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+--- Thread: flaming gorge ice help (/showthread.php?tid=802267)
flaming gorge ice help - pizzaman_288 - 02-28-2013
I am looking at going to the gorge to ice fish Saturday and Sunday I'm looking at fishing at firehole and lost dog but don't know what the ice conditions are like any help would be great also what would be good lures to use and what do you tip them with any help would be great I have never ice fished at the gorge only trolled it in a boat so any help would be great thanks
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Re: [pizzaman_288] flaming gorge ice help - isda - 03-01-2013
What fish are you going after?
If it is Burbot then anything glow and tipped with sucker meat, fish at night and right on the bottom in 20-40' of water. GET AWAY FROM CROWDS!
If it is Lakers, I have caught a few on the same glow jigs as for the Burbot, I try and stay with a white tube jig tipped with some kind of meat, brown works as well. the bigger the jig the bigger the fish. Try and find a shallower shelf or hump located near deeper water. At lost dog a month ago we caught 6 small lakers in an hour (it was from 11-12 in the afternoon) in the deepest part of the lake that was near us.we were fishing 5-10' off the bottom in 65' of water and occasionally a group would come through suspended. I recommend a map of Flaming gorge it will help locate a general area.
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Re: [pizzaman_288] flaming gorge ice help - ProfessorChaos - 03-01-2013
I'm headed up there this afternoon. From what I've been told the ice is 18"-24" thick from Firehole-ish south until big bend where it gets to be about 10"-15" thick. However I've been told once you get towards Buck Board and Anvil it starts with the pressure ridges and other unpleasantries. I'm still trying to confirm this though and I don't know what a couple of 40 degree days will do to the ice. Here's the phone number to the Dutch John field office, the DWR told me they'd know the ice conditions pretty well... So far I've only reached the voicemail. Maybe you'll have better luck getting ahold of them (435) 885-3164
Good luck!
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Re: [pizzaman_288] flaming gorge ice help - Charina - 03-01-2013
At LD and FH, bring your power auger, or make sure your manual auger blades are sharp and eat lots of wheaties. The ice is thick and solid.
As for what to use, lots of info already on here, and, you have left out what you are fishing for - that makes a difference.
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Re: [Charina] flaming gorge ice help - pizzaman_288 - 03-01-2013
Well be fishing for burbot and lake trout im hoping to ice my first burbot should be fun
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Re: [pizzaman_288] flaming gorge ice help - Charina - 03-01-2013
From my limited experience, "where" is far more important than "what" for the burbs. You can use a chunk of bait sitting still on the bottom, or actively jig a hard metal spoon. They will take both if they get close enough to find it. Being that they are most active in nightime, glow is beneficial to catch their attention from afar as your jig drops down. But you won't catch them on anything if you are not in the right spot. Think of trying to find crawfish holding areas oriented near deep water. Burbs will come up into those areas as soon as dusk is aproaching.
For the small lake trout (and the burbs for that matter), I had success with a gulp minnow. Can't go wrong fishing just that off a glowing jighead. When I fished the confluence area (just south of lost dog) last sat daytime, in 50 ft of water the lakers were coming thorough on the finder from 47-35 ft regularly.
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