First Ice - Predictions

[ndfinfan]

Based on next week's forecasted temps, I'm gonna say some of the smaller lakes will have fishable ice by Sunday 10 November...what do you guys think!

 

[5575]

This morning...

 

[ndfinfan]

This morning...

Ha ha...maybe somewhere!

 

[NDbowman]

I love ice fishing but I really hope warms up enough that it melts or doesn't form yet.

 

[ndfinfan]

I love ice fishing but I really hope warms up enough that it melts or doesn't form yet.

Right on...I was hoping to keep the boat out available until mid November...but Mother Nature doesn't want to play ball!

 

[Jigaman]

 

[BP338]

There's ice already forming on the little muddy. I'm hoping before turkey day I can go out. I did that a few years ago.

 

[ndfinfan]

The last 2 years we've fished Audubon the second weekend in November. Matter of fact think last year had 6 inches of ice that first time out.

 

[Weekender]

Bring on the ice!!!! Fish-able ice on November 8th would be perfect! #$%^&>

Ice will also make pheasant hunting a lot easier, with all this standing water.

 

[KDM]

Bring on the ice!!!! Fish-able ice on November 8th would be perfect! #$%^&>

Ice will also make pheasant hunting a lot easier, with all this standing water.

How do you figure? Pheasants don't like wet feet, so they stay out of standing water and on dry land. When you get that first skiff of ice, the little bastages can run every cat tail patch and flooded cover available instead of just the dry land. Until the ice gets thick enough so you can walk on it or at least your dog without breaking though and dying, pheasants have a ton more cover to run and hide in that you can't access safely. Before ice and after safe ice forms and the snow gets about a foot deep is my two favorite times to chase roosters. Those two conditions concentrate birds, the in between time just spreads them out over all creation. 'Course that doesn't matter much if you have bunches of birds where you hunt....which I don't unfortunately.

 

[Weekender]

How do you figure? Pheasants don't like wet feet, so they stay out of standing water and on dry land. When you get that first skiff of ice, the little bastages can run every cat tail patch and flooded cover available instead of just the dry land. Until the ice gets thick enough so you can walk on it or at least your dog without breaking though and dying, pheasants have a ton more cover to run and hide in that you can't access safely. Before ice and after safe ice forms and the snow gets about a foot deep is my two favorite times to chase roosters. Those two conditions concentrate birds, the in between time just spreads them out over all creation. 'Course that doesn't matter much if you have bunches of birds where you hunt....which I don't unfortunately.

I'm talking safe walking ice.

 

[KDM]

I'm talking safe walking ice.

Gotcha! That is a tough call to make on a slough though. At least for me I seem to bust though and get wet feet more times than I care to remember. Only had to get the dog one time, but that was enough. Scared the crap outta me when I heard him go splash, flounder around in the cat tails where I couldn't see him, then stop thrashing and start to whine. Dropped the gun, vest, and everything else I had and crashed in after him. Got to him in waist deep water after fighting though floating cat tails, grabbed him by the collar, put him on my shoulders, and we fought our way back outta there. Needless to say, we were done for the day. I'm EXTREMELY choosy about where I take my dog after that little episode. I seem to have an attachment to him for some reason. Be Safe out there fellas.

 

[Weekender]

Gotcha! That is a tough call to make on a slough though. At least for me I seem to bust though and get wet feet more times than I care to remember. Only had to get the dog one time, but that was enough. Scared the crap outta me when I heard him go splash, flounder around in the cat tails where I couldn't see him, then stop thrashing and start to whine. Dropped the gun, vest, and everything else I had and crashed in after him. Got to him in waist deep water after fighting though floating cat tails, grabbed him by the collar, put him on my shoulders, and we fought our way back outta there. Needless to say, we were done for the day. I'm EXTREMELY choosy about where I take my dog after that little episode. I seem to have an attachment to him for some reason. Be Safe out there fellas.

That sounds awful, definitely hoping to not get in any situation like that. I am mainly looking forward to the sitting water outside of sloughs, and the ground, freezing. Sick of sinking in and getting my feet wet when I'm not even in cat-tails or anything.

 

[ndfinfan]

After reading KDM's post above...safety first should be our mantra with all our outdoor activities. Seems like first ice in the fall and first boat outings in the spring are the most high risk.

 

[Captain Ahab]

With a daughter in dance, I know I can’t get too excited about it. It’s my favorite time to ice fish though.

 

[HammsRMK]

i was also out there early ice was 5-6 inches

 

[Duckslayer100]

Long-term forecast certainly bodes well for ice forming. Overnights below freezing, days near or slightly above freezing. Methinks a warm front could come through in the next couple weeks (as so often happens in November) but then again if it's like last year, we might be in the freezer until April.

 

[Walleye_Chaser]

I'm excited for ice fishing as well, but I wouldn't mind another warm up!

 

[Chas'n Tail]

About 5 years ago I fished on Halloween for the first time, and May 1st the last time. Not sure about the May situation, but I firmly believe that if I really wanted to, I could fish on halloween this year on the smaller lakes around here.

 

[shorthairsrus]

KDM's story is so spot on - been der never want to be again

RE: the ice --- i am starting to look at it this way -- is it going to be may now the normal time before its off. Ice fishing late april the last 2 years is this going to be the new normal with the mini ice age era we seem to be in. Depressing.