1st ice so nice C.J. today

[saugeyemarc]

Fishrman and I hit the ice this afternoon and only had to drill a few holes.  We hit the marina and found over 5 inches of ice.  I'm sure the main lake has 4+ except maybe in a few areas that held snow or the geese kept open the longest.  Unfortunately that area is close to the foundation.  We fished from 3-6 tonite.  With the stiff wind it was hard to keep warm even with the shelter and heater.  But the fish were biting.  Fishrman schooled me with over 50 fish but I got him with the kicker 13+ crappie thanks to his big fish breaking him off.  The fish weren't shy about hitting for an hour but had to be worked before and after that. 
     Main lake should be good for going out by thursday.  Hopefully we don't get too much rain this weekend and we may have good ice for weeks.  Heard some good poping going on  I'm starting to get excited at the prospect of a good year.  I'll be out for the rest of the week.  Tomorrow afternoon, thurs am and friday all day if I can get away with it.  Just remember to check ice as you walk  areas that retained snow may be unsafe even if the wind has blown it off before you get there.

[lowellhturner]

Way to go, guys !

[fshman_165]

The crappies thought they were walleyes tonight. Marc got out the walleye sized jigging raps and the crappies loved them....

[g]

Great job and report. Glad to hear there is thick ice in the marina. Will have to give it a try Friday. Did you use minnows , waxes or spikes? Do you think morning or evening would be better? Any info is greatly appreciated.     
                                                                     Grant

[slabslayer]

Be careful grant, that report was from last winter, January 2014, not 2015.    Don't want to see anyone take a swim if it's not ready yet.

[Ntoiceman36]

Nice catch slabslayer lesson to all of us there!  I would have never thought other wise than it was a recent post

[g]

Thanks slab. Must need new glasses. Lol no wonder the dates didn't match this years. Over anxious again.        Grant

[snowcone]

yea  you can post on an old post and it will be old post but a new reply brings it up as new...just the nature of the beast

[Tin Guppy]

Grant I checked over by the visitor center where we fished last year and it was 4" of white ice and 4.5" over at the marina.

[Buckeye John]

Thanks for the update Guppy !

[g]

Thanks rusty. Are you going there anytime soon? If so, maybe we can get together.
                                                                                           Grant

[fshman_165]

The ice on the lake varies greatly. there are two open areas. One in front of the public beach and one north of the campground. I drilled and measured 6.5 inches in a large area today. The problem is there are 2 to 2.75 inch areas under just about anywhere you see snow. I fished for about an hour moving around 2 areas and found some crappies. If you don't pick your path very carefully and take all the precautions YOU WILL bust through. I have been drilling each day and measuring since Tuesday. I have seen the snow get blown around to different areas day to day. The docks have a lot of snow drifted against them and the ice underneath is much thinner. My suggestion is avoid ANY snow no matter how thin it looks. The ice is much different from last year having much more variation as its building.

[lowellhturner]

Correct. Plus there at least 5 areas that have underwater springs where the ice can be much thinner. ALWAYS have your `cat`s claws` ON your person and a 50` piece of rope/ clothes line/ ect WITH you, NOT left in your vehicle 1/2 mile (or farther) away...