any guys ice fish ?

Good job Brian... My SO and I decided to head out before the Pats game as well... 8-10" of ice... had 17 flags for a total of 6 fish....
SHE got the biggest fish...a 3 pounder and a 1.25.... Nice day to be out there...I'm sure I got a tan! :)
 

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Good job Brian... My SO and I decided to head out before the Pats game as well... 8-10" of ice... had 17 flags for a total of 6 fish....
SHE got the biggest fish...a 3 pounder and a 1.25.... Nice day to be out there...I'm sure I got a tan! :)

Was beautiful out there. We had a fairly busy day too with a pick being the biggest just shy of 3lbs. Wife and 5yo daughter showed up and she caught her first fish through the ice and was excited to be out there the whole time. She landed 3 pick. Wife caught a couple small pick as well. Total of 11 pick for the day. Group next to us caught a nice LM bass and was fairly busy too. Hoping the cold days ahead refreeze all of this rain, looks like a nice weekend with a derby on Chadwick pond that I plan on fishing I hope.
 
Great to hear bigpick! Sounds like a good day for you and your daughter! I HOPE to be out this Wednesday again....I hope there's still ice in Franklin!
 
Ice was 6.5" today..and the flags flew! 22 of them with 7 LMBs iced....biggest of the day goes to my SO...
4.5lbs 20". (mine biggest was 14..75" and 1.25 lbs)
 

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Hey, Short notice, but I only just thought to post this here. If anyone is interested, there is a Ice fishing derby this Saturday (Jan 27th) in Littleton, ma. Proceeds go to the Robert B. Learmonth Sportsmen fund, which uses the funds to send kids to the Massachusetts Jr Conservation camp.
More info here Home or shoot me a pm with any questions. Its usually a small derby, but that means the chances of winning is higher!
(I tried to put a image of the flyer here, but couldn't get it to work, but there is one on the home page of the website)
 
Forge pond, is there parking available? Never been there.
Dropbox - RLIFD2018.jpg (Hopefully that link to the flyer will work)

Sign up is on the Littleton side of forge pond/Lake Matawanakee. On the Littleton side of the lake there are a few small beaches off of Matawanakee Trail with some parking. Worst comes to worst you could park in my yard, as I live near by.
 
Nice day on the ice today... 6-7" of ice... I had 13 flags, and pulled 5 LMBs out of the holes.... Only one was undersized (11")...biggie
for the day was a 16.5" 2 1/4 lber.....


Nice!

Planning to participate in my club's derby this weekend. Hope the ice out in Rutland is in good enough shape.
 
Good for you. That bass is chunky!
UPS delivered my Striker Ice Climate jacket today. Floatation jacket. I was depressed to find it is a little too tight. Damn stomach. Need less food and more treadmill.
 
Nice!

Planning to participate in my club's derby this weekend. Hope the ice out in Rutland is in good enough shape.
My gun club derby is this Sunday as well. Country pond fish and game Newton NH. 4 Feb.....sign up at clubhouse starts at 5am.....$10 entry......$500 in prize money.....shiners avaliable at the clubhouse.
 
Hey guys, I'm a long time open water fisherman, and just started ice fishing this year. I've only gone out twice, and I've usually fish alone. My question to the more seasoned guys is in regards to ice quality. I've done some reading about white (snow) ice being about half as weak as the dark blue ice. What are some of the signs you guys look for when the ice is starting to get too dangerous?

For example, when I was out on Saturday (50 degree day), the ice ranged from 10 in on the outside to 4 in in the middle. There were a few cracks that were a few millimeters wide and also some cracking noises coming from the ice. Even where it was most thin, the ice didn't flex with my weight. My biggest worrying is that I go out in the morning and the ice conditions change through out the day. Any help would be appreciated!
 
. What are some of the signs you guys look for when the ice is starting to get too dangerous?

!

2" of clear black ice is the minimum to support 1 guy...yes, if it's white, it'll be 1/2 as strong (meaning you'll need at least 4").... Best thing you can do is to use a spud to probe the ice as you walk out checking as you go. Ice does make cracking sounds even when VERY solid, so it's not always a tell-tale sign of weak ice. Also be aware of how the sun shines on the pond/lake...if an area gets 100% of the sun, it'll be weaker in a spot that gets some shade...ESPECIALLY closer to shore where you want to get on/off! Also, if you get on "shaky" ice early in the morning beware...as you could get stranded once the sun comes out in full force.

Another thing to be aware of is and current or springs in the body of water...as the ice won't freeze as thick as other parts...

Yesterday it was ~6" of ice...1/2 black 1/2 "speckled"....so there was no worries....
 
4" for ice fishing any less your are taking very unnecessary risks....also always carry hand spikes....remember ice freezes from the top down and melts from the bottom up...

Ice is all gone on the cape.....:(
 
Hey guys, I'm a long time open water fisherman, and just started ice fishing this year. I've only gone out twice, and I've usually fish alone. My question to the more seasoned guys is in regards to ice quality. I've done some reading about white (snow) ice being about half as weak as the dark blue ice. What are some of the signs you guys look for when the ice is starting to get too dangerous?

For example, when I was out on Saturday (50 degree day), the ice ranged from 10 in on the outside to 4 in in the middle. There were a few cracks that were a few millimeters wide and also some cracking noises coming from the ice. Even where it was most thin, the ice didn't flex with my weight. My biggest worrying is that I go out in the morning and the ice conditions change through out the day. Any help would be appreciated!
On warm sunny days the conditions do change! Two weekends ago I went out in the morning and everything was solid right to the edges. Fished 10 inches of good solid ice all day. Left to head home at 3pm and the edges were open water 3 feet out .not a worry as it was shallow water but I had to jump to the shore to get off. Lesson I learned is take a look at the shore every hour or so to see what's going on .
 
Hey guys, I'm a long time open water fisherman, and just started ice fishing this year. I've only gone out twice, and I've usually fish alone. My question to the more seasoned guys is in regards to ice quality. I've done some reading about white (snow) ice being about half as weak as the dark blue ice. What are some of the signs you guys look for when the ice is starting to get too dangerous?

For example, when I was out on Saturday (50 degree day), the ice ranged from 10 in on the outside to 4 in in the middle. There were a few cracks that were a few millimeters wide and also some cracking noises coming from the ice. Even where it was most thin, the ice didn't flex with my weight. My biggest worrying is that I go out in the morning and the ice conditions change through out the day. Any help would be appreciated!

One of the things to look for when there are cracks in the ice is to see if water is seeping up through them. Naturally there will be stress cracks in the ice so it's nothing to be concerned about. Another thing to look for is when your drilling a hole look to see if the ice is honeycomb or not. I typically don't see it until later in the season but it's still seen at these times. The cracking noises of the ice is quite normal and there are days being on the ice where it's extremely noisy and you can feel the ice under your feet sound like it's cracking and it can be quite alarming if you're not used to it. You can also tell how soft the ice is when your drilling holes which can give you some indication. Yes you're right about ice strength. The conditions will change as the day where's on but a 50 degree day typically won't kill 10 inches of ice in January/February, maybe later in the season but not now. Just use your best judgement and you will be ok. Just stay on the thicker ice if you're too concerned. Remember no ice is really "safe" so spud your way don't take unnecessary risk and you'll be good. Tight lines and be safe out there.
 
One of the things to look for when there are cracks in the ice is to see if water is seeping up through them. Naturally there will be stress cracks in the ice so it's nothing to be concerned about


What if there is water coming through? Clearly it means the crack runs thru to the bottom of the ice.
 
Took the Wife out across the street in hopes of bagging some Crappies. It was a beautiful day for ice fishing, a bit windy but it was a good day to fish. The fishing however was horribly slow, with the highlight being a small LMB.

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And no day is complete without me having to remove a slimedart from a tip-up.
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@whacko @arlow

 
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Took the Wife out across the street in hopes of bagging some Crappies. It was a beautiful day for ice fishing, a bit windy but it was a good day to fish. The fishing however was horribly slow, with the highlight being a small LMB.

View attachment 220552

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And no day is complete without me having to remove a slimedart from a tip-up.
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@whacko @arlow


Great setup! Maybe I could get Mrs. Mountain to come along with a decent size shelter.

4+ inches on Long Pond, Rutland MA today. First successful club derby since 2015 due to lack of ice last couple years. 'Derby' mostly oriented to the kids as they were encouraged to pull in a fish any time there was a flag up. Awards for all the kids. Had some great venison kielbasa that one of the guys cooked up. Catch was LMB's and slime darts. I have to laugh about the nicname for chain pickerel. They seem to be the northern version of the gar nuisances we had down south.
 
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