Is Daniels capped yet?

[lunkerhunter2]

I'm sure it isn't fishable yet, but just wondering if it has capped or partly. Thanks for any info.[cool]
[signature]

[Everet14]

I can't tell you about Daniels but Devils creek had some ice in the small bays and even by the dam out to about 20 feet when I drove past this evening. So I would assume that Daniels is the same story or maybe a little more.
[signature]

[lunkerhunter2]

Thanks, pm sent.[]
[signature]

[flygoddess]

No offense Lunker or any other ice fishermen/women, but I sure wish they would close Daniels to ice fishing.
It is too small and it gets too pounded. I remember catching 27" trout out of there several years ago. Those days are long gone.
I know it is artificial and barbless, but I still question the life span of a fish being drug up through a hole, and occasionally laid on the ice (which ruins the slime and scales).

I am not anti ice fishing, not at all, whatever gets us through the winter in one piece, but I just think certain waters shouldn't be open.

I keep thinking that the ice fishing at Mantua along with the back yard biologist that introduce PERCH is the reason Mantua went from being a blue Ribbon fishery, but I am just rambling....sorry.


Just trying to spark some good info here. How do you all feel?
[signature]

[curt69]

This is the only place in Idaho you can only fish with one pole while Ice fishing . You can even use five at Henry's .
[signature]

[flygoddess]

Thanks Curt....that helps.
[signature]

[windriver]

Like many things I think it depends on the fishermen/women. I think with the advent of cheap easy ice houses the chance of people cheating the system are a lot higher than they used to be.

I hope the F & G checks regularly to see that there is no bait and only single hooks being used.

At least 80% of the fish I catch ice fishing I never touch and don't even bring out of the hole. I just reach down with the forcepts and turn them loose just like when I ice fish.

I do take a few out for pictures or to invite home for dinner.

Then again, many are not that careful when ice fishing or fly fishing.

Windriver
[signature]

[lunkerhunter2]

To each their own. Fish can be released many times through the ice if done properly. The biggest problem up there is people poaching. I have seen people tell a warden the 18.5" fish they caught was 21" long or just plain kept short fish. They shrink a little, but not that much. The other problem is people using bait. It runs rampant up there. Not enough patrols up there or people willing to report illegal activity.
By the way, i was not asking if it was capped to fish it. It was for something with feathers.[]
[signature]

[flygoddess]

AH, yes forgot you shoot your fly tying material LOL
I will take some Pheasant feathers[]
I know about the poaching, that happens even when it is soft water. But, buy closing it to ice would help. Hopefully get the big boys back.
[signature]

[Belasko]

My recommendation for helping to combat poaching, at Daniels and other places, is to have the poaching report hotline programmed into your cell phones. I don't know if there is reception at Daniels, but I have used it a couple times on other waters.
[signature]

[packfish]

I also vote for a season on Daniels- ice on- people off.
There are many good ice fishing lakes in SE Idaho-
Daniels could be closed and it wouldn't really hurt anyone.
[signature]

[flygoddess]

Great idea Belasko, but no coverage at Daniels. Down past the farm houses on the road to the lake there is spotty coverage.
[signature]

[Everet14]

I agree with the things windriver said.

I don't think the problem is as much ice fishing as it is poaching and using bait and such. Most ice fisherman are ethical people and release a lot of fish. It seems most fish I release in the winter have twice as much spunk and are super quick to swim off. Now how many of those die later I do not know, but I bet the number is very small. Now, if I caught that same fish in late July or August on even the tiniest hook the fish would need some reviving.

I have heard a lot of people say how ice fishing has ruined their favorite lakes, and I guess I could see that. Its just from my experiences I feel lot better after I release a fish in the winter then I do in mid-summer.

With more people fishing now, it means more idiots as well. As long as you have idiots that will be breaking the law I don't know how realistic it is to grow those super huge fish. Its really. A fish like the size Flygoddess mentioned doesn't grow to that size overnight. It takes time and if the fish are all kept then it doesn't happen.

For the above mentioned reasons, that is why I do not care for slot limits either. There are places (like Strawberry) where its working. But in a lot of places (like Daniels) as soon as that fish reaches legal size they are almost always kept. Slots typically don't allow people to keep many fish but when they do get big enough, they are usually kept. Those are the fish that need to be released to get to "trophy size" and a whole lot of people would never release that fish.


Anyway......
[signature]

[wackmaster]

[cool]

I live near Daniels and have fished it for many years. Right now the quality/health of the fish is the lowest I've ever seen. Many of the fish are skinny and have sores on their skin caused by having their slime wiped off . My observation is that during summer months the fish are getting pounded, to make matters worse, the water temps are in the high seventies. The best thing that could happen for the fish and game to close Daniels during July and Aug. when the water temps are high and the fish are stressed. The cold water temps during Ice Fishing makes for a much higher survival rate of released fish. Just my two cents.
[signature]

[Belasko]

Interesting idea wackmaster. I haven't heard of other places doing that kind of season closure but it makes an odd kind of sense. I would suspect there would be a considerable amount of public objection to something like that, but who knows.
[signature]

[Everet14]

Thats basically what I was trying to say[cool]

I think the fish are getting hurt during peak summer months and not through ice fishing. I think a lot of fisheries would benefit from the closure you listed. Nearly every shallow lake and river would benefit in some way.
[signature]

[flygoddess]

I don't consider Daniels a SHALLOW LAKE at 40'+ but definitely a good point. Strawberry at 60+ is a different story.

Most my fishing trips are in early June and Late September.

I don't ice fish, so I do enjoy reading this and do appreciate you all.

POACHING is a year round problem there and I would think even more of a problem on ice....isn't it?

You got to admit, it would get more traffic because of the ones that do not have a boat or tube are now able to fish anywhere. But then there is the cold to balance it out.
[signature]

[Everet14]

True about the depth. I was thinking for just shallow lakes and not really Daniels. Oops.

I bet poaching is more of a problem through the ice like you mentioned, but I don't really know for sure.

I wish there was an easy way to fix all of this but I don't know what it would be.
[signature]

[flygoddess]

And a world of Peace and Harmony, and no world hunger, etc.....wouldn't it be great.
By the way, this post has been very interesting, and thanks to all. I have seriously be toying the Idea of deep nymhing through a hole.....HEAY it could happen.....now I just need good tranquilizers to get me out on the ice ARGH!
[signature]

[Everet14]

I have seen people fish with pheasant tails through the ice and catch fish! You should try it, I'll come along with you[]
[signature]