The word of the week is CAUTION! Even with the frigid temperatures we had last weekend the ice conditions are still spotty. I was out this week on some ponds that had -30 degree temps one night and they only had 4.25” of ice with a couple of small spots of open water. Seems like the ice conditions vary based on which lakes were open when the cold weather arrived and how much snow each area received. The best approach to these conditions is to always go with another angler, and make sure you’ve got your safety equipment with you and are ready to use it.
Now let’s talk about the fishing. I found some panfish and bass in about 4-7’ of water along the base of a breakline and near some patches of weeds. The fish were concentrated. I drilled 12-15 holes and spent time fishing all of them. One hole was stacked with fish, 3 holes I got 1 bite out of each, and the other holes never marked a fish. There was enough snow cover that there was a good midday bite. The fish were fairly finicky and it took several color changes to get dialed in, during the day a black and white Mango Jig worked best and as the sun got lower in the sky I needed to switch it over to green and chartreuse glow. These jigs were 1/32 oz, tipped with spikes, and using 2 lb test Sufix Ice Fluorocarbon line. I’ll talk about the way I was fishing the jig in the FLP Fishing Tip.
Hot Bites
St. Vrain Ponds - lots of trout being caught. Pink and orange jigs tipped with mealworms or waxworms. An active shake seems to be bringing trout in from a distance.
Boyd - over last weekend there was about 3” of ice. Most of the fishing has been in the marina cove area and Heinricy Inlet. Some panfish are being caught. Lots of trout and lots of shad are in these areas. Try using a flashy jigging spoon tipped with a mealworm and dead-sticking a minnow. Before freeze-up up there were some perch up by the jet ski beach area, look for the weed edges in 8-12 ft. Be cautious in this area as it was one of the last areas to freeze.
Douglas - along the northern front range had the most ice. Trout are being caught along the west shoreline. The boat ramp area is a good place to start.
Cherry Creek - the walleye bite has been good. Spoon and jigging raps tipped with minnows are the ticket. Try the break line around the whale tails, the hump in front of the tower, and the breaks on the south end.
Chatfield - the best ice has been on the south/inlet end and north boat ramp cove. A wide variety of fish are being caught in the Kingfisher area. Minnows for trout and walleye, jigs with spikes for the panfish. The Catfish Flats area is producing bigger trout. Try flashy presentations in the low light periods and downsize to tipped jigs later in the day.
SNOWPACK
The much-needed snow over the past 10 days has brought the snowpack in the South Platte drainage up to 97%.
DENVER SPORTSMEN’S EXPO WRAP UP AND BOAT SHOW
Wanted to thank everyone who came down to the Denver Sportsmen’s Expo said hi and attended my presentations. It was great catching up with you. On Sunday the Fishing FUNdamental kids seminar was fantastic and continued the streak of being the largest fishing seminar of the show. We gave out rod and reel combos and tackle packs to over 60 kids!
This weekend is the Denver Boat at the Colorado Convention Center. The show runs Friday 12-8p, Saturday 10-8p, and Sunday 10-5p. Anyone looking at getting a new fishing boat this is a great opportunity to look at a variety of models. I’d recommend stopping by Crowley Boats, they carry some of the premier fishing brands including Lund, Ranger, Triton, and Sylvan Pontoons.
FLP FISHING TIP - Vary the action of your lure to get more bites
This week’s fishing required a variation in actions to my jigs to get the most bites. One of the best things about ice fishing with electronics, like the flasher I use most of the time, is you can see how fish react to your lures. I noticed an aggressive bouncing action was needed to bring fish into the area. As I watched the fish on my flasher they would come up close to the jig but would stay 6”-1’ below the jig if I kept bouncing it aggressively. So I varied it up, starting with a light bounce and going all the way to holding it still. What seemed to work best to get bites is what I call the Baker Bounce, named after one of the best anglers I’ve known Clark Baker. The Baker Bounce is simply holding your rod still and with your free hand put your index finger under the fishing line. Then just raise it 1/4-1/2” and let it drop back down. I find having my finger resting on the top of my rod with the line over top and raising it from there is the easiest to keep a consistent bounce. As the light got lower in the sky you could do a light bounce to get bites. Rely on your electronics to watch how fish are reacting to your presentations - if fish are coming up and not biting it’s time to make changes. Start with the action, then try the color, shape, and action of the lure.
Good luck out on the ice and stay safe!
FISHING FUNNIES
Never heard the term whale tails for a locatio at Cherry Creek