So am I the only one that has been paying attention to the weather? I am definitely a huge fan of what I am seeing for the upcoming 10 days. 
Who has got some predictions about when the ice will come off of some of my favorite bassin’ locations around here: Utah Lake, Deer Creek, and Jordanelle? The ice is pretty thick right now (over a foot at Utah Lake). I’m just hoping that it all comes off by my birthday on March 5th. What’s it gonna take for all this ice to come off by then guys? I need to get my boat back in the water!
Unless there is extreme warm weather then the ice will come off the same time as last year.
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S What’s it gonna take for all this ice to come off by then guys?
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Wind. That’s all. Just wind.
Sorry, but not anxious here…I wish the ice would stay till April…bass fishing is better in winter actually, lol. And plenty of open water to enjoy if you’re willing to drive a million miles to the middle of nowhere. [;)] We’ll just keep the location details at that. I’m hoping for a nice cold spell to maintain the ice and keep the patterns going for another few weeks more at least.
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Sorry, but not anxious here…I wish the ice would stay till April…[/reply]
It will. On certain lakes…
No your not the only one! Ice fishing is alright, but for me it is something to kill the time until the fishing gods once again grant us access to soft water. [angelic][angelic][angelic]
You would…
ha, you are right though, bass fishing is can be pretty good in the winter…that is…if you live someplace where the water doesn’t freeze! Actually, my best day of bass fishing for largemouths on Utah Lake last year was the day before Thanksgiving. Water temps on the main lake were 38 degrees. However, the water was open so I could launch my boat. I have caught lots of big bass in the winter months…in California. It sounds to me like you aren’t fishing frozen waters right now though. Quite frankly, I don’t have the gas money to drive a million miles to find open water. I need the lakes HERE to have open water! I’m hoping for that after this upcoming week of warming weather we get a few days with some BIG wind to break up that foot thick ice at Utah Lake…
I remember getting into an arguement with someone on the old DWR forum, I said that I had seen ice come off the berry by mid april, he claimed I was on crack. What time did it come off last year?? I thought it was the beginning to mid April, I would like a repeat of that but I’m thinking the berry by early May, Jordanelle completely ice free by early April same with Deer Creek, but I could be way off…
I have pictures from last year fishing Jordanelle and Deer Creek on the 30th of March. From my boat!!! There wasnt even a speck of ice or snow in site so the ice must have been gone for a while. BUT, that was last year, we are having a better “winter” this year. I am with some of the guys on here though, I want to put my damn boat back in the water where she belongs!!!
TS
These are questions that can be answered with just a little self-initiative.
Just go back to all prior years around March and start going dateforward in the posts. Look for post titles that include phrases like ice-off. But not necessarily, as my example below shows.
And to keep going back further in prior years, just edit/change the page number showing in the URL. The page number is the last item in the URL string. For example: http://www.bigfishtackle.com/forum/Utah_Fishing_Forum_C55/General_Discusion_F58-91.
The 91 is the page number. Want to go about 1 year back? Change the 91 to 191.
The URL starts showing page numbers on page 2 of the Board. So April 2007 would be around 90
Add like 90 to 100 to the page number every time. That’s how many pages the BFT General Discussion Board generates in a year.
Want an example of the answer to your question? Here’s Strawberry 2007:
BTW, I have found this actually quicker than searching the subject of “Ice off” or the likes.
Boatable ice off occurs generally within 2 weeks of the same time every year, but as PBH the Loser wrote, wind may alter the date.
You can start planning your trips now, with this knowledge in hand.
Next, BTW. Relax. All you softwater guys are gonna drive yourselves crazy. S-berry’s not for another 8 weeks, J-nelle and DC are mid to late March, but the big gurl SMB’s won’t “show up” in J-nelle til late April.
And believe it or not, if you go back to prior years for the Gorge, it typically ice-offs sooner than the Berry. And that’s how I’m planning my spring trip schedule so far.
So keep puttin “X” marks on the days of the calendar, and think warm thoughts.
Here’s a pic of yours truely on Jordanelle on 3-22 last year. The only ice was in the Rock Cliff arm. For the last two years I’ve had my boat on Jordanelle in the thrid week of March. Willlard is usually ice free by the last few days of Feb., or first week of March.
However, as some have mentioned, this was a much colder and wet winter than in recent years, so I’m thinking it might push ice off back by a week or so. But than as another poster commented, all it takes is wind. Whatever the case, ice off won’t happen soon enough for me [;)] Fred K.
I have been praying to the ice gods for an additional 8 months of winter and ice. I have even gone so far as to tie a garbage bag to the foot of every marmot I have found so they will see a shadow and go back home. Ice off this year has been canceled and I will continue drillin holes into July!
…wait… just a sec…..
My wife has just informed me I have to go remove the garbage bags and retract my prayers…. I guess ice off will happen afterall.
[:)]
About 5 or 6 years ago when I was living in this area before, I recall fishing a tournament on Utah Lake on March 3rd…that was 3 days after ice off. Only problem is, I don’t recall that winter being that severe and I don’t remember how thick the ice ever got that winter…
This is what it looked like at Lincoln Beach on March 9 last year.
The ice will be gone from Utah lake and any other lakes west of I 15 by the end of February…
Deer creek and Jordanelle will be ice free with in a week of that if we get a good south wind of over 40 MPH…
Pineview about two weeks after Jordanelle…
“The ice will be gone from Utah lake and any other lakes west of I 15 by the end of February…”
I’ll take that bet. It was milder last winter and I could not get my tube on Utah Lake until almost mid March. The ice is much thicker now than last year.
BR -
You’ve been smokin bass again.
You’re callin for a March 7th ice off at Jordanelle if there’s one good blow?
We’re talkin launching at Hailstone and cruising open water all the way to the dam?
Check your temperature; me thinks you gots spring fever…
I understand from a very reliable source that Lake Powell is already completely free of ice…[angelic]
Randy
We’ll see…[;)]
And yes I do have spring fever…BAD…
I don’t think Minersville will be ice-free by the end of Feb. The ice is still 15 inches thick. But I hope you’re right. I’ve had a gut full of the hard stuff!