Last Trip Of 2012

A final trip to end the year, on the ice with George.  We saw a few nice rainbows and caught a couple as well.  George even found a small kokanee as well.  A slow day but a nice finale to the end of 2012.  George's cinnamon roll baking on his propane heater was something to behold.  Delicious.

My last fish of the year, a good way to end 2012.

George's famous home on the ice

Dawn On The Ice

Moon shining through the sunrise

George and I hit the ice early this morning in search of lake trout.  Sunrise on the ice was beautiful to watch and we had a good day with numerous rainbows, browns, and even a sneaky cutthroat in the mix.  We didn't find any of the large macks we went searching for but enjoyed ourselves in the ice shanty nonetheless.  I brought home a few rainbows in the 16 inch range for the grill in the evening and they were delicious.

Sunrise on the ice

First cutthroat of the new year

Slow Start To The Ice Season

I slipped out in the early morning the day after Christmas intending to meet up with George and chase some trout on the ice.  I was finally going to get a bit of time to take that first ice fishing trip of the winter now that work and life responsibilities had let up enough to sneak away and drill a few holes.

Arriving at the lake we were supposed to meet on and fish was a bit of a shock.  I was in a full strength ground blizzard and couldn't even see the two track in the darkness and snow that I was supposed to head down to find George.  Looking at the road there seemed to be no disturbance at all in the deep snow, so I figured they had moved on to a different lake.  Heading back out of the blizzard the rest of the valley was in fine shape and had perfect visibility.  It was amazing how localized that severe weather ended up being.

I set up elsewhere on the plains lakes and drilled my first holes of the season.  The system for the day consisted of an active marabou jig on one set up with a pair of flies deadsticked on the other rod.  I couldn't even muster a strike.  I sat out on the ice and had a nice lunch and a microbrew and watched the clouds go by until the obvious time came to call it a day.

My modest ice setup for the day

Talking to George later in the day, I found out they had arrived right as the storm came in and were just out on the ice setting up in the ground blizzard.  They were questioning their sanity but did manage to hunker down and ride out the storm and fish the morning. They had a couple bites at least but it sounded equally slow all over the valley.

The Ice Is Fleeting

This very well could be the last ice trip of the year. Wind and temperature forecasts look poised to peel the hard stuff away this week and usher in the open water season. George graciously let me tag along for an early morning trip. We got on the ice and set up just as the sun was peeking over the horizon and started working to the trout. We had quite a few come through and George was on them well landing several with one 20 incher. I missed a strike or two and then broke a bruiser off as he just ran right off with my setup. As things slowed in the mid-morning we packed it up and headed into town. George seemed pretty convinced that this was it for the ice.

A 20 incher coming through the hole on the end of George's line


After fishing, I headed over to the Conservation and Sustainable Living Expo at the fairgrounds here in town. Our newly reformed TU chapter had a table and I worked it for a couple hours and visited with people. It was nice to see so many people out at the expo and excited about spring. If you want to check out our chapter the website is at:

www.laramietu.org

We seem to have some real momentum in the chapter and people are excited to get things up and running.

First Brook Trout Of 2011

The weather was too nice to stay indoors today. Temperatures in the 40's negated the cooling effect of the stronger gusts of wind. I had to get out and explore some of the iced up water in a hunt for trout.

The first hour was uneventful with most of my time spent enjoying a nice Breckenridge Brewery Oatmeal Stout.

Right at 4:30pm I had the first take, and landed a fat rainbow trout on the scud pattern.

Another hour passed and as I was actively working my marabou jig, it was engulfed by a decent brook trout. My first brookie of the year for 2011. I fished about 20 more minutes before finally heading out at dark.

Icing At Dusk

Beau and I decided that maybe the fish would be active right at dusk tonight under the ice and that we might be able to take advantage of the good weather and luck upon some husky rainbows. We set up and fished it hard for 2 hours but it just wasn't in the cards for us this evening. Some good conversation, a couple ales, and a beautiful sunset kept us satisfied but the fish never materialized. We'll get 'em next time Beau. Thanks for heading out and giving it a go.

Beau working the jig trying to find any interested trout

The sun fading behind the Snowy Range

Sunset over the Laramie Valley

Slow Ice With Shoe

The Shoe ventured up to the high plains for a little ice fishing today. I was awaiting his arrival on the ice in the morning sunlight. It was a long, slow day of no action. We tried three different lakes and a few different tactics with no success. I had one hit and spotted one other interested fish all day. It was slow to say the least. Shoe had a tug at one point too, but that was it. Speaking with other ice anglers at all three lakes, we did not talk to a person that had caught a single fish. Perhaps the warm temperatures or some other climate condition had the fish in lock jaw mode. Whatever the case, Shoe and I had a fine time visiting on the ice and catching up. We stayed on the ice until sunset, content that we had given it a full effort but today was simply not meant to be one of catching, only fishing.

Shoe starting off in the clam ice shelter - he had just seen a 24 incher go through

Moving around to try to find fish

The humble Shoe ice abode

Some antelope with the Snowy Range in the background - it was a glorious day

Sun setting on our ice efforts

Sunrise On The Ice

I was able to sneak out early this morning trying to beat the wind and maybe find a few trout through the ice. I got set up in the morning darkness and was hopeful for a good bite on the day. I broke off one fish and then missed another four takes or so before a few hours in the wind became too unbearable and I headed for town. The trip was all worth it though to sit there and witness the sunrise with a hot cup of coffee in hand. It was quite a show and I was lucky to catch the start of the new day this January morning.

Before The Storm Hits

George and I talked Saturday evening and decided to try an early Sunday morning trip to beat the winter storm that was headed into the valley. We were on the ice before sunrise and the fish were active. We saw many fish come through the holes from the ice hut. Scuds were rising into the drilled holes so we decided to try some scud patterns and the fish were finally interested in our offerings. Trout were simply cruising about half way down the water column and lazily eating the swimming scuds.

Here is the first fish I was able to land after messing up a few takes and missing some others.

George also got in on the action and I captured a little video of the battle.


A quick shot and back to the water

Good Start To 2011

I have been wanting to get out and find some water time since the start of the new year but things just haven't lined up well with weather, work, and free time. Today I finally found a few hours in the afternoon to pursue trout on the hard water. The going was slow and first and I couldn't seem to find any fish or even see any down the hole. Water boatman were thick in the lake and were instantly filling the holes right after they were drilled. I have never seen these sorts of number of active boatman in the winter. It was quite astounding and left little question as to what the fish were most likely consuming.

I decided to try a couple pictures of the insect explosion. Macro setting ENGAGE!

In talking to a few other fisherman, the slow action tended to be the general consensus for the day, very few fish even spotted and no one I spoke with had caught anything. I decided to mix it up and get into a much shallower end of the lake. I worked it for a little while with no interest from the fish, but suddenly after having added some heavy action to my jig I managed to land a nice rainbow to start the fishing season off right.

First Ice Of Winter

I got the auger and ice gear out and loaded up for a trip to the plains lakes today in the hopes of finding some rainbows through the hard stuff. The ice condition reports were sounding safe at last and I managed to find a good location to set up and start jigging. Actively working marabou jigs seemed to be what the fish were interested in today. I managed to land two rainbows and had a few other fish go through the holes with some pecking strikes. It felt great to have the crunch of the ice under my boots again. A fairly heavy storm was headed our way so after a couple hours I packed up and made it back to town just as the snow started flying. The winter season is once again here and the fishing prospects are promising.

The approaching storm

My best rainbow on the day

Last Days Of February

A late rise from slumber put me on the ice in the mid-morning. I followed the tracks that looked like George's ski runners for his shack and found where he had been set up earlier in the morning. He had already left about the time I was waking up. This left me some nice predrilled 10 inch holes in the ice and I worked them with my standard white marabou jigs for a few hours. A couple nice rainbows took the slowly jigged marabou. Finally some fish landed through the ice in 2010! I also managed my first sunburn of the year. Spring and the open water it brings are not far off now.

Back you go... see you this spring

Pretty rainbow colors

Slim Pickings On The Ice

I spent a few hours this afternoon on some plains lakes ice trying to fool a rainbow or brook trout into displaying any sort of activity. I couldn't find any willing takers today. It seemed no one else on the ice was having any luck either. I met a few nice people out there though and enjoyed a beer in the sunshine. I did have my license checked for the first time this year and the G&F warden was very nice and stopped to talk for a bit.

I did figure out that its time for a new camera battery. It can barely hold a charge in colder weather.

New Years Day Ice

George and I headed out early in the morning with all the promise of the new year upon us. Our initial lake selection was a wind storm, so we back tracked to a lake that was surprisingly calm in comparison. The wind eventually hit us for a couple of hours but not until after we were all set up and fishing.

The fish were moving around and we saw plenty of them down the holes but takes were few and far between. I managed to mishandle at least three takes and that was all I could seem to do. George fared better hooking a few others including a big brute that slipped him during battle.

Another great start to the new year, we never saw another person all day long.

The moon setting to the west after we set up


Standing our ground in the wind


One rainbow that didn't manage to get away from George

Sunday On The Big Ice

I went out to meet up with George in the search for big trout or possibly perch if we stumbled on to them. We didn't see much of anything on the big water. It was slow except for a couple flashes on George's Marcum. His friend did manage a nice kokanee during the day but that was about it for action. Thanks to George for putting me up in his shack and the fun use of the underwater camera. We'll find those fish at some point.

George had been out early and decided to call it a day. I moved on to another lake to see if I could save the day with some action. Right away I was seeing fish come through the hole and muffed my first take with too fast a set. Then something happened that I had never seen before. A group of three trout came in zooming around the jig and they seemed to be battling over it. One quickly took it and I had a beautiful rainbow to save the day. Had another take and some lookers after that but it quickly darkened into night the day before the winter solstice and it was time to leave. I will have to head back and try some more on this lake as the fish seemed promising.

Slow Saturday Ice

I made it out Saturday on the ice and Eric showed up for a while for a meet up and to try for some trout. We saw quite a few people out for the first time this year. They thinned out rapidly though as the bite was slow. Plenty of fish seemed to be coming through and looking but many had lock jaw. We did get a few hook sets on white jigs but not much else to do but watch them milling about under the ice and enjoy a beer.

A rare feeding rainbow on Saturday


Eric trying to coax a finicky trout

Icing With The Shoe And Drew

Shoe and his son Drew made the trip north to visit the plains lakes for some ice fishing on Sunday. We had a good time with Shoe's new Clam shelter and it held up well in the early part of the day when it was windy. Later in the day we abandoned the hut altogether as we weren't seeing fish come through anymore. Outside it was windless and inside we were getting very warm and uncomfortable. With the overcast skies you could sight fish outside anyway and we drilled shallower finding some more fish. Overall, we saw a ton of fish moving through and had some takers on our offerings. I was fishing a marabou white jig as usual and it was getting enough interest that I stuck with it through the day. I broke off a really nice one at the hole and was glad I had a second jig left in my box. I need to buy or tie up some more.

My first fish of the day was inside the hut


Shoe and Drew with a cooperative rainbow


Shoe with another nice rainbow late in the day

First Ice

I have been dying to get my early Christmas present out on the ice. I have a new 8 inch hand auger that has been patiently waiting for this big seasonal storm to subside so it could finally taste ice. Things worked out well today with beautiful weather and lower winds than I expected. I hit the ice in the afternoon and spent most of the time enjoying the heat of the sun on my black winter coat. There wasn't another soul around. I had it all to myself.

Baking on the ice was fun, I had a couple of beers and was in heaven, but a trout or two worth of action would have been nice as well.

I had drilled two holes in deeper water but the weed bed was too large to really take advantage of the depths. Later on, I moved in closer to the dam and drilled another hole over a sandier and open area. This time I actually saw a fish pass through the hole almost at once. He continued on, but five minutes later I saw a murky dark shape and my twitching white jig disappeared. Setting the hook produced one of my best brook trout of the year.

He swam back down the hole with a bruised ego, but none the worse for wear. This is only the second brookie I have caught in this lake but the few that are in here certainly are quality fish. That was it for action... I was more than satisfied with my first winter day out on the ice.

Early Morning Rainbows

George and I got an early start Saturday morning in pursuit of some rainbow trout through the ice. We were on before the sun came up and fished until noon. Fishing was decent with many trout coming through and looking as well as takes. We never landed any monsters but saw a few better fish inspect and reject our offerings. There is always the hope for that trophy cutthroat or rainbow to come through and put the big bend in your ultralight ice rod. It didn't happen today, but the chance is always there and it keeps you looking ahead to the next trip. Ice fishing this year has really added a new dimension to my winter recreation.

A nicer rainbow on the ice


George's setup as we were packing

A Few Icy Hours

Shoe meandered up the highway with his son in search of some rainbow trout through the ice. I was up for heading out for a couple hours prior to the super bowl so away we went to a local stillwater that can sometimes provide a healthy rainbow or the rare cutthroat. Alas, it was not to be as we found nothing more than a few takes. Fishing was slow but enjoyable in the nice weather and we had a good time catching up while failing to fool the rainbows.

Mini-Shoe working his bobber rig


Shoe admiring his tent construction abilities