Still Frozen???????

[Frank Walsh]

I just heard from Al. Bigstone was still open last night, but froze over this morning.

[musky1969]

Just think if you had a hover craft how much longer you would be able to fish, I herd those things troll great and you dont have to worry about hitting anything.

[Frank Walsh]

Not impressed with them on ice. My only firsthand experience was on late ice, and the ice shards were deadly on the skirts. Shredded them. Might not be as bad on early ice as it would break into plates.

How about a put a sucker on a quickstrike from a tip up, and fish you know where. Might be interesting trying to drive the hooks home.

Guess I need to do more with my time.

[fishwizard]

I had nine follows today on a little river half a cast wide. Two fish hit, but failed to stay hooked. Granted the biggest fish I saw was 41", but at least they were muskies. One of the missed opportunities was definitely my fault, because I looked down at the depth finder then looked up to see a muskie sitting there with my squirrelly DD in its jaws. I immediately set the hook and ripped the bait out of its mouth. I had paused the bait and it was just sitting there when it had come up and ate it, I didn't feel the fish until I ripped the bait away from it. I've got finals on Wednesday and then 5 weeks between semesters to put a hurt on these southern muskies.

[Doug Johnson]

The big lake out of Warroad was wide open the day after Thanksgiving when we had a good west wind for a day. It had been frozen over for a week as far as I could see but opened fast with the wind. It's now refrozen, and a few spear houses are showing up off the mouth of the Warroad River. It's normal for Whitefish Bay to be open much later than the rest of the lake. It's 216 ft deep and it takes a long time to cool the water down, same with Clearwater Bay. It's not uncommon to go to Whitefish and find 15" of ice when there's 30" on the big lake.

Ryan, I'll be down in Mid-February, don 't catch them all.

Doug Johnson

[fishwizard]

Doug,
Not to worry, I've been spending most of time on the Collins River, and not Melton. It's a lot closer to me, and easier to fish by yourself. Also note that I said I saw 9 muskies and caught 0. I imagine that by February things will have changed quite a bit, especially when the steam plant gets up and running.

I'd still like to be able to come up and take the journey to Whitefish for some lakers. That was a trip I'll remember for many years to come. Just when I get the Ski-Doo up and running, I move to the south. Go figure. Any one want to buy an 1998 MXZ 500?

[musky1969]

Ryan,
Carol is from Cooksville and she ask's is there any muskie's in Tenn. because she knows I can not be far away from the ski's, I want to move the hell out of Ill. and go to Minn. and she said she want's to move back to Tenn. (it is very beatiful down there )and I tell her no musky's down that far south He,He,He. I told her you can't fish them in the summer because of the heat, and when we are that far south it cost that much more to go north on weekends. So far she bought it so maybe we will head down that way this Feb. let me know if you want to get out.
Darren