March Madness

Well, we are entering the time of year where I am torn between trying to get on the ice and getting the boat ready. I decided today to put the ice sticks away. I am going to get the Ranger out and get her ready for ice out and smallies. I need to change the oil in the cool hubs on the trailer, install a new actuator on the PANTHER LIFT,move the radio antennae, clean and wax the hull, put the electronics back in the boat, respool reels, clean rod eyes, change hooks on cranks that need them, clean reels and on and on.
I am going to try some Spiderwire Ultracast and Trilene Maxx this spring. The ultracast is supposed to be wind know free and I believe will probably be comparable or better than Power Pro. I will be using the Ultracast on muskie reels and linecounters. 65 and 80Lb test for muskies and 20Lb for line counters. I am very used to 10Lb fireline on my line counters so it should be interesting. I am really excited about the Berkely Flickershads for cranking!!!
Ice fishing has been good on the grade, you have to sort and the gill bite is still going on Little Millers Bay on West Okoboji. I took a drive around Big Spirit this morning and there was a pack of Fishtraps on Anglers Bay so something must be going on up there, probably crappie and gills.
Oh, by the way I am now a published author, I have an article in the March issue of THE IOWA SPORTSMAN magazine. The article is titled "ICING WALLEYE". You can pick a copy of the magazine up at Casey's stores, they are still free I believe.

Extended BRRRRRR

Well, I can no longer complain about no ice and too warm, it has been below zero at night for a couple weeks. We Have Ice. Although I must caution that there is no such thing as safe ice, it is always unsafe somewhere on the system.

I haven't been on the ice in Boji Land since I returned from Ballard's Resort on Lake of the Woods, January 27th. However, the reports I'm getting are that fishing sucks right now. I talked to Ryan Hale this week and he did get into the gills last weekend but they were only in his spot a day and a half.

The Lake of the Woods trip this year was great as always. The only difference this year;the walleyes were on a chew; we caught fish in numbers and size. I believe there were 32 anglers on the bus this year. This trip is sponsored by KMNS-AM62 and "Experience The Outdoors with Rick Dicus. I of course out fished Rick, but he was outdoors. Seriously, I don't know if I caught more than Rick and vice-versa, I don't keep count and neither does he, unless we are in a tournament. The only bet was on who caught the biggest and I think I won that with a nice fat 24 inch walleye. We also caught sauger and some nice perch. The only eelpout caught in our group of 6 was about a 10lb slime ball caught by John (the chessman) Torzon. I'm sure I butchered the spelling on that. Anyway we had a great time, great food, great fishing and great comaradrie.
The other anglers in our group were Wayne(POPS)Warren, Scott (Chopper) Miller from Z98FM out of Sioux City and Jim Nolton from Sioux City, we had a great time.
Oh, by the way I am finishing this on 2-14-07 and it was -15F this morning when I got up, man this is getting old. Anyway keep your line fresh and stay warm. SET THE HOOK!!!!

January Ice Fishing in Boji Land

Well, we finally got some ice, although until the last 2 days it has been iffy. We finally got below zero and have been below 32 degrees for a few days. Big Spirit is pretty much frozen over and West Okoboji is close. Boji has ice in all the bays now. I fished the 1st Annual Harbor View bluegill tournament last weekend and the only ice was Smith's Bay, North Bay and Little Emerson. Although, there was 10 inches of ice in Little Emerson. The tournament was blast and local guide Ryan Hale did an excellent job putting the tournament on.

The tournament was bluegill only with a 10 fish limit. I had a limit iced by 10 AM, but could only get 4 big gills to bite the remaining six fish were small. I had under 4 lbs, I think it was 3.8 Lbs and you need at least 4.6 to get in the money. My fishing partner Rick Dicus (Experience The Outdoors Radio KMNS AM) got 7th and tied for the biggest gill. Good job Rick. The results of the tournament are as follows:
Eric Goodale won the event with a 10 fish limit with the weight of 5.70#'s.Mike Wanser of Nebraska was a VERY close 2nd with a weight of 5.66#'s.3rd.Local hot stick Catland Landegent 5.28#'s4th.Local and fellow IGL's guide John Grosvenor 5.18#'s5th.Gene Weitzema of Sibley 5.16#'s6th.Local Derek Ter Wee 5.04#'s7th.Experience the Outdoors radio host Rick Dicus from Nebraska 4.90#'s8th.Howard "The Duck" from Illinios 4.86#'s9th.Chad Peterson 4.7#'s,very good showing in Chads first tourney10th.Blaine Fopma from S.D. 4.64#'s
Thanks to Ryan Hale for posting the above results at www.hawgz.com, please visit that website, it is a good one.
I also met Thomas Allen from The Iowa Sportsman's Magazine., Thomas is the Executive Field Editor for the magazine, more information and subscription info can be found at www.iowasportsman.com. Thomas is an avid muskie angler and hopefully a new member of the Upper Great Plains Chapter soon.
I was on the ice today and caught a few gills in Little Emerson, it was slow, however. I think the gills are a little tired of being hammered for a month. I talked to Rick and he told me there was a bunch of guys on Templar Point and McClelland's Beach. I think that is a little soon for as far out on the ice as he said they were. I will be getting a ice thickness report for Spirit soon.
January 25th will find Dicus and I on the ice at Lake of the Woods, the bite has been fantastic up there. I hope it won't be a you should have been here last week, deal when we get up there. I will give you a report when I get back.We are staying at the excellent Ballard's Resort again this year, where the service, food and accomadations are beyond compare.

Icing in Boji Land

Well, we have ice in Boji Land, kind of. We had about 6 inches on Big Spirit in Angler's Bay last week. However, with the rain this week I wouldn't trust it all. I have seen some guys on West Okoboji, in Smith's Bay and Emerson Bay, again I am not going to try it yet. I do think they are catching some gills. They were also getting some gills and a few perch on Anglers and at the grade. I had some luck with jumbo perch down at Trumbull lake 2 weeks ago, I tried it Tuesday and never caught one that I kept.
Bad news on Anglers Bay, the owner of Anglers Bay resort has roped off the access, so you can't walk on there. The access off the blacktop on the north side of Anglers now has a big gate. The only way on now is at Hale's Slough and that is a good mile from Anglers, I can't make that hike with my bum leg, so first ice fishing on Anglers is a thing of the past for me, I will have to wait until ice is thick enough to drive on with the truck or go on with Rick and his ATV; oh well.
Rick Dicus and I made a foray into South Dakota for muzzleloader season,you can shoot two does, either whitetail or mule deer. I had never hunted with a muzzleloader before and it is a blast. I purchased a Thompson Center Encore 50X209, and it is one sweet gun. I spent about 5 hours working up a load the gun liked and sighting it in and I am glad that I did. Rick and shot 2 mulies on Saturday at sundown. I shot a big mulie doe that was leading about 8 other deer and he shot the yearling right behind her. On Sunday, due to the good eyes of Rick, I was able to fill my tags with another mulie doe. Alas, Rick didn't get his second deer, we had a blast. Rick's grandson and his grandson's best friend were along for the hunt Saturday evening and they did a good job hiding and staying quiet, they will both be old enough to participate in the hunt in a few years. I think we are going out next year for the regular rifle season as well. Oh well, I will have to buy another barrel for the Thompson. By the way in muzzleloader season you aren't allowed to use telescopic sights, open sights only. My deer were taken at 40 yards and 86 yards respectively, according to my Nikon rangefinder.
That is it for now. Merry Christmas to all and a Happy and prosperous New Year.

BRRRRRRR

Well, it is cold this morning 4 degrees Farenheit. I haven't been fishing in over a month, I put the boat away in the middle of October and haven't even been shore fishing. I am getting reports from my sources that the walleyes and muskies have been on a chew. Nice fish being taken on all the lakes. Remember, muskie season closes on the Iowa Great Lakes tonight at midnight, the rest of the state remains open.
I will be taking a look around the area today to see if there is any ice on the bays, the wind dropped down last night so there might be some, I don't think it will hold though, the wind is supposed to blow again today. I will be giving ice reports as the season progresses.
I haven't done much hunting this season, ducks and geese a couple of times and pheasant an equal amount. I did hunt out of a lay out boat on Silver Lake, that is cool, you lay in the bottom of a really shallow but surpising stable lay out boat right in the middle of the decoy spread. You really get a different perspective.
I will be heading to South Dakota next week for the opener of muzzle loader deer season. I have never hunted deer with a smokepole and am looking forward to it. I purchased a Thompson Center Encore .50 Cal. It took me a while to work up a load that the gun likes but I got it done. This hunt is a kind of homecoming for me, I haven't been back to South Dakota deer hunting since my hunting accident 40 years ago. My wife Dianne is going along, we will be meeting Rick Dicus and his wife Shirley out there for the hunt.
Speaking of Dianne, she retired this month from Pure Fishing after 42 years of good work for a fine company. I am not letting her retire totally, I am putting her in charge of the basic house breaking of the lab puppy we are getting. I will keep you informed about how that project is progressing.
Any way right now other than preparing for the deer hunt, it is all about waiting for ice. I hope you ice heads have you reels spooled with fresh micro-ice, fireline, whatever, checked the plug and put fresh gas in the Strikemaster and checked your waypoints for your ice fishing spots. I see Vexilar has a new unit out this year, Clam has put black lining in the Fishtrap tents and much more new ice fishing stuff to be tried.
So much stuff so little time. Pray for ice.
Keep warm.

Muskies on Boji

The skies are moving on Boji. I got 4th in the Idso Muskie Fest this past weekend, by catching a 33 inch skie. Todd Schlenger won first with a wonderful 49 inch fish, Pete Hildreth won 2nd with a 45, Pete's partner caught a 35 for 3rd(sorry I can't remember your name) and my fish won 4th. Todd caught his 49 on a Wades's Wobbler, Pete a Bulldog, his partner as well. I caught mine Trolling with a Buck Perry Spoonplug. I use spoonplugs a lot, it has been a sleeper lure on Boji for years, some guys think they are too small. I see that Rollie and Helens Muskie Shop is carrying them in their catalog this year.
I also caught a 39 inch skie last thursday on Boji on a M&M Spinner bait in Smith's Bay. I caught her on a figure 8 right at the boat awesome! I tell ya there is nothing like catching a skie on a figure 8, the adrenalin rush is something!
I see a lot of boats fishing for bluegills in Smith's Bay right now. GOOD LUCK

Upcoming Elections

This post is not directly related to Fishin In Boji Land, because it isn't about what is biting, where the bite is or what techniques are working.

However, in a sense it is. I want to encourage all of you who honor me by reading my ramblings to vote next month. I don't care what your positition is, you should at least vote your conscience.
I for one am sick and tired of the environmental issues in the state of Iowa, being decided exclusively in Des Moines by the corporate agricultural lobby. I believe we need some level of local control on some of these issues. To date every time some science shows increasing pollution, the politicians call for another study. This stuff has been studied to death, the surest way to bury an issue is fund a new study.

I do believe that these issues will affect our fisheries and probably have already! I know that my beloved Iowa Great Lakes, in particular West Okoboji have algae blooms that I didn't see years ago.

So, whatever your position is on this issue, I encourage you to vote for the candidates that agree with your position. Take the time to read their positions and hold their feet to the fire if they won't answer the questions you have.

Well thats enough of that rant but this is becoming a big issue here in Boji Land.

Oh, the perch are biting on Spirit . The gills and perch are going on the weedlines in West Okoboji.
Later

I am back and I am late.

I have much to report since I last posted. The walleye fishing held up pretty good on Spirit most of the summer. I haven't been walleye fishing for about 3 weeks as I have switched into muskie mode. However, the last time out I did well in the basin with lead core and Salmo's. I couldn't seem to get much going on any bait except Salmo's.
Muskies are movin and I am pumped. I caught a 38 in. fish last Friday in the 26th Annual Release Tournament, hosted by my club, Upper Great Plains Chapter of Muskies Inc. That fish was big enough to get me 5th place. Shannon Green won the event with 2 fish a 46 and a 43, Ryan Troug, got 2nd with a 43, Leo Kofoot got 3rd with a 42 caught on Spirit and Wes Donaghue got 4th with a 39. It was a great tournament with 87 anglers participating, 11 reportable fish were caught. I need to thank all the sponsors and board members that made the event possible.

I am honored to be the president of the club this year, and in that capacity I would like to invite you all to fish in the Idso Muskie Fest, October 7th. You can pick up an application at Oh Shucks, the cost is $25.00. 1st place will be a Rod and Reel, we will be having a raffle and Brats and all the trimmings. Everyone meet at McKeen's in Spirit Lake for the awards, dinner etc. Dinner included in the entry fee. My friend Rick "EXPERIENCE THE OUTDOORS" Dicus will be fishing the event with me, I think I have ruined him by introducing him to Muskie fishing.

I hope you are all getting ready for ice fishing, deer hunting, pheasant, duck, whatever, and I hope you are successful.

Updates from Boji Land

Well, it has been over a month since the last post. I have been busy, the bite has been good and the weather great for fishing, most of the time. It seems that the wind in Boji Land is either flat calm or blowing 40 mph. Rick Dicus and I were out yesterday in 30 mph wind and scratched out 6 keeper walleyes on Big Spirit. Rick was humane and boat side released 2 of them.
The walleye bite on Spirit has been wonderful and has been on going for about a month. It started with a crankbait bite the 1st couple of weeks after opener and switch to a live bait bite in the basin since then. I fear that most of the keeper fish have been taken, it is getting harder to get a limit. There has been up to 70 boats day after day hammering them for a month, that has to impact the population. I am advocating a 5 fish limit keeping fish up to 15 inches and releasing everything from 15 inches to 19, and one over 20. I don't know if that will ever happen but I am hopeful.
Small mouth bass are going on Spirit also, fish the weeds. I have had some nice muskie follows but no hook-ups. I had one on in league, but she came off. I haven't heard of anyone tearing the skies up, they should go on a chew soon. I will be going to West Okoboji shortly to try for some big gills and will report. I hear of a perch bite on Spirit, in the weeds but the wind hasn't gone down enough for me to try my spots.
I am proud to report, that the Upper Great Plains Chapter of Muskies Inc, donated $$1000.00 to the Iowa Heritage Foundation, to help defray the cost of saving the Bullrushes on Big Spirit, the Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club donated a like amount. I would like to challenge any sportsman's clubs or organization members that might read this blog to do something. It is damn easy to gripe and complain about the environment and overdevelopment of precious wild places. I guess I am challenging you to put your money where your mouth is.
I will report later about gills and the muskie bite.
Keep your drags set loose!

News from Okoboji

Well Kid's Fish Day went swimmingly, as they say. We had around 150 kids, the weather was fine and a good time was had by all.
The fishing in Boji Land has been excellent, I have been killing the Silver Bass on a White X-Rap. One addition, I have been putting a red Daichii treble hook on all by crankbaits, jerk baits etc. I started doing this last year with noticeable results. I change the belly hook only. The silvers went from hitting the tail hook to slamming the red Daichii after I switched it out.
The walleye opener was fantastic Scott and I caught over 40 walleyes on Saturday nite and kept 2 limits, almost all of the fish were legals. We did it pulling white #5 Shad Raps in about 7-8 feet of water.
Scott, Rick and I just got back from a trip to Chamberlain,SD, last week and we did well. Although, they had to take me back to town about noon, I came down with the flu. What a bummer. The PWT was there for the Super Pro Tournament that Bob Probst Jr. won. Scott, and I had a chance to talk to Junior at FFO in Spirit Lake before he left and he was pretty confident. The Missouri River is practically his home water.
Well that is it for now I have to call Lowrance to help me solve a little problem with my LCX 25C. If you see me on the water give me a yell. I am running a Ranger 619, Black and Gold with walk thru windshield.
See you on the water.

Kid's Fish Day

Hey! Just a reminder that the Kid's Fish Day is the this Saturday April 22. The event starts at 1PM and continues until 4. The Upper Great Plains Chapter of Muskies Inc. , in partnership with the Sunrise Kiwanis Club of Spirit Lake, IA, is putting it on. I encourage you to get there early the first 100 kids are going to get a t-shirt. There will also be hotdogs, chips and soda available after the kids go through the stations. All kids from 6-12 need to be accompanied by an adult.
The kids will learn about tying knots, boat safety, wildlife art, baits and tackle, live bait, casting, fish identification, and the DNR will have an officer on hand to talk about game laws etc. See you there.

Hot New Live Bait

I am looking out my office window early this morning and we and it is snowing, AGAIN! Oh well it is March in Iowa.
I got a tip yesterday on a bait that has been hammering pan fish in Boji Land, it is may fly larvae. There have been some guys here from Wisconsin and Michigan, that have been cleaning up using this bait. I think you can get it at Oh Shuck's in Milford. I need to let Harlan at 4 Seasons know about this bait.
That is it, just a short note this morning. You folks better start getting your boats ready for soft water I know I am.

Boji Land Ice

Well, the ice is becoming unsafe very rapidly. I believe there is still plenty of ice if you can get to it, the ice around shore is becoming unsafe. I was out Friday from 10 AM until about 5 PM. I was up at the grade on Big Spirit, the ice was very weak at the shoreline when out and very thin when I came off. I talked to Rick Dicus this afternoon, he was going out Saturday, until the guy ahead of him went in up to his knees just off shore. I believe my ice fishing is done for the season, it isn't worth it.
I am going to call Odegaard Marine and tell them to get the Ranger out, I am going to pick it up in a week or so.
GO HAWKS, what an exciting game this afternoon. Iowa Hawkeyes win the Big Ten conference championship tournament. That's the way it should be the number 1 and 2 seeds getting together at the end.

Muskie Seminar-Kids Fishing Day

I am pleased to announce a couple of events that are scheduled for Boji Land, and sponsored by the Upper Great Plains Chapter of Muskies Inc. The club is sponsoring seminar entitled Muskies In The Milfoil, the seminar is March 25th, it is free and open to the public. The seminar will be held at the Okoboji Elementary School Gymnasium, 708 M Ave., Milford, IA. This seminar is being put on by Kevin Dickinson a noted Minnesota Muskie guide, Kevin is an experienced weed fisherman and will share his expertise with us.
The Kids Fish Day is tentatively scheduled for April 22nd, it will be held at the State Fish Hatchery, located at the Ishmus in Orleans, IA. The event is co-sponsored by the Upper Great Plains Chapter of Muskies Inc. and the Sunrise Kiwanis Club of Spirit Lake, IA. I will have more details as they unfold.
Well, it rained hard last night and the temps are supposed to be in the 40s and 50s for a few days, with more rain and snow forecast for this weekend. I really don't like what this weather does to the ice. I may be done ice fishing for this season. Time to get the Ranger out and get her ready for soft water. Dicus and I did a little ice fishing last week-end and I must say it sucked!

Lincoln Walleye Expo Seminar

Well the Walleye Expo Seminar that Rick Dicus and I presented last weekend was a success! We gave three presentations over the weekend and all three had standing room only! Our presentation focused on sonar only, if you want GPS mapping etc., you need to attend one of Doc Samson's fine seminars.
Our presentation is of actual photographs of my Lowrance X-25s' screen while we are on the waters of West and East Okoboji and Big Spirit. Our primary focus is to give you a feeling for what fish and bait fish look like, weeds, structure, edges between hard and soft bottoms, rocks, etc. We know what the schools of fish on the screen are because we dropped an Aqua-Vu down and looked. We had some very good interaction with the audience and if any of the audience is reading this thanks for your participation.
I would like to thank Greg Janajeck the head guy for his hospitality. I met Al Patterson from ReelBait Tackle and he has some exciting new colors coming out this year in his Walleye Flasher Jigs, as well as his jigging spoons. The Walleye Flasher Jig has become my go to jig in Boji Land. I also was able to share info with many of the guys from the Nebraska Walleye Assn, what a fine bunch of anglers!
Rick and I again thank all of you who attended and participated in the seminar.
I am getting reports of a pretty good crappie and bluegill bite up on Angler's Bay. Harlan Herbst from 4 Seasons Bait and Tackle called me yesterday and had some success up there. He said the bite was early from sun up to about noon.
Anyway that is it from Boji Land. Keep your hooks sharp.

Ice'n Boji Land and other stuff.

Well again I have been away too long. I have finally carved out some time to do a little blogging. Here goes.

My ice fishing this winter has not been as I would like it to be. We have had suspect ice all winter and I have been unable to get out as often as I would like. I have only been on West Okoboji twice, didn't do much the first time and the second time Rick Dicus and I caught some nice gills and a few perch off Pocahantas point. Boji didn't freeze clear across until this week and it is not very good. Boji had been open from Pocahantas Point, north almost to Omaha Point and east into Given's Point in Smith's Bay. The only real good ice is in the bays, Emerson, Millers, Smiths and North Bay. The fishing has been spotty, you can get them but you have to work. There has been some very nice walleye caught.

Big Spirit is where I have concentrated this winter, primarily because the perch seem to have made somewhat of a comeback. Rick Dicus, Tim Milner and I have caught some nice perch up to 12 inches. However, you can only get a couple when they come in, they are gone so quick I can't believe it. We just can't seem to be able to keep them in the hole. Tim has caught some nice walleyes right at dark on the north end. The perch are off Buffalo Run in 22 feet and at the south end west of the pump house. I believe the pump house bite has stopped as has the Buffalo Run bite. Rick and I were out last weekend, I caught one nice 10 incher right away and that was it, I never had another fish on the Vexilar and Rick never saw a fish on the Aqua-View. We made 4 or 5 moves and it didn't matter.

The highlight of my winter fishing, is the trip I took to Lake of the Woods. The trip was sponsored by Clear Channel Radio, KMNS, Sioux City. Experience The Outdoors with Rick Dicus put it together. Rick and I shared a shack along with Steve Zant and Mike Luff from Wakefield, NE. The walleye fishing was sloooow. We did manage to catch 12-15 keepers per day along with a few perch. It was slow but some of the 80 some folks on the trip never caught a fish. I was given the nickname Tullibee Tim by my shack mates. I developed an absolutely world class knack for catching the dreaded Tullibee. Of course, Dicus doesn't want me to mention his skill at eelpout angling. Rick prefers to call them Burbot, that sounds better to him than eelpout.

Anyway if you get a chance to do that trip, do it it is a really lazy way to ice fish. Ballard's Resort sends a bus to pick you up and then they do everything. The hospitality at Ballard's is second to none, the food is fantastic and the guides friendly and knowledgeable. I would highly recommend the trip. I had never ridden in a Bombardier half-track that is fun. The guides took us out about 8 miles on Big Traverse Bay, left us with minnows, the shacks were already warm, they bring you a big lunch about noon and come and pick you up about 5 in afternoon. Then it is back to the resort for some supper. Of course in the morning you are treated to a breakfast buffet! Really great.

Rick Dicus and I will be presenting a seminar on sonar at the Nebraska Walleye Expo, Feb, 24-25 and 26, in Lincoln, Nebraska. We will be talking about setup, structure, reading weeds, contours and bottom composition transitions. We will not be talking about GPS mapping. To get that you will need to go to one of Doc Samson's very fine seminars. The information will be primarily aimed at the novice, you pro's might pick up few tips as well.

Well that is it for now, see you on the water.

Fishing Report

Well, the fishing is getting a little better. This past weekend my partner in crime, Rick Dicus, and I took to the ice. It was pretty slow on Saturday and Sunday, I could only manage small fish, Rick picked up a nice bluegill and a 16 inch walleye on Angler's Bay.
Yesterday, Dec. 21st, I started out slowly, in fact I got skunked on Smith's Bay on Boji, I moved to Big Spirit about noon and the fun started. I fished some waypoints on Angler's Bay, and caught 3 of the biggest gills I have ever seen and numerous smaller gills. I also got some perch, in fact I kept 5, the biggest was about 10 inches the others about 8 inches.
The ice on Smith's Bay was about 11 inches. The ice on Angler's is about 8 inches.
Merry Christmas to one and all and maybe we will see you on the ice.

Ice'n Boji Land

Well, this past weekend through Monday, Rick Dicus and I went on a search for good ice and keeper fish in Boji Land, both were hard to find. Saturday we went to Silver Lake west of Ayrshire, IA, it was so windy we came back to Spirit Lake and fished the boat ramp pond at Templar Park. Between the 2 of use we caught about 50 small bluegills and a few small crappies no keepers. Sunday we made the run back to Silver, the ice was about 5 inches thick and very slushy on top. Two guys walked across from the east boat ramp to where we were just west of the dam, so the ice was thick enough to hold them all the way across in that area. I wouldn't have tried it. Anyway, we both caught a couple of 10 inch perch and a walleye about the same length. As you can see pretty slow for an entire afternoon. Monday, we started at the Miller's Bay canals where there is ample ice, just small gills and an occasional small crappie, moved to the bay on the grade at Big Spirit, 4 inches of iffy ice and small, small perch. I did catch one that was about 7 inches.
There are reports of some keeper perch on Anglers Bay, but the ice is not good enough for my taste. I have heard reports of several anglers going through the ice around the lakes area. No drownings.
Be careful out there. The long cold snap has given some a false sense of security. It snowed about 8 inches on top of that first ice, that snow has insulated the ice well, as a consequence the lakes aren't making ice very fast.

New Ice Report

Just found out this morning that there is about 3 inches of ice in Millers Bay canals. I don't know how the fishing will be in there this winter, they were dredging it out last summer. I don't know if there will be enough weeds to hold gills and crappie. I will report.
I believe there will be enough ice this weekend for Anglers Bay on Big Spirit and the foot bridge bay on the grade at Big Spirit.
It is -12 this morning in Spirit Lake, IA.

The Ice Is Back

Well, we finally have ice at the Iowa Great Lakes. I took a drive around the area yesterday and talked to one hardy soul at the Templar Park boat ramp inlet, he said that where he was fishing it was about an inch and a half thick. I stepped back off the ice. All appears to be frozen except the main basin on West Okoboji. The problem is there is about 4-5 inches of snow on top of the ice that is insulating it and hampering making ice. The surface is slushy. Most of the smaller water froze last Tuesday night.
I have not been fishing, but I have been hunting. Phil King his brother Paul and I have had a couple of really nice goose shoots, getting our limit of 6 the last time out as well as three bonus Drake Mallards. We got into them last week the day before the storm that shut down South Dakota. The mallards where northern ducks, big with bright orange feet any yellow bills. We had our geese by 10:30 A.M.. We then spent about 2 hours just calling geese to our decoys, man is that a sight, at one time we had about 75-80 birds landing in the decoys they were all around us. Quite a sight.
I talked to Rick Dicus, EXPERIENCE THE OUTDOORS RADIO, and Harlan Herbst at 4 Seasons Bait and Tackle, Seney, IA. Rick as you know was my Trap Attack partner 2 years ago and he is fired up to get on the ice, as am I. Harlan has all your ice fishing needs at his shop.
Anyway that is what is going on up here. I am hunkered down waiting for safe ice. It is -8 F this morning in Spirit Lake, IA. Later