Hard Water Winter

Lake Nockamixon, fully frozen across

I didn't post over the winter months at all but that doesn't mean I wasn't fishing.  I experienced ice fishing for the first time this winter and enjoyed it immensely.  I was lucky enough to go out several times close to home and also to take an extended weekend trip up into the northern portions of the state. 

3lb Bass through the ice on a tipup

There is something incredibly awesome about standing in the middle of a lake, such as Nockamixon or Wallenpaupack, and having access to portions of the water that would normally be out of my reach from the shore.  Being that this is BC Bank Fishing, ice fishing might not sound like it fits but in reality it probably fits the bill more than anything since hard water fishing is like having one big bank. 

Each trip out we ended up catching something and had a great time even if they weren't trophy fish.  From our various trips we caught Bass, Perch, Pickeral, Blue Gills, and Crappies.  I pulled one particularly large Bass out through the ice, caught on a minnow below a tip-up.  The thrill of seeing a flag fly and running across the ice, seeing the spool just bleeding out line, and having to set the hook and hand line it in, is almost indescribable.

If you haven't tried it and get the chance, don't pass it up.

Smallest one of the day

Opening Day

Showing off for the wife
(She loves it when I take fishing gear selfies)

This past Saturday was opening day of trout for my area and my brother in law and I decided to try our luck.  Of course, the weeks prior were spent in youthful anticipation and a flurry of new equipment purchases.  I ended up with a new set of waders since my old ones were mysteriously getting smaller, I know I'm not getting fatter so it has to be they are getting smaller, right?

Also, I was fortunate enough to had been given a gift card to Bass Pro shops and was in dire need of a new light action rod so I bought a Pflueger Trion spinning combo, which performed marvelously.  As a side note, I have to take the time to say that due to an issue with ordering over the website and a delivery charge problem I had to get in touch with the Bass Pro Shop customer service department and they were fantastic.  Without the boring details I can say that they not only resolved the issued within minutes but were pleasant and apologetic through the whole thing.  All in all, a good experience, and it didn't delay my rod from coming which was the most important part.

 Morning of opening day I met my brother in law for breakfast at 6:30 and then traveled to a super secret hole off of Branch road on the Perkiomen that only myself and about everyone else knows about.  Once there we hunkered down to wait with the other 20+ anglers for the eight o'clock start time.  One person decided they were the official time keeper and set a countdown that he chimed out within the last 30 seconds, counting down to zero, where upon all rods were cast into the same 10 foot circle.  Within 5 seconds three different people were pulling out the first catches of the day, all three within the 11 to 13 inch range.  At the start, the collective group averaged about one trout per every two minutes.  In a sport where you can sit for hours on end and catch nothing, watching someone pull something out every two minutes made it seem fast and furious.  I myself caught a moderate 12 inch rainbow within my first two casts.  Being waist deep at this point and having forgotten my net in my trunk I decided to preform the "walk and reel" technique, trying to keep the fish hooked while slowly making my way, walking backwards, toward the bank where my stringer was tied.  Being the expert angler that I am, I soon had my first catch of the day attached to my stringer and back in the water.

After retaking my place and casting a few more times I got hit again and I could tell it was larger than the previous trout.  Doing my backwards reeling trout dance I made it all the way to the waters edge, catching my first glimpse of the ~17 inch rainbow that I had at the other end of my line.  My heart quickened as I reached down to retrieve this masterpiece of fish when it proceeds to give a last ditch effort head shake and is rewarded by breaking my line at the hook and sending a splash of water into my face for good measure.  I stared at the water for a few seconds before I decided it was my brother in laws fault for not netting my fish while I was standing there next to him.  I mean it couldn't be my fault for forgetting my net in my car or anything.  I tell him as much as I return to my spot and demand he allow me to use his net for my next catch, whenever that would be.  Luckily I didn't have to wait long and ended up with another trout of moderate size, about the same as the first.  I was careful this time and my companion graciously deigned to allow me use of his net which led to my second catch of the day laying next to the first on my stringer.

The entire experience lasted about 30 minutes before there was a lull and then a drought.  The rest of the time was spent casting and then untangling our lines from the other anglers while no one really caught any more.  People started packing up after about another hour of this and we decided to get going about a half hour after that.  I grabbed my stringer with my two and called it a day.  They weren't the largest two trout ever seen but they cleaned well and tasted great.

Pre Clean

Pre Eaten