Ice and Fishing Report for the Upper Chippewa Basin for January 8, 2014
|
The brutally cold weather of the past week has really put a damper on both angling pressure and fish activity. Sub-zero high temperatures and windy conditions have kept most anglers off of the ice, with a few of the coldest days seeing virtually no fishing activity on many lakes. Some diehard panfish and walleye anglers did make it out over the weekend and found very limited action. The panfishermen had to use some finesse tactics and a few were able to catch some decent crappie and perch. Walleye and northern pike action has basically reached a standstill, with just a few small to medium-size fish being reported. Most lakes in the area now have about 14 inches of ice with 4 to 8 inches of snow on top. Travel on the ice has been fair, but there have been some good-sized snow drifts and even some areas of slush being reported. As such, anglers should be cautious when venturing out and possibly stick to the packed trails to avoid getting stuck. The first pic shows ‘tolerable’ conditions for fishing (-10 F and no wind), but in the 2nd pic it was just a bit too chilly for me (-24 F)! Skip Sommerfeldt Fisheries Biologist - Senior |
|
