Ft. Thompson Eyes

[Tyler Holm]

I'll be fishing Ft. Thompson Feb 25 & 26 and wanted to know if there were any reports from that area.

I've heard things like 1.5 hours just to put your boat in the water, another 1.5 hours to limit and another 1.5 hour wait to get back out of the water. Any truth to this?

With all this pressure, certainly somebody knows something...

[Skis]

To answer, in order: No, No, & No!!

I was out there 2/1 and yes, there were people getting their limits, but the fish weren't jumping in the boat and some people weren't doing good as well. We put in our boat by Chamberlain by American Creek and the wait was 15 minutes tops (and that was including taking off our tarp and getting the boat ready). The dam launch could be busier, but there were 40+ boats that I could count around Kiowa/Crow Creek area.

[Tyler Holm]

Skis,

Any secret to boating fish? Jig & minnow? Are they sneaking up in the shallows yet, or hanging near breaks and structure? I suppose a few are being taken in current right below the "dam"

Is there any fishable ice left below Chamberlain on the river, or any lake in that area?

[Mike Walerak]

Tyler,

Send me an e-mail.

mw

[Skis]

Jig & minnow is what we were using. One dead stick, the other rod we were casting away from the boat, with 50/50 results.

No ice on the river when we were there, except in Cedar Shore Marina.

[Tyler Holm]

Thanks DT,

I'll let you know how things turn out.

[Tyler Holm]

They are calling for 35-40 degrees next weekend, so it looks like the River fishing trip will be a go as of now.

If it would happend to cool off we might park the boat and grab the short rods. Where can a guy get onto some fishable ice in the Chamberlain area?

[Tyler Holm]

The GOOD: I'm still bringing my rods. Open water, will fish!

The BAD: It's too cold for the boat. I'll be hugging the shorelines.

The UGLY: The cold weather.

[Tyler Holm]

Stay tuned for story and details...

[Tyler Holm]

I hit the Ft. Thompson area at 10am. I brought 2 long rods and a small box of 1/4 & 3/8oz THO jigs that I make. I tossed out every jig I had below the dam for about 2 hours and never had a hit. I drove over to the spillway / distilling-basin and found some open water. I did the same there for about an hour and never got a bump. As I was sitting there casting, I noticed a crowd getting bigger on the ice that was about 500 yards away. I decided to head over there and see what was shakin.

I started chatting with a few on the fellas on the ice and asked if I could use one of their open holes. I went back to my vehicle and got a rod and hit the ice.

Within 5 minutes I hit a nice Sauger. (2nd picture above). Over the course of the next hour I had several bites, but couldn’t hook them. Then bang I landed a really nice eye (1st Picture).

It was a challenge using a 6’6” rod, but that is all I had with. I caught both fish on a ¼ THO pink jig and a minnow. I didn’t have any electronics either.

I guess it goes to show that you don’t always have to do everything right to catch fish. You don’t need all this fancy ice gear and electronics. A long rod, jig and minnow did the trick for me. I caught more fish and had more bites than everybody else on the ice (in the area I was fishing)

[Tyler Holm]

I just got off the phone with my Grandpa. He and 2 others hit Ft. Thompson at 2:00 in his boat. They were limited by 5 with the biggest being 19" and 3 more over 18"