Poinsett

[rundrave]

did the warm spell last week get rid of any snow on Poinsett?

How much snow is on the lake after this last storm?

I was planning to go up to Poinsett this coming weekend and was hoping to be able to get around on my quad but I would guess thats not going to be possible with either a quad or truck?

If anyone can give me updates on the ice and travel conditions on the lake that would be great

[reddog]

My Facedbook page from the Bullhead (Astoria area)today says 12 inches of new snow with 5-6 foot drifts. He says it is the worst hes seen it all winter

[rundrave]

well looking at the extended forecast and now that I know how much snow actually fell on the lake I am gonna push a trip up there a week or 2 back and hope for better conditions. Going out for a night bite this weekend with over night lows well below zero doesnt sound fun or safe at all.

[CaptainBly]

I didn't make it up that way. With all this snow I agree with you.

[MapSD]

If your thinking of Perch head to Poinsett.

[rundrave]

bumping this thread to the top as I plan on fishing Poinsett this weekend. Crazy to think last year at this time we had tons of ice and even more snow. What a difference a year makes.

what did the recent rain/snow do to the lake?

Like I said I have a trip planned there for Saturday, think it will be ok for foot travel yet? Is it completely out of the question to bring an ATV?

[Purpledescent]

I'd walk

http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm/Poinsett_Fishermen_Rescue_Pickup_Driver/?Id=127952

[mrfish1991]

Rundrave, if you head out, let me know and I'm sure I have a few guys that wouldnt mind heading up that way and meeting up with you if you dont mind a bit of company.

[rundrave]

ill keep you posted, I didnt think the ice would have deteriorated this fast but I am keeping my fingers crossed I don't have to go to far North this weekend to fish hard water.

I am not ready to put away my ice fishing stuff yet, as I have barely made it out all year.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

I'd give thompson a try. Ice is good. Stop in at north shore bar and grill and they will tell you where the bad spots are, mainly the henry inlet and Schaffer's slough opening from the main lake. 15-17" north end of thompson 1.5 miles out from the north shore. Fair to decent daytime bite for walleyes and perch too. Have to play sniff & kiss with the crappies though.

[rundrave]

I wouldn't mind going to Thompson, but I am going up with a friend who has a cabin on Poinsett which makes it convenient for a base camp since we only have portables. Neither of us have been there recently and mainly just want to know if ice if fish able yet after this last wet spell.

I cant argue the North Shore comment, those guys are top notch and go out of there way to take care of us fisherman.

[creepworm]

Well it isn't a Poinsett report but I just got off of Sinai. There are 2 areas of open water, one that has been open all year and one in the middle area of the lake. Everywhere I drilled there was 14-16 inches of ice. The ice was in really good shape. There was still some snow on top of the ice that must have been insulating the ice. There were a few four wheelers and one small vehicle out there. From what I have seen on Sinai, I would think Poinsett would still be good to go for ATV's.

[mrfish1991]

I was also out on Sinai tonight. We fished off to the left of the boat launch. We only had 9" of ice...down from about 14" last week. However the fishing was fantastic.

[rundrave]

well now that area is getting hammered with snow. Hopefully I can get a good update on ice conditions before we head up. If anything sounds like we should be ok for foot travel.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

I was also out on Sinai tonight. We fished off to the left of the boat launch. We only had 9" of ice...down from about 14" last week. However the fishing was fantastic.

I wonder if that's the same area that only had 3" a few weeks ago.

Still a trickle of water flowing through the outlet on the NE corner of the lake, I wouldn't be surprised if there was still water flowing into Sinai. There are sloughs NW of Sinai that have open water. I was about to put the hard water gear away for the year and call it a season, but now it looks like there is a cold front coming through early next week that could firm up the ice again. Might have to put off scouting for snow geese and catch a few more walleyes.

[mrfish1991]

I wonder if that's the same area that only had 3" a few weeks ago.

Still a trickle of water flowing through the outlet on the NE corner of the lake, I wouldn't be surprised if there was still water flowing into Sinai. There are sloughs NW of Sinai that have open water. I was about to put the hard water gear away for the year and call it a season, but now it looks like there is a cold front coming through early next week that could firm up the ice again. Might have to put off scouting for snow geese and catch a few more walleyes.

If you want to hit it this weekend,send me a PM and I'll show you where we were fishing.

[PKretsch20]

mrfish.. How many FOW were you in? I'll probably head that way Sunday. Maybe I'll see ya out there?

[rundrave]

Just got to the lake after some major delays today.....grrr

Gonna battle the winds and see how we do tommorow. Didn't want to venture out in the dark tonight with out knowing what the ice is like. Have a Bad feeling we might have to go further north tomorrow

[rundrave]

Fishing north east side as we speak lots of lookers but no bites

Lots of open water in the middle of the lake don't see any one else fishing

[jmd1]

Are the ice issues as bad this year as last? My grandparents had a cabin on the SW side for years and i have some great memories and pictures of the many summers i spent up there. I drove by the lake last year trying to find the cabin but they had moved the road so i got a bit confused on its new location. I am surprised that there is not a big resort or place to stay on the lake. hope your fishing is well.

[rundrave]

Fishing report:

Didn't get to the lake on time Saturday night until well after dark and didn't want to risk going out not knowing where the open water was.

Started fishing at sun up on Sunday on the NE side of the lake in 7ft water next to some weeds. Saw lots of traffic with perch, northern and what appeared to be some really nice walleye. We caught a couple small northern but the perch and walleye were tight lipped, we would jig and they would appear very interested in the bait but would just sniff and not take it. We tried big and small baits and a little bit of everything with no takers. Despite the wind we still chose to run and gun with no luck in that area.

Around 11am we moved to the very north end of the lake and fished in 10ft of water and didn't mark or see a fish.

About 2pm Packed up again and moved over to grapes and fished in 16ft and it was very slow for about an hour. Then we started to see fish and it was non stop action until about 7pm and then everything shut off completely. I haven't had that much fun fishing ever, it was an absolute blast. We had to use one rod each as the fishing was non stop and we lost/missed a lot of fish due to tangles and having multiple fish on at once. It was great watching them on the camera.

We caught a few walleye on minnows, and they are all swimming still. We kept a few perch but probably kept 1 for every 2 that we caught, kept just enough for a small meal. They hit on minnows and wax worms, using whole minnows yielded bigger fish and kept us of from dealing with the smaller fish. Still got into the northerns and it got annoying after a while as they made a mess of the lines each time.

Funny highlight was seeing a huge catfish come to the camera and smile and then take my hook. I fought it forever, and got it about 3ft from the hole and it made a big run and snapped me off. It was to be expected using lite equipment, I didnt stand a chance.

The ice was great in most areas I would say a good 12"-15". We did find some 7" areas but for the most part kept a good distance from all of the open water areas and we didn't have any worries. Saw 2 other shacks out early Sunday morning, but from what we could see we were the only ones on the entire lake the rest of the day.

It was a pain running and gunning and yes we battled some super strong winds but it was totally worth it.

A couple pics:

[carpshooterdeluxe]

Nice fish!

I'm done for the season except for one more weekend up in MN. Ice is going to dump in a hurry around Sioux Falls.

[rundrave]

yeah its a bummer I don't want to put away my ice gear but even a trip up north may be in jeopardy now with the new snow. The last 2 years I got to fish hard water in April and now I will probably be done before March this year. What a strange winter its been.

[mrfish1991]

I have a feeling im done with hard water for the year. This rain today is going to chew up a lot of ice very fast.

[lakeshoremunster]

Hey guys/gals

Just wondering on the water condition for this lake, will mostly be fishing the shore were everyone else goes to fish, by the road/bridge. I herd a rumor that the water was low and the fishing was not good so far, I was hoping to get out to this lake in a month.

Thanks!