spikes and flotation; better yet, take a buddy. Please be very careful out there. Not sure I would head out and charge straight across MacBride or Pleasant Creek, just yet.

I fished for about 45 minutes. I drilled some holes in a few likely spots and marked some fish on the Vex. I dropped a yellow ice-spoon with red eyes, that had worked well in previous yers, into the hole and began jigging. No takers. I had some power-bait maggots and placed a little piece on the hook. That was the difference. It was enough to get a fat ‘gill to commit. I toyed with them some more, but needed to be heading home, as we are Caroling tonight at the rest home here in Mount Vernon. I think if I had waxies, I might have done a bit better. All fish went back down the hole for another day.