First Ice

A small pond in the northwest hills had about four inches of ice covering it. Knowing what this place could be like, expectations were not set all that high for our inaugural outing, but there was fishable ice and we were determined to get on it. Without many options for ice anglers in Connecticut, we knew this venue had the potential for a circus-like atmosphere. Sure enough there were six trucks already parked when we rolled up at 5 AM and another five anglers joined the melee shortly after, squeezing tip-ups in tight spots between groups already spread out. The pond resembled a mine field when the sun came up. 

The goal today was to shake the rust out from a long off season and have some fun doing it; catching any fish would be a bonus. Northern pike were our main target, as well as their main forage in this pond, golden pond shiners. While we didn't land either, a few others species showed up, including crappie, largemouth bass, bait-robbing pickerel, and some stunted yellow perch.

A low pressure system brought in some mixed precipitation, but we left before any uptick in action took place. The rising water levels and above-freezing temps ate away a decent amount of ice during our trip. I'm that ice or any ice in Connecticut will survive the weather over the next few days, but at least we'll have a fresh start when temperatures plummet again mid-week. There should be a few other venue options by the Holidays. In the mean time, it felt great to be back on ice and I'm looking forward to a productive winter.