Welcome to the Ice Force IceBlaster, your 2x/week email with the best ice fishing info IN THE WORLD! Enjoy!
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This be the LAST IceBlaster ’til the fall (*sniff*). Enjoy the spring, ice peeps, thanks for readin’. Tx much also to Ice Force for makin’ this possible. See you in October!
Today’s Top 5
> …confiscated from a Duluth taxidermist by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The catch is under investigation by enforcement officials with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
> Scott said he caught two lake trout that day but gave the first one away after catching the larger lake trout. His limit was one lake trout. “I’m not trying to hide anything.”
This applies to at least one party here:
2. Marriage proposal by tip-up.
[F-bomb alert!]
Definitely a new PB:
> “Caught a diamond ring!”
> Guy’s right, definitely wins the tournament.
Lake Erie guide Ross Robertson knows where to find big fish. He’s been posting dozens of big fish shots all winter. Here’s the shizzle:
> “Had one of those days you dream of and hope to have just once in your life. Managed countless fish over 6lbs…these two are nearly 24lbs of walleyes. Released all fish and have been catching them on a tactic that most people have never heard of doing…promise! Details down the road….”
BTW, he and former FLW walleye editor Curt Niedermier wrote the book on walleye trolling…literally. Best walleye book in years.
‘Eyes so fat they wallow like pigs!
Not sure where Haataja’s fishing, but we didn’t think lakers got that big in most inland WI lakes.
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News
> Anglers were left trapped in permanent houses for 3 DAYS on MN’s Red Lake after recent snowfall and high winds.
> JR Resort workers scrambled via plow truck and snowmobiles to cross 7-8 foot snow drifts. Plowing created “rivers on the ice” and nasty conditions.
> Women and children returned to safety first. Remaining anglers said fishing was “the best ever.” [Haha awesome!]
> Anglers still struggling to pull houses off the lake to meet upcoming MN removal deadline.
4. WI: Fish houses off Sunday!
5. ND: Fish house removal soon.
6. MN: Ice fishing trip dying wish.
Awesome.
7. Russians drill holes, save fish.
9. MI: Crappie fest a success.
10. MI: Rec areas = winter fun.
…raises half-mil for kids, conservation. Stout.
Cool!
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Fishin’ Reports
2. ND: Still diabolical on Devils.
> Momma what a week! The schools of perch seem to be getting larger with each passing week. We literally had schools of perch coming out of the auto zoom on the Vexilar and at times they would be 8 feet thick!
> Our best day we had 26 clients all limit out on perch by 1:00 pm.
> Big jumbo perch in good numbers this year. This fish came from the NE portion of Big Traverse fishing with Ballard’s Resort. Permanent fish houses on LOW can be out through March. Walleyes open until April 14.
Guide man/writer Anthony Larson:
> Over the past few weeks anglers across the ice belt have been struggling with the winter blues; that period where the ice gets thick and blanketed with snow, and the oxygen levels drop- making the fish go into a hibernation-like-state.
> Now as the sun stays out longer, and the earth’s position in the sun’s rays are optimum, all that snow and ice is going to start to melt, producing some oxygen and stir up the bugs creating an appetite for our zombified friends.
> Lake Onalaska is dubbed sunfish capitol of the world for a reason, we have tons of panfish just waiting for the taking, and of course where there’s panfish- there’s predators waiting for them. Lake Onalaska has no shortage of northern pike and largemouth bass and the best way to get them is through the ice.
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Tip of the Day
> Daphnia, mysis and Mesocyclops are relatively large zooplankton that often predominate panfish diets, particularly in open water. While these and other zooplankton species possess clear, translucent bodies, they also have small pigmented regions – eyes, organs, and egg sacs – that provide visual cues to tempt predation by nearsighted fish.
> Sunfish, crappies, perch, and trout possess excellent close-range vision, capable of discerning diminutive details such as eyes, cilia and other anatomical features. So while clear lures might be poor choices for attracting fish from a distance, these discrete presentations can excel for triggering bites from selective panfish hovering below your hole.
> As a result, clear lures may be more effective at triggering bites than those decorated with gaudy colors.
> I’ve found that sunfish, crappies, and yellow perch prefer clear, translucent baits over solid reds, yellows, pinks, or other hues whenever they’re focused on zooplankton, even in somewhat stained water.
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Quote of the Day
We’ve been fishing before, but this is the first time we caught anything.
– First-time ice-fishin’ gal. Hahaha! Awesome.
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Shot of the Day
Wow. Wish I was a pike…but not, you know, forever.
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GET OUT AND STAY OUT ICE-HEADS!
