Local Ice Fishing

Type: Nontidal
Region: Centeral
Location: Local Lake

With the recent cold snaps we have anywhere from 5 to 7 inches of clear hard ice on most small lakes and ponds in the central and western parts of the state. Four inches is minimum for safe foot travel and ice fishing. And the fishing has been good, with bass often stealing the show from intended targets of Bluegills and Crappie. Here are a few I got on January 24 and 25 on a 1/8 oz gold Kastmaster spoon tipped with mealworms and jigged 1 foot off the bottom. Biggest fish went 22 inches.

Be sure to get fish back in the water as quickly as possible if you do not intend to keep them, as the severe temperatures can quickly damage sensitive gills and eyes with extreme low temperatures. All this fish were released promptly after a few pics.