Wind wreaked havoc on ice fishing plans across the region this weekend. Saturday and Sunday for the most part were unfishable. We had friends that tried and broke part of their pop-up shelter as a result. Gusts to 40 MPH were common from Friday night into Sunday morning, and one town in northeastern Connecticut reported a gust of 61...no thanks! The wind finally died down Sunday afternoon just as we were settling in for a night of walleye fishing. A small snow event was due to move in around midnight, so we hoped for pre-storm action action as the barometer dropped.
The bare ice made for some easy pulling and studded boots were needed to stay on your feet. We set up in a spot that has treated us well in the past and focused on depths ranging from 10 to 20-feet of water. Our live shiners and dead alewives were set just off bottom and we gave ourselves a bunch of extra holes throughout the spread for jigging. All was quiet until 9:10 PM when Aaron spotted the one and only blinking red light of the evening. It was Derrick's flag. The walleye had taken a decent amount of line out but then swam back towards the hole. Derrick patiently caught up to the fish until he felt something there and set the hook. Soon a respectable 22-inch-plus walleye came through the hole.
The night was already a success by our standards and we still had a few more hours to kill before the first snow flakes fell. Next up was an ice feast that you dream about. Aaron cooked up a half dozen cheeseburger sliders, as well as pierogies and kielbasa, which we topped off with some good beers and swigs of espresso vodka. Like clockwork, the wind reared its ugly head as the storm rolled in and we knew it was time to pack up. That was fine by us though. Anytime you can get good friends together, eat like kings and land a keeper walleye is considered a solid outing in our book.
Stay tuned for next weekend's full report from our annual excursion to Maine...
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Nice report guys, sounds like you had a ball. My crew and I braved the elements saturday from 6:oo am to about 1:30 pm, and we were in that northeastern ct. town of Thompson at Quaddick Res. I can attest to the high winds they were reeporting about lol! We tucked in behind the island and were pretty sheltered but had to be wary of falling limbs from the trees. Fishing was slow, most flags were wind flags, but one pike of approx. 4-5 lbs.was finally brought to the hole and released. Like you, plenty of friends, plenty of food, and a whole lotta fun! few more fish would have been nice, but that's what has us going back next week end :) Tight lines!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear you guys caught a pike in such adverse conditions! Good company and food can make even brutal days bearable.
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