12-07-2016, 09:45 PM
[#0000FF]There is an old saying that the only thing permanent is change. And the one thing that can be said about Utah lakes and ice is that every year seems to be different...some in small ways...others in big ways.
You are right though about Mammoth (Huntington) and Scofield usually providing the first ice...safe or not. But there are some other small ponds in that area that also freeze early and can be good fishing, at least for planters.
Deer Creek is deep and it takes a prolonged period of single digit nights and no wind to get it to cap and then to thicken up. Not unusual for it to freeze and thaw several times with no safe ice ever. But when it does freeze, the upper part of the Charleston arm usually caps first...and can provide some decent rainbows in fairly shallow water along the old Provo River channel.
Jordanelle is another deeper pond that can be fickle with her ice thickness...and the fish she puts out. If it is going to freeze enough for ice fishing it will usually do so before January...first or second week. It has not been good ice fishing on Jordanelle for several years. But the perch population is coming back and they are planting new species. You can almost always count on getting some rainbows up in the Rock Cliff arm...and perch if you fish out deep enough toward the main lake. Think at least 35 to 50 feet of water.
On Strawberry, Mud Creek is generally the first area with walkable hard deck. But once it sees the first week of ice zoo the rest of the protected bays get hard and then the rest of the lake. Just gotta watch the weather and the fishing reports...and then take your safety gear...and cold weather gear. Cool runnings.
Starvation is like Deer Creek...with a lot of the same species. It is deep enough that it takes some serious cold to cap and freeze solid enough for hard deckers. But it gets mighty cold there so once it caps it gets thick pretty fast. It will usually have at least some fishable areas by early January most years. But you gotta watch the weather and the wind. Been known to have ice fishermen standing on a foot of ice in Rabbit Gulch with boats and or float tubes fishing within 25 feet of them on open water...with an easterly wind gnawing at the ice edges. One thing about Starvy is that the wind often blows off the snow as fast as it falls. The ice is sometimes clear and SLICK. Never leave home without ice cleats. And there is no need to pucker when it looks like you are walking on water. I have seen anglers tiptoeing across 16 inches of clear ice like it was only a couple of inches. Still, as always, it is a good idea early in the season to drill some test holes as you go...and have company with ropes and other safety equipment.
This past year or two has been strange. Last year it remained warmer longer but then got heavy storms and deep cold fast. This year it also stayed warm and the water levels have been lower on many lakes. All of those things affect the onset of ice and how the fish act.
The best time to go is whenever you can...and conditions are safe. As old Zig Ziglar used to say "If you wait until all the lights are on green you ain't never gonna leave the house."
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You are right though about Mammoth (Huntington) and Scofield usually providing the first ice...safe or not. But there are some other small ponds in that area that also freeze early and can be good fishing, at least for planters.
Deer Creek is deep and it takes a prolonged period of single digit nights and no wind to get it to cap and then to thicken up. Not unusual for it to freeze and thaw several times with no safe ice ever. But when it does freeze, the upper part of the Charleston arm usually caps first...and can provide some decent rainbows in fairly shallow water along the old Provo River channel.
Jordanelle is another deeper pond that can be fickle with her ice thickness...and the fish she puts out. If it is going to freeze enough for ice fishing it will usually do so before January...first or second week. It has not been good ice fishing on Jordanelle for several years. But the perch population is coming back and they are planting new species. You can almost always count on getting some rainbows up in the Rock Cliff arm...and perch if you fish out deep enough toward the main lake. Think at least 35 to 50 feet of water.
On Strawberry, Mud Creek is generally the first area with walkable hard deck. But once it sees the first week of ice zoo the rest of the protected bays get hard and then the rest of the lake. Just gotta watch the weather and the fishing reports...and then take your safety gear...and cold weather gear. Cool runnings.
Starvation is like Deer Creek...with a lot of the same species. It is deep enough that it takes some serious cold to cap and freeze solid enough for hard deckers. But it gets mighty cold there so once it caps it gets thick pretty fast. It will usually have at least some fishable areas by early January most years. But you gotta watch the weather and the wind. Been known to have ice fishermen standing on a foot of ice in Rabbit Gulch with boats and or float tubes fishing within 25 feet of them on open water...with an easterly wind gnawing at the ice edges. One thing about Starvy is that the wind often blows off the snow as fast as it falls. The ice is sometimes clear and SLICK. Never leave home without ice cleats. And there is no need to pucker when it looks like you are walking on water. I have seen anglers tiptoeing across 16 inches of clear ice like it was only a couple of inches. Still, as always, it is a good idea early in the season to drill some test holes as you go...and have company with ropes and other safety equipment.
This past year or two has been strange. Last year it remained warmer longer but then got heavy storms and deep cold fast. This year it also stayed warm and the water levels have been lower on many lakes. All of those things affect the onset of ice and how the fish act.
The best time to go is whenever you can...and conditions are safe. As old Zig Ziglar used to say "If you wait until all the lights are on green you ain't never gonna leave the house."
[/#0000FF]
[signature]