I hate this time of year.

[Aceguide]

Hi Ya'll,
Do you remember how warm it was last Feburary and March up here in the northland?  Pike bay was starting to open up and there was water running over the dam in the Pike river.
Nothing like that appears to be in the cards for us this year. It was 35 below zero here this morning and the lake looks like it early winter out there. Man I hate this time of the year because it goes by sooo slooowly! Even with plenty to do It's hard to think of anything but spring and the new fishing season.

My house is full of rods and reels and about 15 or so tackle boxes full of all kinds of gear. I need to sharpen a lot of hooks and do inventory on about 2500 lures of one kind or another. My wife takes it pretty well even though it makes her home look like a tackle store. She knows that it is what I am and that isn't likely to change. Truth is we aren't that far away from all those good things like open water and open season, it just seems that way. Heck it's almost daylight savings time again.....

So, to all you ice loving anglers out there, I hope your season comes to a abrupt end here soon.
Then we can all get back to fishing the way the good lord intended us to, in a boat on open water.


"Ace"


 

[Mayfly]

I like the way you think!

Lets not let Spring catch us off guard here though... My guess is in about 13 days we are in for a drastic change! 

[Aceguide]

Well, things are still melting kinda slowly up here, but it is getting warmer. The DNR hatchery on the Pike river will start their egg take sometime next week if this weather continues. There is open water on the Pike river just above the lake so there is some hope. I'll keep you all posted!

"Ace"

[Aceguide]

Hey everybody,
The Pike river Walleye hatchery is taking fish. The DNR started with the egg take on Monday and the numbers have been pretty good so far. This is the earliest they have ever been able to start the trapping on the river. Most of the lake is free of ice with the exception of some large ice flows in a few areas. I expect them to be gone after the warm weather moves in this weekend.

This could be the earliest iceout in recorded history for Lake Vermilion. The previous record is the 6th of April which was set just two years ago. It will be interesting to see how it effects the first couple weeks of the Walleye season. Whatever happens I am very excited about the coming season and I can't wait to get the boats back in the water. :fishing2:

"Ace"