New England Ice Reports

[Tim Moore]

We are finally getting some good cold weather here in NH. It was 22 degrees at 6am today. The smaller ponds and swamps are skimming over at night which is a good sign. The water temperature on our big lake, Lake Winnipesaukee, has dropped almost ten degrees in two weeks. The current water temperature is 36 degrees so she should start making ice in the bays real soon. This cold weather is forecast to stick around for a while. I'm usually on the ice just before Christmas. I hope this is a typical (or colder) year.

[Tim Moore]

I just confirmed that the Lees Mills area (north) of Winnipesaukee stayed skimmed all day today. Things are progressing!

[Dylan8351]

It is certainly getting exciting Tim! Ponds around here are skimming and holding ice for several days at a time when weather holds. We get early ice up here and you got a place to stay if needed!

[Tim Moore]

That's great Dylan, thank you! I'll definitely take you up on that this year. My brother lives in Burlington, I want to spend some time on Champlain this year too.

[bee]

I think we all may need to get together for some first ice slabs.

[Tim Moore]

Sounds good bee. Keep me posted.

[Tim Moore]

Very windy today. Every pond I have driven past has skim ice blown to the leeward side. I had a report of 2" of solid clear ice on some small ponds around Conway. Ice is coming!

[Tim Moore]

I headed to the Connecticut River in New Hampshire yesterday for one last kayak fishing trip with my buddy Erik. The plan was to catch whatever would bite, but we were both hoping to bring home some walleye for supper. Being 25 degrees when we left the launch I opted to wear my Ice Armor Lift Suit. The shores of the river and all of the setbacks were lined with ice and it was snowing, it felt more like an ice fishing trip than a kayak fishing trip. The temperature was not an issue though, the slow bite was. We tried everything from bottom bouncer rigs, to crank baits, to lead-head jigs tipped with worms and shiners. We did manage several fish, but we had to work for them. There was a slight breeze that opposed the river current, but the wind increasingly lessened as the day went on. By the time we left the river was like glass. We found the fish to be lazy and they rarely wanted to chase the bait upstream which meant we had to paddle against the wind and with the current much of the day. My Vexilar FLX-28 sonar flasher was a game changer in figuring out what depth the fish were at. I love the five-color display and really love the fact that you can select out the green colors for targeting bigger fish. Big yellow perch and rock bass were the only willing participants, and we had to work for every one of them. After 9.5 hours in the kayaks, and with fading daylight, we called it quits and put our 2013 kayak fishing season to bed. I will now resume my ice watch and anxiously await the day when I can get out onto first ice.

[bee]

Now Tim that's getting the last there is to get. I,m still hopeing.

[Nick Avery]

Cool trip, looks like the new toys worked well. Can't wait to see that FLX-28 on the ice. I think I'm headed north Friday to do a little scouting and praying!

[Dylan8351]

Although I wasn't fishing today I got out on 3". I have to work until Saturday night but Sunday should be a scouting day. Really depends what this weather is doing to the ice we had. Some good crappie waters are locked up solid!

[bee]

Dylan reports here are that the ice we had is still on the ponds.

[Dylan8351]

Dylan reports here are that the ice we had is still on the ponds.

Same here. Ice grew a tad more over night. A little more scary with some snow on top though. I would rather see what I am going to be walking out on!

[bee]

Early ice with snow is a bad combo. No snow here. I went and checked my open water spots this am. Maybe Sat if they stay open.