rain, dirty water, and ice fishing

Hi folks, Not very winter like on Monday with all of the rain and warm weather we received.  The ice took a small blow but is still safe for ice fishing.  I would not drive on the ice right now, but walking is safe.  Pay attention to old holes as they do re freeze so quickly in warm weather. The ice where my shanty is located is still 9-1/2" thick and has good integrity.  You need to pay attention around the edges as there was some standing water from the recent rainfall. 

The water clarity was a bit off from incoming streams that were pumping dirty snowmelt into the reservoir.  We jigged smelt and yellow perch from my shanty yesterday and set 12 tip-ups rigged with live smlet right under ice.  No trout to speak of as we only had two flags all day.  I did not see any trout get caught yesterday.  The poor water clarity must have had some impact upon the fishing.  We had set tip ups from shallow water against the rocky shoreline to deep water channel areas. 

A cold front moving in tonight should firm up all of the ice once again. 

Remeber to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.
Obey the bait laws and prevent the spread of VHS.

Have Fun, Willy