11-01-2022, 02:30 PM
(10-28-2022, 03:17 PM)SkunkedAgain Wrote: So I have been really neglectful (busy with other things) and haven't been doing my scouting for the new ideas for this ice season. So hoping others will reply to this post with cool stuff they have seen for the new ice season that is fast approaching... I did pick up an Okuma Ceymar bait feeder reel this year, but had my bubble burst when Matt told me I could have gotten it for $20 cheaper on Amazon... Guess I need to shop around and not trust those 20% off sales.... I have the avenger model from Okuma as well and have really liked that one for those dead sticking opportunities, like burbot on the gorge... Other than that I haven't used the bait feeder that much ice fishing, but sure like them for catfishing...Well, since I am a walleye fanatic, I am itching for Echo to freeze up this winter. Other social media has had posts of great walleye catching at Echo this year. I don't need to catch the trophy ones, but a good haul of eater-sized eyes would be fantastic. Any walleye is a trophy to me. I missed the window of opportunity for the post-spawn bite there this year. It is a closer option for me to score some walleye through the ice. I know Willard has them and that is close to where I live, but I don't feel the access there is that great and the ice is sketchy to me. I have got them when I have targeted them on Deer creek, but that is a tough location for me to get to because of my busy life, and it seldom freezes up safely for a good chunk of time.
Also let's look into preseason scouting reports or thoughts... I know the perch spotlight has shifted from Hyrum to Rockport, too bad that lakes don't stay good for very long at a time... I was having fun at Hyrum a couple years ago, but last year was really a disappointment for me... Newton started off good last year for mixed bag of tiger muskie, bass, crappie, bluegill and tiny perch, but with the heavy pressure on such a small body of water (historically low level of water, which concentrated the fish that were left), I expect things will be really slow there this year... Maybe it will thin the perch to where they can start to grow a little bigger. I know many locations will be suffering the low water level fall out again this year, so where do you look to fish this year...
Last year gave us the first ice on Bear Lake for about five years and so I spent quite a few of my ice days over there and never caught any monsters, but fished with a few of you that nailed some great fish last year... That was a lot of fun for me and kind of took the place of my flaming gorge trip... Henry's treated me more than fair last year, we didn't get the usual kick off classic trip, but I went up with my in-laws on a Thanksgiving trip and ended up showing up late after a failed attempt to try a new area on the lake, but even so we ended up with like 18 fish in a couple hours... Nothing over 22", but was still a lot of fun... I don't think I did any overnight trips last year, which was sort of, but I still had a fun season... What trips are you looking forward to this year?
Anyway just wanted to tap into your anticipation for the ice season, a lot of times the getting excited about the season is half the fun of what gets us outdoors to enjoy the fun... Hope you have some great dreams and plans for the future season and hopefully we can get a chance to share the ice together someday this winter...
If you are aware of an event like the one Pikeman mentioned in previous post, please mention them here, so folks can add that to their calendars, whether they be tournaments or get togethers, would be good to know what is happening and where...
I have had mentioned to me that we need to put together an angler tackle swap sometime, how much interest is there in this type event/ get together? Is there more interest if we figured out how to do it virtually rather than in an actual location? Would we want to incorporate it into the fall get together award dinner? I think the idea was a place you could sell/ trade/ give away unwanted tackle/gear to either help others, or upgrade your gear set... (Shameless request, if you do have gear that you want to give away, I'm looking for prizes for the catfish contest, and I could use some bling for that again this fall..).... Always nice to help out some of our junior, or new anglers... I know I sure appreciated all the help you guys provided to me as I was getting into the fishing zone...
Okay I better shut up and see what your thoughts are... good luck everyone on a great upcoming season... Later Jeff
Gabe