Today was my first day out on the ice for this season 
believe it or not but its true 
I decided to head out to the Ambro Area just north of Prairie du Chien and look for some of the crappies and gills I left there last year. I started out by drilling half dozen holes in the 8" of crystal clear ice, using a Lil’Mic and one of my 48" pulsator rods, I slipped from hole to hole looking for active fish.
With in minutes I pulled my first crappie of the season out from just under the ice. I was fishing in about 4 feet of water and these crappies came with in a foot under the ice…no vicious hits, just a good bend to the spring bobber letting me know I enticed another curious predator.
Several crappies came to the hole on the Lil’Mic so just to see what else the panfish wanted I changed up to a pick rocker tipped with a spike and I continued to pull crappies and also a couple of small gills..Then this 10" perch just crushed my rocker, and with a quick pic I let her go. I have released 99% of all my perch these past years trying to do my part in rebuilding the population of these tasty fish..
Well after a couple of hours of fishing my curiosity got to me and I wanted to take the hike up to Big Mo and fish the dredged area..
There used to be 3-4 feet of water in the majority of this area with deeper water near by and now there is 6 feet of water almost the full length of the back water area. From noon till 1:30 I must have pulled 25 gills out of the deeper water. Some real dandy gills ranging from 7-9" were the main stay and about 25% were little fellas…A couple of perch and a crappie added to my catch…all in all I was surprised to see all these fish in a newly dredged area…
I jumped over into upper doubles on my way back and there is 5-6′ of water in there too but I didn’t even get a hit there…Well maybe in a year or so they will find there way back there…
Well be safe and good fishin !!
Nice fish Dave…hope to see those at the end of January
Thanks for the report Dave. Sounds like a very good day of fishin.
If this is your first day out and you are such a ice fishin nut it must mean you have either been sick or got way behind on the honey do list. 
But knowing you I’m sure you will catch up. 
Thanks, Bill
Thanks for the report Dave. I got your call, wish I could have made it up but I had to work all week. This weekend I’ll be out and about, maybe we’ll have to get together. Good to see ya go some fish!
Dave
Dave,looks like a great day on the ice.Is the perch population that low on the Miss?
Are those pics from your new digital,are you happy with it?I have good used one if you want to use it?
Ryan Hale
Hey Ryan,
The perch population back in the late 60’s and 70’s was fantastic to say the least…We never actually fished for them but they came thru the hole and we ate them…simple as that…then slowly they diminished…for what exact reason I don’t know…over harvest ? lack of good spawning area due to back water fill in ? I really don’t know…What I do know is that they have been coming thru the holes in more consistancy than ever before…
As for the new camera ? Yes i like it…it’s not as easy to use yet and your Olympus…but with time it will be…the pix you see are taken on it’s lowest setting and I did nothing to them to get them up on the report..I’m going to try upping the setting and do some cropping next time out to see how they turn out..
I look forward to seeing you and your son the end of January at the Pool 10 IDA Ice GTG
I used to ice fish the river a bunch a few years ago seeing them pics makes me want to make the trip