Ice Fishing 2012 at Bay Store Camp

Well, nobody wanted to start a thread about how the Ice Fishing is at Bay Store Camp this year. So here goes.

A few of us make our way north for 4 days of ice fishing annually to enjoy the splendor of ice and snow along with fishing for whatever will take our minnows. There is something about sitting in a heated fishing house with adult beverages cooling off outside and eating a snack whenever you are hungry. The conversations will range from TV shows, politics, summer fishing and of course what lure we should use to catch the biggest fish. No topics are avoided and we seem to solve all the problems on both sides of the border. We might also hit on the situations overseas.

As always Frank and Laura make our stay most enjoyable and acommodate all of our wants. This year I was one of the chosen few to actually be the driver of the Cornhusker Red Bombardier and take his customers out to their fish houses. I think that next year a big N should be posted on the door. I did not get stuck in the drifts or get lost in the dark. All of us returned safely each night.

The fishing was typical with a morning and evening bite being the best. Hang on to the jigging rod the last hour of the day as they come to feed. This year gold seemed to work the best for our presentation. Either JB lures with a red eye or a Genz worm for dead sticking. Jigging with a small Rapala with a drop hook and a whole minnow worked good when the evening bite started. Early afternoon you should have a cot along and take a nap. Other lures we used had limited success but maybe it was the person holding the rod.

I thought that you might enjoy seeing the fish that Matt White caught Tuesday with John Hills assist pulling it out of an 8" hole in the ice. It measured 27 3/4" and weighed at 9#. Even to put it back in the lake was a chore as it had to be stuffed back down the hole. It took about 20 minutes until the gills started moving and the tail was strong enough to swim away. Kudo's to Matt for making sure it can reproduce this spring. I know where it was and will be fishing for it the first week of June. Fish like this is why we come to Franks for the chance of catching fish like these.

The other picture is looking west from the house I was in and was able to get a picture from long range. Neat shot but a little fuzzy. My Nikon worked great for the shot at about 800 yards.

The driving from the Angle to Oak presented a little problem due to pressure ridges that cut across the ice road. Frank had things under control and directed us to a safe route both coming and leaving. Where can you get that kind of service when he comes out after dark and guides you around the pressure ridge. A real 24 hour service that he supplies.

Good luck if you are going up or have been there already. Feel free to post reports and pictures here for all to see.

I will be up on friday morning through monday morning. Can't wait to see Frank and Laura again! Its been a year sins. This year I will be at Bay Store for 7 nights in July searching for Musky! Both trips will be a blast!

Nice report Mr Smith! Sounds like a fun way to spend a few days with some friends. I bet that walleye was difficult to fit through the hole coming out as well as going back.

Looks like the ice fishing season had an early end this year. From the National Post today:

Thirteen Wisconsin ice fishermen needed to be hauled to safety by Canadian search and rescue crews Wednesday morning after they became trapped on a drifting ice floe in the Manitoba section of Lake of the Woods. The 13 men, who range in age between 25 and 45 years, checked into Buffalo Bay, Man.’s Silver Birch Resort, before venturing 45 metres onto the ice and setting up their ice-fishing shacks Tuesday morning. At some point during the day, the wind shifted, the ice fractured and the group found themselves on an ice floe the size of three football fields drifting south toward Wisconsin. “They called me around 7:30 p.m. on their cells and said they had a situation,” said resort owner Leonard Friesen. The Kenora, Ont.-based Lake of the Woods Search and Rescue organization drove two hours to Buffalo Bay with an air boat to rescue the men, the last of whom was pulled off the ice just before 3 a.m. Wednesday.