Is It Spring Already?
Wow, where’d all the ice go?
This is quite the new February experience we’re having this year! I stood on the ice most of the day Monday, and more than once had to take shelter to avoid lightening strikes. Lightening is usually more of a summer fishing threat…
What are the lake conditions? We’ve lost quite a lot of ice this week. Stay away from current areas on lakes like inlets and outlets. Don’t trust fishing/ice reports—go figure it out for yourself. If your gut says stay off the ice, then stay off the ice. If there aren’t any anglers on the lake you’d like to fish—it should be a red flag. Watch out at lake access points. Shoreline ice gets beat up by both people use/over-use and by the sun, wind, and rain—so be careful.
If you take a vehicle on the ice (which I don’t recommend), you might not get it off. Fishing is flickering. It seems as though the fish are as perplexed by the “new” spring as we are. Patterns are changing daily. I’ve seen the fish shut off (this week) on a dime, and I’ve seen them “charge” hard too. It’s a rapidly changing period, both on the ice and on shore. Keep an eye out for unsafe ice conditions and for changing fishing patterns.
Whether you’re on a lake this week or simply out in the yard, enjoy our great early spring!
Ross Hagemeister
