Hunting Washington Forum

Other Activities => Fishing => Topic started by: fixed blade on February 03, 2010, 07:16:24 AM

Title: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: fixed blade on February 03, 2010, 07:16:24 AM: Hi ya'll. My names Jason I'm from Utah looking to transplant my family to Washington. We are avid Ice fishermen. I'm just wondering how the Icefishings been. I would love to hear some reports and see some pictures.

Here's one of my bigger Cutt's I've caught this year.

(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi227.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fdd127%2Fjaydonbrycee%2Fgpderby2009-10013.jpg&hash=d337bf4f0d0c51e223ce4a8f83a4b6f42dafa8cf)

Here's a nice tiger trout.

(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi227.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fdd127%2Fjaydonbrycee%2Fkade10.jpg&hash=03af13c4c96db58e3761aacd268180ac2a42cb14)
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: fixed blade on February 03, 2010, 07:26:39 AM: Oh yeah, and in case you were wondering about the candy bar in the pictures it was needed for a tournament I was in. ;)
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: Rick on February 03, 2010, 07:46:14 AM: There aren't a whole lot of lakes that ice fishing is an option on in Washington.

The few lakes thats get enough ice to fish generally have good seasons.
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: h2ofowlr on February 03, 2010, 07:55:01 AM: If you move over to the N.E. corner of the state you have more options for ice fishing. Idaho!
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: Quackwhacker on February 04, 2010, 08:23:50 AM: Its been really wet! ;) Welcome to the site.
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: goosegetter79 on February 04, 2010, 10:29:49 AM: Most the lakes are around Spokane area and north of there.
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: Skyvalhunter on February 04, 2010, 11:06:08 AM: Ice what Ice? Take a boat out there!!
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: fixed blade on February 04, 2010, 04:27:42 PM: Thanks for the replies I think. :chuckle: Has anybody caught any nice sized trout this year. I went out today, and Caught one 13 inch rainbow, real dark looks like they're spawning.

Out here it's not uncommon to catch 10+ trout a day. Anything like that in washington. We're looking at the Colville area above Spokane.
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: Skillet on February 04, 2010, 05:26:03 PM: There are some lakes to the south of Spokane that are winter fishing only trout lakes that we've done pretty well at (Hog Canyon, Fourth of July), but few if any that you can expect to get that kind of production out of in my experience during the short "safe ice" season. A boat is a pretty important piece of winter fishing gear around here.
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: goosegetter79 on February 04, 2010, 05:31:08 PM: Don't know about trout but burbot (freshwater ling cod) good places for those are bead and sullivan. Seen on www.washingtonlakes.com (http://www.washingtonlakes.com) that someone was catching some nice trout on sprague lake west of spokane.
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: Skycruiser on February 04, 2010, 06:25:43 PM: It's been a terrible year for ice fishing. My buddy and I did a three-day coyote-hunting/ice-fishing trip over by Moses Lake just before New Year's. We planned another one in late January but the warm weather moved in and never left. Just heard on the news this week that the average temp for January was a full seven degrees above normal.
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: C-Money on February 04, 2010, 07:01:30 PM: How did you guys do out on Moses Lake Skycruiser? Guess perch were hitting off the old states park area when there was ice. I never got out! :bash:
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: Big D on February 05, 2010, 01:48:10 AM: Anyone that states that the ice fishing opportunities are limited in Washington probably lives on the West or wet side of the state and doesn’t get to Eastern Washington much. We've got lots of great ice on the Eastern side of the state.

Here’s a little free schooling for ya about Washington State before you get here.

Washington State has two very distinct sides. The West or wet side of the Cascade Mountains (Not much Ice) and the East or dry side of the Cascade Mountains (Lotsa Great ice)
In the Colville area you'll find lots of ice fishing opportunities. We've had warm weather here in Eastern Washington for the last couple of weeks but I was still able to get out on the ice yesterday 02/04/10 and get my limit. The ice was 8" thick with a little slush on top. If this warm weather continues the lake that I was on yesterday will probably be safe for ice fishing for only for another week or two.
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on February 05, 2010, 06:12:12 AM: Try a search on "Rufus Woods" on this site. It's not icefishing, but you'll like what you see.
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: fixed blade on February 05, 2010, 06:32:31 AM: Thanks guys.

Big D nice haul, is the limit 5 there? It's only 4 trout here. Do you mainly catch rainbows on the hard deck or can you get some other species of trout?
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: Big D on February 05, 2010, 06:56:21 AM: Quote from: DOUBLELUNG on February 05, 2010, 06:12:12 AM
Try a search on "Rufus Woods" on this site. It's not icefishing, but you'll like what you see.

You shouldn't tell him that. He'll want to live in Bridgeport. :IBCOOL:
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: Big Guy on February 05, 2010, 09:27:05 AM: Quote from: Big D on February 05, 2010, 01:48:10 AM
Anyone that states that the ice fishing opportunities are limited in Washington probably lives on the West or wet side of the state and doesn’t get to Eastern Washington much. We've got lots of great ice on the Eastern side of the state.

Here’s a little free schooling for ya about Washington State before you get here.

Washington State has two very distinct sides. The West or wet side of the Cascade Mountains (Not much Ice) and the East or dry side of the Cascade Mountains (Lotsa Great ice)
In the Colville area you'll find lots of ice fishing opportunities. We've had warm weather here in Eastern Washington for the last couple of weeks but I was still able to get out on the ice yesterday 02/04/10 and get my limit. The ice was 8" thick with a little slush on top. If this warm weather continues the lake that I was on yesterday will probably be safe for ice fishing for only for another week or two.

Big D, you Did not mention the lake your fishing, My guess would be fish lake huh?
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: Big D on February 05, 2010, 11:15:20 AM: Quote from: fixed blade on February 05, 2010, 06:32:31 AM
Thanks guys.Big D nice haul, is the limit 5 there? It's only 4 trout here. Do you mainly catch rainbows on the hard deck or can you get some other species of trout?

Hey fixed blade,
The Washington State general limit for Trout is five a day. Two a day if you fish Rufus Woods. I recommend that you always check the Regs for the lake that you’re going to be fishing before you head out.
This particular lake has Browns, Rainbows and a few Tiger trout. If you are really into fishing...you could look at relocating to the Wenatchee Valley. It's located in the center of the state. With in an hour or two drive in any direction you can fish for Bass both S/M & L/M, several species of Trout, Chinook Salmon, Sockeye Salmon, Steelhead, Walleye, Perch, Cat Fish, Kokanee, Crappie and I'm sure a few of others that I'm forgetting right now.

Quote from: Big Guy on February 05, 2010, 09:27:05 AM
Big D, you Did not mention the lake your fishing, My guess would be fish lake huh?
Hey Big Guy, Nope, not Fish Lake. I've been sworn to secrecy. But I can give you a clue.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi983.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fae312%2FBigDsPhotoAlbum%2FIcefishing.jpg&hash=a530bc81695f4e355dd197e7ebbb99a6eab51297)
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: fixed blade on February 05, 2010, 11:34:19 AM: Damn those are some fatties Big D. Thanks for the reply
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: alanger on February 05, 2010, 03:53:00 PM: another Rufus Teaser. i got almost every weekend.
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: Skycruiser on February 06, 2010, 06:41:12 AM: Quote
How did you guys do out on Moses Lake Skycruiser? Guess perch were hitting off the old states park area when there was ice.
The fishing was pretty fair just north of the I-90 bridge on Moses Lake but we ran into bigger fish down on the south end of Long Lake, right near the channel. We were fishing for perch but saw a few walleye taken, though not of any size.
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: boneaddict on February 06, 2010, 06:45:24 AM: It would take more than Rufus to get me to want to live in Bridgeport. :chuckle:
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: Big D on February 07, 2010, 10:41:50 AM: Quote from: boneaddict on February 06, 2010, 06:45:24 AM
It would take more than Rufus to get me to want to live in Bridgeport. :chuckle:

How about the wild night life?
Title: Re: How's the Ice fishing been this year?
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on February 08, 2010, 11:29:27 AM: Quote from: boneaddict on February 06, 2010, 06:45:24 AM
It would take more than Rufus to get me to want to live in Bridgeport. :chuckle:

I would want to live in Bridgeport if I lived in Brewster.