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+--- Thread: Ice Fishing Rivers (/showthread.php?tid=474241)
Ice Fishing Rivers - ChrisTheFish - 02-14-2009
The idea of ice fishing on certain parts of rivers has been on my mind this whole winter season. I have been curious to hear what people have to say on the topic.
Any thoughts would be great!
Do you do it? Where? Do you take any special precautions because of the added danger of moving water and potential weak spots in the ice?
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Re: [ChrisTheFish] Ice Fishing Rivers - jigs - 02-14-2009
i was fishing deep creek last weekend and a guy from af was talking to us about ice fishing on the snake he said they pull some nice fish out but it sounded like it was very slow moving water, he said your bait goes straight down doesnt seem to drift. He also said they have found spots 50 to 60 ft deep i would of never thought the river was that deep. Not much help but something i had been thinking about all week.
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Re: [ChrisTheFish] Ice Fishing Rivers - kentd71 - 02-14-2009
The river ice I have been did not sem as strong and had alot of bubbles in it. I have seen people fishing the south fork at the Lorenzo bridge(hwy 20) on a pool off the main river in years past.
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Re: [ChrisTheFish] Ice Fishing Rivers - redbeard1 - 02-14-2009
I couldn't trust it just because of grandpa's stories. One day he's fishing on it, the next day he shows up to fish and it's gone. That sends chills down my spine.
p.s there must be alot of people in my situation today, and staying home for V-Day, and not fishing, all we can do is think and talk about it, thank God for BFT.
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Re: [ChrisTheFish] Ice Fishing Rivers - dublmmz - 02-14-2009
I am afraid I am not much help here either. I have shied away from fishing frozen rivers. Just never felt like it was a safe thing to do. But to each his own! Good luck and be careful if you decide to give it a try.
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Re: [ChrisTheFish] Ice Fishing Rivers - OvidCreek - 02-14-2009
Chris,
I did ice fish the Snake once and my target was big browns; I did not even have a nibble. The coolest thing was my jigs did drift a little. I thought to myself that Pali
es usually has action for Browns, so I focus my ice efforts there. I am not trying to discourage you, and maybe someone will speak up with some amazing tips, but with the action you have had at Island Park this winter it would be very dificult to top it.Just my two cents!
OvidCreek
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Re: [ChrisTheFish] Ice Fishing Rivers - ChrisTheFish - 02-15-2009
Thanks for all the thoughts so far. I ventured out today on some parts of the Teton River near Rexburg. I was very cautious, as I was not sure what to expect. I don't think I'll do it again, because the bigger, deeper, and slower water I was expecting to have the most luck in was no good at all. I use a manual auger, which makes for an adventure when the ice gets any decent thickness to it. The ice was around 2 ft thick and then when I finally got through, there was a layer of slush underneath. That water must stay extremely cold! I tried scooping slush and getting through it to clearer water by moving the auger up and down, but to no avail.
The only real open water I could find was on the places I thought would be terribly thin ice. The places where the water runs the fastest and is less deep still had a little over a foot of ice. The water was clear from slush, but when I tried to put my jig down the current zipped it away. In the end, it was just too difficult to maneuver. Didn't get a bite and came home pooped just after a couple hours. [laugh] [
]It was a first and most likely a last, at least for the Teton. I would like to try some of the deeper off-channels of the Snake. I'll let you all know how I fare when I can sneak away from the college books.
Thanks again for the thoughts and comments. [fishin]
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Re: [ChrisTheFish] Ice Fishing Rivers - fishingiscool - 02-15-2009
There are some guys who fish the south fork all the time on a side channel on the the left hand side as you cross the bridge by fall creek I see them almost everytime I go to pali
es but I dont know if I would go out there I have the same problem you do with college getting in the way of my ice fishing[signature]
Re: [fishingiscool] Ice Fishing Rivers - mudsucker - 02-15-2009
I go up and down the Salmon around Challis and Salmon several times a week. One day there will be 3-4 feet of ice, that afternoon, the ice is gone. I can't trust it. I once watched two whitetail does cross the ice near Shoup. One broke thru and finally pulled back out wet. Until that time, I had entertained thoughts of crossing the ice to hunt some elk with my muzzle loader, but I gave that idea up fast.
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Re: [mudsucker] Ice Fishing Rivers - flyfishingfool - 02-16-2009
I had a great time fishing the south fork of the snake through the ice. I ended up catching 14 or so I think. Our group caught about 35 between all of us. I haven't been back though because I think the spot has probably thawed out. Fun while it lasted
I have also tried another spot on the snake down off of river road towards Idaho Falls. I drilled down through over a foot only to hit weeds. I couldn't get down deeper than six inches. Made me mad so I never ventured back onto the river ice. I can think of some better places where I know I'll catch fish.[signature]