Im not much of a perch fisherman as I usually don’t target them on purpose, but I got a guy at my work that is from Wyoming and grew up fishing for the pesky little things! He wants me to take him to Yuba and show him around. Is the ice still good after all that rain? Which area has been more productive, by the dam or Painted Rocks? Any tips would be appreciated as I am out of my realm here! I will probably spend most of my time dunking a chovy in search of a northern 
I would like some info on this too. I plan on going down there on Friday.
I’m curious on this too. It’s getting colder at night again now this week, so I would think that the edges are now safe again down there, but don’t know for sure or how the fishing is this week.
TubeDude, Bassrods, fuzzyfisher, (or anybody else in the know) care to chime in??
Ditto! I would love to go down Sunday morning before the super bowl. any current ice conditions would br great .
I’ve fished Yuba for about ten or so years and I have never seen the ice get bad and then get good again. I’m sure there are still some spots where the ice is thick enough to fish, but when it melts the way it did last week, you get too many soft spots that are hiding under a couple inches of good ice. You could be cruising along on good thick ice and suddenly hit a spot that got insulated by snow and go from six inch solid ice to one inch with three inches of slush and then another two inches of ice under that. Maybe it will be fine, but I would drill lots of holes and no way would I take a wheeler out on it after just a couple days of cold weather.
I will be on foot so no natural 4 wheeler reefs will be donated by me, but you have got me a little nervous even on foot! If I decide to do it anyway, do you know what areas, and or depths have been the most productive lately?
I think Bassrods was going down today and if so he will post a report.
I tend to agree with Walleyebob. Typically, once Yuba “goes south”, it seldom tightens up good enough to be really safe all over. There will be some good spots and some bad spots…and the wrong way to find the bad spots is by going into the water.
The edges are likely to be the biggest concern. The rain and warm weather really ate away the good ice around the perimeter of the lake, in most areas. Combine that with the lake filling now and it is tough for the ice to get good and firm at the edges…even with temps in the low teens. It takes several days of brutally cold nights and days under 20 degrees to get Yuba “machineable” again.
I am guessing that someone who just wants to walk out on the ice could make it on the good ice with a plank. Go to Home Depot and get one of their Douglas Fir planks. An 8’ plank in 2X12 will span most sloppy zones safely and will hold a 300 pounder…if the ice on the other end is truly safe. The planks run only about a dollar a foot. That is cheap insurance that your trip will be doable.
A word of advice. If you take a plank, take it out on the ice with you…with a rope to drag it…or tie it on your sled. Don’t leave it or some doofus will take it before you get back and need to use it to get off the ice.
About the perch. There will be perch in the deeper waters near the dam until they get ready to spawn…in a couple of months. But, many of the biggest and fattest egg-laden mamas are already working their way uplake, toward the areas that will provide flooded brush when the lake finishes filling. That means that the shallower waters around Painted Rocks might be a better bet than deeper water from the narrows to the dam. There have been several reports of folks limiting out quickly in water less than 15 feet deep. Pike in them there waters too.
If you set up in shallow water, be especially conscious of noise. Drill your holes and set up shop, and then sit down and stay quiet. The fish will move in and out, but will stay longer and bite better if you are not walking around or continuously drilling holes.
Thanks Tubedude, that is the exact info I was looking for! Now I just need to lose that post holiday weight before saturday so that I don’t become a Yuba natural reef! [crazy] Or better yet, a monster pike’s dinner! [unimpressed]
Wow… that is one of the most depressing things I have heard all year… no more Yuba ice? Hmmm… how many water wings does it take to float a 450lb wheeler with a 300lb rider?
Wait til you see the safety device i build out of PVC…[;)]
I don’t think I would try it!
You are a wimp.
Still too much ice for the float tube…unless you have a BIG auger.
even on sat we would find spots you could just drop a jig down through the ice as we were walking it was scary i wont be heading back there unless we get atleast two weeks of this cold spell. im only 120bls and dont get scared of thin ice often.. you could drill a hole find 6" drill anouther 2ft away and only find 2" so be carefull if you go.
Okay if the ice is scaring the 120 lb guy then I guess I better reconsider! I will have to dissapoint the guy from work, but I don’t feel like driving an hour and a half to find unsafe ice! Thanks for all the info.
I admit it. I am a wimp when it comes to questionable ice. Anyway, I would rather fish in a tube. However, since float tubes are not too useful, I am still searching the posts for a good place to try my luck at ice fishing.
A few of us are hitting Rock Cliff on Jordanelle tomorrow…ice fishing…not float tubes. PM me if you want details.
I am Jealous, Pat, but look forward to your report from Rock Cliffs. I hope you guys find the perch and put a hurtin’ on 'em.
Not counting on a major harvest of perch. They have been almost as scarce as the walleyes in Jordanelle this year.
More than anything else I am going to put my Showdown sonar through the paces. Will be fishing next to several other different sonars and will be trying different noise and sensitivity settings, different depths and different zoom settings.
Of course if a few feisty slimers wanna play I will accomodate them. Always better to have a bent rod and stretched string.