ice fishing

  Does anybody on this site regularly icefish ? if so i was wondering if you would be willing to share some insight on the do's and dont's of the sport like knowing what to look for, how to tell if its too thin to walk on it..  may be fun to have an ice fest trip  i recently had back surgery and it was not successful so i have another one scheduled for next wednesday.  I'm pulling my hair out w cabin fever and need to sit and lay still  hard to do when you're always active w outdoor sports  so I'm thinking this would be ok except the drilling part which ill have a buddy w me (my wife) haha  thanks JB

  Does anybody on this site regularly icefish ? if so i was wondering if you would be willing to share some insight on the do's and dont's of the sport like knowing what to look for, how to tell if its too thin to walk on it..  may be fun to have an ice fest trip  i recently had back surgery and it was not successful so i have another one scheduled for next wednesday.  I'm pulling my hair out w cabin fever and need to sit and lay still  hard to do when you're always active w outdoor sports  so I'm thinking this would be ok except the drilling part which ill have a buddy w me (my wife) haha  thanks JB

Check the fishing report on Truckee Mountain Hardwares website.  They have reports of ice thickness on nearby lakes.

Take it easy bro, no slips and falls, hell - wait til next year

Been doing a lot of research on this lately and have found that Caples, Silver and Red lakes look like a great option to od some ice fishing. I got my ice auger and fishing poles now and organizing the rest. Should be going sometime in February for sure!

https://youtu.be/9u8fgqnIB5w?t=27s

I've only tried it briefly at Prosser Creek Res, up above Boca/Stampede. Caught more of a buzz than fish. But I'd like to try it again sometime.

   may be fun to have an ice fest trip

This got me thinking...IF I dragged my kayak behind me then sat in it while fishing thru the ice...would it count for AOTY? hmmmmmm

You have to paddle your boat out to the spot. No dragging. 

You have to paddle your boat out to the spot. No dragging. 

I'm going to put a sail on mine so I can fly across the ice and then  I can register them in the Sailing Angler of the year!

You have to paddle your boat out to the spot. No dragging. 

I'm going to put a sail on mine so I can fly across the ice and then  I can register them in the Sailing Angler of the year!

Now that is a great idea.

From the Gardnerville Record Courier


CAPLES LAKE: The lake has 18 inches of ice with two feet of snow on top of that. Josh Otto from Woodfords has been getting around a lot on the ice as you will read in other reports. Josh caught some nice rainbows using a gold Kastmaster lure off of the dam in 10 feet if water. Night crawlers have also been doing well for anglers. Call Caples Lake Resort at 209-258-8888 for more information.

RED LAKE: The lake has 15 inches of ice with a foot or so of snow in it. Anglers have been using Kastmasters or small jig spoons and doing well for cutthroat and rainbow trout. Night Crawlers or salmon eggs are also producing some good catches. If the weather holds, we will be out this Sunday to do some ice fishing ourselves.

I believe 4 inches and you could drive a car on it.

I believe 4 inches and you could drive a car on it.

for sure , I believe 12 inches will need a lot of beer after drilling holes!

This is also from Record Courier  about ice conditions



 I would like to do a little education about ice conditions in our area. Local weather temperatures have been extremely cold during the end of December and into this year. Many of our urban ponds like Baily and Mitch’s pond have frozen over. The ice that covers these waters are only about one to three inches thick and very unstable. This is due to our recent daytime temperatures in the mid-30s and even 40 degrees. Our higher lakes such as Red and Caples have been in the single digit night temperatures, only getting to the mid-20s during the day. With snowfall on top of that the ice structure continues to build in strength and depth.

Please note Snow piles up on ice and  can get very deep  so you may need a shovel to  get to ice if you auger is not long enough to get all the way through the snow and ice.

   Thanks for the replies fellas. Tony's right to a point. I'll take it easy for a while. But next year really?? 
   It would be pretty funny to see a yak sailing across caples lake and I don't see why it wouldn't count for points. But I think you have to drill hole from the yak as well.
   If anyone does go soon take a video, I watch them all day that's the only thing to do to keep my sanity. Thanks again, JB

You can go ice fishing in a kayak.





Heading for a favorite ice fishing hole.