Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations ICE!!!

After this last 5 day cold snap, I've got about 4-5" of good ice back on the pond. Plenty enough to drag the cedars and Xmas trees that I'd weighted out on the ice so they can be there this summer. Thought I'd missed my opportunity.

Might even go out this evening and cut down some more to put in the new pond. Only sposed to get to 33 today and tomorrow, so I've a few more days to get this done.

I've got 2

I've got 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 inches this morning. I think I'll venture out this evening.

Cecil -- I used your picture of the ice house on the dock this weekend at the Black Hills Sports Show. I put "global warming?" on the slide in red letters, and got some chuckles from the audience.

Glad I could provide some laughs.

I'm sure the ice only got thicker yesterday and last night. Barely got above freezing yesterday, and back down to the teens this AM. Trying to finish burning off the pasture...don't work so good with an inch of ice over everything.

Our temps are inching up. Low only in the 20's with highs above freezing and creeping up to 40 to 44 for a couple of days before plummeting for the weekend. I think I'll move to Maine or Canada. I'm tired of this half -ss winter down here.

I chickened out on the big pond today. It warmed up with bright sun and when I stepped out on the ice for the second time it made crunching sounds every step I made. Not a good sign. I see some local guys went through today on a lake in Indiana. I think I made the right choice especially since I fish alone!

So instead I went back to the smaller trout pond where the ice is a little thicker, and I had jigged up a three pound male brook yesterday. I ended up taking out six brook trout today up to 4 lbs. 13 oz. All were moved to the new trout pond except for the biggest one that I accidentally dropped on his head! I was ticked. He could have been a 7 pound plus fish by next fall. He was in excellent shape and I could easily have seen him living at least another year. Other fish went up to about 4 lbs.
Two females and 3 males.

What was really neat is I could see them come in right underneath the ice. I love sight fishing! Used to sight fish for brook trout as a kid sometimes casting to schools of a hundred fish!

Caught them about a foot or two under the ice. It would have been really something if I could have set up the fish trap ice shanty but I wasn't sure if I should with the ice thickness.

Sorry I should have taken pics but with all but the one I accidentally killed I wanted to move these fish to the other pond ASAP with the least amount of handling.

We've got about 4 inches of cruddy ice right now. I suspect it will be unfishable by tomorrow evening.

My ice was all gone after work last night, except for a little patch about 4 feet across.

Only got to ~35 F yesterday, maybe 40 today. Ice outta be good til the weekend...when it goes back to 20's for highs.

Might rain Friday, though...but it would take a pretty good event to ruin the ice very fast.

Be carefull Matt, I saw a news report posted on the NE G & P forum this morning that three ice fisherman went through the ice at Prairie Rose lake over in western IA, one of them did not make it.

I've been waiting all winter for a chance to drag some structure out on the ice. 45deg today, and only two inches of ice. Looks like i'm going to loose my window of opportunity. Matt, did your pond ever start to fill?

Ice here is 32", should be good for another few months. Might be able to launch the boat by end of May. Three to four months of summer and back at it again.

Join the club Mr. Willy. I have some really nice aluminum and vinyl pier sections that were given to me. I wanted to slide then out on the ice and drive poles down for my other three ponds. Never happened.

Mr Willy...yeah, but OH SO SLOWLY! I've got maybe 4 feet of water in the center hole of the new pond. I don't think I'll have any trouble building my dock or putting in structure this summer...

62 degrees here tomorrow. Bye, bye ice.

I've been watching Olympic "Curling" for days, as if my life depends on the outcome. I watch with a big vacuous look on my face that scares my wife and kids.

I still understand nothing about how points are scored and even less about strategy.

And yet I watch...

.....That boy ain't quite right

Any sport that you can drink beer, be out of shape and push a broom for Olympic gold is OK by me. I'm mad at my parents for not introducing me to this sport when I was a kid. The gold medal they get is the same one you get for downhill skiing at 80 mph.