Rainbows through the Ice

With the new year I decided I needed to get back out there and fish as our trout streams open up for legal fishing January 1st. Wouldn't you know it, new years eve saw a huge temperature plummet (highs in single digits and 40-50mph wind gusts) so I figured flyfishing the local streams wasn't on the cards. The alternative was ice-fishing, but I at least needed to symbolically go trout fishing so I decided to ice-fish Foster Arend Pond. This pond is stocked heavily, mainly with rainbows but a few browns and brookies go in if the hatchery has an excess. The other advantage is that is within Rochester so I can get some work done in the lab and then spend a couple hours on the lake on my way home.

The DNR guys were out checking licences on New Years day and I got speaking with an officer for a while. He informed me they've put some brood stock in ranging from 4 - 7 pounds, so that's some incentive right there. So far though, I've just hooked into the standard stocking sized fish.

So far they've all been about this size

I've put in a couple hours each of the last three days and landed fish each day with four each day. It is fun as the fish (at least the ones I've been getting) have been hitting right beneath the ice and you can see them blaze in and excitedly smash the bait. It's very different to the fickle sips of the sunnies and bluegills. The last two nights I've gotten to see the sun go down and it's actually quite peaceful out there, despite being pretty close to town. It's a long way from flyfishing, but it has its own charms.

My little Shelter

Only a few shanties out today - you should have seen it new years day


Certainly is a long way from the fishing I new growing up and at the point my fingers go numb, I also think back to the contrast between the temperatures here and those in Burketown just a couple of months ago. I must say, normally the charm of this kind of fishing usually wears off pretty quickly but with the chance of a 4-7 pounder I might give this a fair chance until spring rolls around. Tomorrow my buddy Ted and I are heading out to fish the streams with the current "warm up" (it may get above freezing!!!) but I've got to get some work done first.