Chequamegon Bay Ice Fishing...

[jdm911]

Hello all in the Cheq. Bay forum. Jim, hello, sorry it has been so long. I have been going out of town everyweekend that I am off and not leaving much time for the bay, did manage 1, yes 1, bluegill south of Fond Du Lac this past weekend. Anyways, I will be in town-and on the bay-on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. I have to head back to Duluth on Sat. morning but wanted to let you know. I am sure things are busy this week but if you are avail and can meet up just give me a call. Hope things are well and I dream of 14 inch smelt. Hi Clam Up, see you in Jan, another limit of salmon is in store for us. Jason

[Quickstrike]

sorry jim, looks like i'm heading over to mille lacs tommorrow morning. good luck if you get out, hopefully fishing picks up here shortly, although from your pics it looks like you've been doing ok

[Bob Horn]

How`s the ice on the bay? I was thinking of coming up next week but don`t know yet.

[Jim Hudson]

Bob

The ice is still good, for walking.. snowmobiles.. or Atvs... No driving cars or trucks... 8 inches of ice...

I think Mike and Greg will be up next week too...

[Jim Hudson]

Well the ice is still holding quite well after all the warm weather we have gotten. I should say the ice that is left that is. We did lose some ice that was creeping out towards Houghton point!!! But the ice in the Bay, around Ashland.. out to the Lighthouse, over to Bono Creek, and over to Second Landing is still doing well..A foot of ice off Ashland and Second Landing while there is 8 to 9 inches out near the Lighthouse and over to Bono Creek.

The ice off Washburn is still shaky, a few people fishing it, but there was also people who have put machines through the ice. I would say 4 to 5 inches top, with some spots thinner then the majority.

Fishing has been hit or miss, with some people bringing in good catches and others with nothing. The fish are there, just have to put your time in and get on em!! Fished Wed for smallies, where we did pretty well and then Friday for splake where we did good too!!

Still no ice north of Washburn, Laker fishing in the Islands just might not happen this year!! We need Arctic air fast!!!

[big musk411]

I know that it all depends, but what would be you prediction as to when driving trucks out will be safe? I want to get into some bass but do not have an atv or snowmobile .

How has the bite been?

Thanks!

[Jim Hudson]

For vehicle traffic, there has been some people driving out off Ashland already, 12 inches of ice, but I would not recommend this to anyone due to what the ice has gone through over this warm spell. For me, it is just too risky to drive vehicles yet!!

For the Bass bite, it was good today, filmed a show with John Gillespie's Waters & Woods television show yesterday and today. Overall, the bite has been finicky. But today, they really fired up.

[mitch]

I saw that Waters and Woods episode on Saturday morning and I recognized you right away from your avatar. It was a good show. Those were some nice smallies. How did John Gillespie hurt his shoulder?

[Jim Hudson]

Mitch..

Thanks much... We definately have some bruiser SmallMouths in this water!!

On the first day of the shoot, John took a pretty bad fall, where he broke his clavicle. Not a fun ordeal at all. Just glad we got him to the ER as quick as we did. Tough guy he is, in the amount of pain he was in the next morning and still had no gripes to get dressed and get back out on the ice!!!

[outdoor ran]

Jim, hows the fishing been on the bay lately? Any ice off of the Onion or Souix

[Jim Hudson]

Randy...

Whew, been busy here... Havent had much time for updates or posts here..

No ice to speak of off the Onion or Sioux. First time I can remember we havent had ice out to Houghton Point during this time of year.. Very weird...

Update on the bay... USE CAUTION OUT HERE!!! The winds and warm temps we seen last week did a number onto the ice conditions. The wind destroyed a bunch of ice off Washburn, and a SUV and ATV pulling a hard sided permanent went through near the Oredock area in Ashland. But thankfully we got some colder nights lately to firm up the ice after the warm up. Just use extreme caution if you do venture out. Stay very clear of anything sticking out into or out of the water. As currents, dripping water, and the warmth have reaked havoc on ice conditions near these types of areas.

[Jim Hudson]

The bay ice firmed up a bit with the recent cool down, and I note, cool temps, as it still hasnt been really cold around here. But we still need to use caution!!

Fishing again, has been spotty for many species. You will experience one good day for action on Trout,Salmon, Whitefish, Herring, Walleye, Etc, and the next it is hard to buy a fish. Typical with this time of year though. Bass fishing has been producing each time out!!!

Hopefully, with the cooler nights, we will get some fishable ice out to Houghton Point and Long Island!!! Time will tell, but time is also running out!!

[Quickstrike]

jim, if your laker itch gets unbearable as you stare at open water, you should come up with us next time we go to the gunflint. plenty of ice up there, although i suppose that's quite a drive for you over in bayfield.

[Jim Hudson]

Well shoot me an e-mail, and give me info on when you guys are planning the next trip...

Also, March, I am thinking of heading to MI for a Lake Gogebic trip in search of some trophy perch. Anyone in?

[Bob Horn]

Not this time Jim. Going to Simcoe for the perch. I have been wanting to go there for about 3-4 years now. I hope it's as good as I heard.

[Jim Hudson]

Gogebic is hit or miss for the big perch, but late ice is usually the time to get into them. You do not catch a lot of em, but the size of these perch are just unbelievable!!!

Good luck on the Trap Attacks Bob!!!

[scifisher]

Are there any spots on the bay that one could walk or cc ski out too? I'm thinking about hitting the bay tomorrow afternoon, but I'm worried about the ice conditions.

[Jim Hudson]

Sci

You can walk or CC ski pretty much anywhere you want on the bay right now. The only parts you need to watch out for, are north of the Washburn Dock for sure (still thin ice), and over around the Fish Creek area (thin also), oh and try to stay away from anything sticking out into or out of the lake.

The ice conditions have firmed up good on the bay, and snowmobile or ATV travel is also good to go.

Fishing on the other hand, has been spotty. Typical for the mid-winter... I will be out tomorrow as well, on a guide trip.

[Jim Hudson]

Well the recent cold, has made some more ice on our existing ice pack, and now out towards Houghton Point. I am sure after this stretch of cold weather, there will be ice elsewhere too. And with this real cold snap forecasted, it should allow us to run machines out to the deeper stretches of water near Long Island and Houghton!!! Hopefully, we will see a few more lakers in this area.

Fishing, again has been sporadic, and not many anglers hitting the ice. Today, I had a fairly good day with a friend, where we made it out to 60FOW. We put 7 fish on the ice today for a half day trip, 6 being salmon (1 King and 5 Coho) and one lone splake. Also, had a few fish slip the hooks too.

So this colder weather has me excited, as fishing the same spots and same depth of water gets old after awhile!!

[Quickstrike]

5 of us went out of washburn towards houghton pt. today and found 6-8 inches of ice in 60+ ft of water. I didn't do so hot but as a group we got a nice mess of kings, cohos, herring, and a couple dandy browns. I also lost a PIG that I didn't get a look at. the wind out there was crazy and the ice was moving around a bit, kinda scary, but all in all it was a great day. swedish pimples with a head and lake shiners on the dead stick were the ticket. it was also nice to get the sled out without having any problems for the first time this year.

[Jim Hudson]

Quick

Glad you guys found some fish!!! The ice is firming up good... Can fish out to Houghton Point, out from there towards Long Island, and around the bend towards Bodin's resort. Seen people on foot of the Sioux also. Still carry a spud bar and check as you go!!

I checked the ice off Bayfield today, a little to sketchy for me, but I heard some guys were going to try to make it to Basswood Island. Hopefully I get a report of that....

Off to the lake here in a bit... Gotta get a few winks of sleep...

[Jim Hudson]

The ice is getting better and better every day here now. Hopefully it will continue...

See the updated fishing report on my HSOforum!!!

[Iceboy]

How's the fishing? Myself and a few guys are heading up this Saturday for our semi-annual skunking on Chequamegon Bay. Well, at least that's the way it's been the last 2 times. We usually go off of Houghton Pt, but will trade beer for a hot tip!

Nice to finally have some cold & ice. Looks like the weather will hold in the 20's through the week! I'll let you all know how we do.

dan

[MT Net]

"Semi-annual skunking on Chequamegon Bay"...sounds a lot like our trips tha past 3 years. Last year we nailed the smelt and caught some herring near the Onion and Sioux Rivers.

We're set for March 10th-12th on the bay.

How's the ice setting up out from Bodines? Or, is the ferry still making the run?

[Bob Horn]

Hire a guide and get the skunk off.