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I hit Pelican for a few hours today to see if I could get into some gills. Dropped my first line at 10:00 am and fished until 1:30 pm. I fished off of the east side in about 13 FOW. The ice is a solid 10" on the main lake but rising water levels are causing the edges and shallows to be soft. I had no trouble getting on or off but saw where an ATV broke through at the soft edge. The action was pretty much non-stop for bluegills averaging 7 1/2". I estimate I caught 45 - 50 gills in 3 1/2 hours. A small Swedish pimple tipped with a mealworm was the ticket. I also caught 5 largemouth bass ranging from 12 - 13 1/2".
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Thanks for the report...my family will be out there this Friday and Saturday. Can't wait to fish it again.
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I had to call in sick so I could go to Lake Powell!
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The positive reports this year seem to be more consistent than last year. I haven't heard as many reports of people having trouble finding fish; most seem to be finding them and catching plenty. I've been out there twice and had similar success as you. The water seems to be a little clearer this winter too which is probably helping fish find the baits easier as well. Some guys I'm talking to are telling me they are finding less parasites too. My wife has banned all fish from Pelican on our table so I can't validate the parasite claim.
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Thanks for the report. Maybe this will be a decent ice season for Pelican after all.
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I was pleasantly surprised with the 40 gills we brought home recently. We didn't find any parasites in any of the fish we brought home.
We caught 8 LMB and the larger ones had big heads and skinny bodies. Overall, the LMB and Bluegills looked healthier than I've seen them for a while. The water level and clarity is also better than the past couple of years.
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I had to call in sick so I could go to Lake Powell!
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[quote fishnate]The positive reports this year seem to be more consistent than last year. I haven't heard as many reports of people having trouble finding fish; most seem to be finding them and catching plenty. I've been out there twice and had similar success as you. The water seems to be a little clearer this winter too which is probably helping fish find the baits easier as well. Some guys I'm talking to are telling me they are finding less parasites too. My wife has banned all fish from Pelican on our table so I can't validate the parasite claim.[/quote]
That is a nice sized bass[cool]
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Thanks. We usually get a few in the 15" to 17" range each winter. It's one of the few places I can "plan" on catching LMB through the ice. It's a lot of fun setting the hook into a nice bass on 2 or 4 lb line when you're expecting another bluegill or smaller bass.
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[quote fishnate]Thanks. We usually get a few in the 15" to 17" range each winter. It's one of the few places I can "plan" on catching LMB through the ice. It's a lot of fun setting the hook into a nice bass on 2 or 4 lb line when you're expecting another bluegill or smaller bass.[/quote]
That would be a rush...
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