Spray and PCR Mar 19 report

[aulrich]

After waiting for a new moon a boy and I went out to spray to try for moe lakers, and that urban myth whitefish. We did not make it for day break but we were fishing by 8:30 or so. we aslo tried by the south camping area. We just walked in the middle of the lake and just punched holes. Turned out we were in 75' feet of water. Wanting to try something other than buzz bombs I tied on a propeller jig with a white twister for the boy and new for me one of these in white.

http://www.rapala.ca/products/bluefox/lfjm.php

http://www.rapala.ca/products/bluefox/images/lfjm_pic1.jpg

Well it took maybe 5 min to get the first one up on that hook. The jigging motion was pretty relaxed as well some hits were on 12-18" of jig some on basically a sort of light twitch.

Well after two hookups we switched the boys out for the other one in my box but this one was in blue. But the fish were real selective I hooked up another 2 with him right beside me. both of us basically bouncing them off the bottom.

The bite was done by 10 or so. There was another guy close by running buzz bomb and bait on a tip up. I don't think he hooked on the buzz bomb but he did hook up on the tip up for a couple.

I will be adding a number of those li foxee jigs I really liked them.

5 hookups 3 landed.

Then we tried again for whitefish after 10-15 holes we called it, not a sighting or a bite.


Then the plan was to pick up the reast of the family and try the evening bite at PCR (if the ice was OK). Oddly we were a little late getting back from Spray and a slightly PO'd wife did not feel like going out. So me and boy had some lunch (ok it was 4 pm and I said I would be back about lunchtime) and headed out.

The ice at PCR was iffy but still about 2' . We probably fished for 2 hours before it got too dark for us dummys who go out at night without a light to fish. Not wanting to go too far on the ice we just punched holes in the south west bay right by the parking lot. We had holes running for 22- 35 feet or so. In that time we managed 3 wallys and a burbot. Again on those lil foxee jigs tipped with a smelt head.

The burbot was on the standard ground thumping jig, but the walleys all wanted big jig motion but dead slow. The wallys were not too huge but looked really healthy. I will be heading there when sof****er is open, I think we need to keep this one quite and just between us. It might be the perfect little fun fishing hole!

[FishBrain]

Hey aulrich!
are you sure you were there on the 19th? That is not for a couple more days yet?

I was there Sat with my daughter. I caught 2 lakers, she lost 5, but managed to catch a line on the bottom and pulled up a nice lure for me.

[aulrich]

DOH! 13th

So was that you, I fished beside?

[FishBrain]

I think so, I had a little girl with me, she was in pink snowpants.
I had on a 3/4 length brown jacket and camo pants. Black hat, beard.
I had a black subzero, hut.
you were with your son and both in camo? Moved closer looking for whites after you caught a couple lakers?

:)

[aulrich]

Yes that was us, and yes after the laker bite seemed to die off we tried for whites. Don't know what were are doing wrong, but my guess is location.

Might have to take a limit of whites from the Bow to get my smoked fish fix, don't want to wait for the goldeyes to run.

Next hard water season i'll try for lake whites it seems that those are more predictable.

[FishBrain]

I was thinking of trying for whites either this weekend or next. Up at spray of course.
2009 and 2010 regs show it does not close at all in that area.

Trying to work things out with the wife as she seems to think I have a new love (fishing) she says I am cheating on here with the ice. lol
I say I am helping feed the family, and I can share my love
LMAO

[aulrich]

If your out with a kid it's family time not a hobby, that's my story and I am sticking to it. :D

I'll be hitting spray once or twice more, though one trip might be a whole family outing. But the others are not so pumped about this day break thing so one of those days my be to Upper K.

I been thinking about trying early ice out at ghost (if regs allow), maybe get a hook into a bigger laker.

[nicemustang]

Ghost is open year round. Spray ice "USUALLY" lasts until late april...but who knows this year.

Fishing should be good for the next little while, except avoid the full moon time.

[aulrich]

It's not the ice but the Bow and gophers are calling my name. But the fun I have had getting back into ice fishing, it has part of me is looking forward to the water getting hard again.

But before then is gophers, soft water fishing, bird hunting , deer and coyotes.

[nicemustang]

Yeah for sure. I usually have a gopher problem in spring as they move in from other acreages. Only problem is that i'm not "supposed" to shoot them. But I do :)

And yes...looking forward to open water...but this is the best time of year to catch a big one at spray.

[FishBrain]

I agree, would love to get out once or twice more to try and get the BIG one. lol
AND some whites

[McLeod]

Ghost is open year round. Spray ice "USUALLY" lasts until late april...but who knows this year.

Fishing should be good for the next little while, except avoid the full moon time.

Last year it was on at the end of May..

[nicemustang]

Last year ice was late everywhere though. This year I bet it will be early.

[Oilberta]

I was at Spray yesterday and we had a little bit of luck. I took a friend of mine who can't leave early because he is sick. So we didn't even get on the lake until noon. We still landed a couple and missed some more.
I thought it was a great day! I guess it was nice to spend time with a friend.
It was just nice to get a few late in the day.

What I found wierd was at the north end of the lake near the dam a couple of guys were fishing on the ice near the the open water. One guy was even about 10 feet from the water.
What are they doing there?
you can tell me if it is great fishing there, I will never have the guts to fish that close to the open water!

[Oilberta]

After waiting for a new moon a boy and I went out to spray to try for moe lakers, and that urban myth whitefish. We did not make it for day break but we were fishing by 8:30 or so. we aslo tried by the south camping area. We just walked in the middle of the lake and just punched holes. Turned out we were in 75' feet of water. Wanting to try something other than buzz bombs I tied on a propeller jig with a white twister for the boy and new for me one of these in white.

http://www.rapala.ca/products/bluefox/lfjm.php

http://www.rapala.ca/products/bluefox/images/lfjm_pic1.jpg

Well it took maybe 5 min to get the first one up on that hook. The jigging motion was pretty relaxed as well some hits were on 12-18" of jig some on basically a sort of light twitch.

Well after two hookups we switched the boys out for the other one in my box but this one was in blue. But the fish were real selective I hooked up another 2 with him right beside me. both of us basically bouncing them off the bottom.

The bite was done by 10 or so. There was another guy close by running buzz bomb and bait on a tip up. I don't think he hooked on the buzz bomb but he did hook up on the tip up for a couple.

I will be adding a number of those li foxee jigs I really liked them.

5 hookups 3 landed.

Then we tried again for whitefish after 10-15 holes we called it, not a sighting or a bite.


Then the plan was to pick up the reast of the family and try the evening bite at PCR (if the ice was OK). Oddly we were a little late getting back from Spray and a slightly PO'd wife did not feel like going out. So me and boy had some lunch (ok it was 4 pm and I said I would be back about lunchtime) and headed out.

The ice at PCR was iffy but still about 2' . We probably fished for 2 hours before it got too dark for us dummys who go out at night without a light to fish. Not wanting to go too far on the ice we just punched holes in the south west bay right by the parking lot. We had holes running for 22- 35 feet or so. In that time we managed 3 wallys and a burbot. Again on those lil foxee jigs tipped with a smelt head.

The burbot was on the standard ground thumping jig, but the walleys all wanted big jig motion but dead slow. The wallys were not too huge but looked really healthy. I will be heading there when sof****er is open, I think we need to keep this one quite and just between us. It might be the perfect little fun fishing hole!


I have never tried these did you put a smelt on it, or would that affect the bottom pounding action of the lure?

[nicemustang]

Yes, tip with 1/2 smelt.

[aulrich]

x2 for the half smelt. the action seems pretty stable, maybe a little spin.

The lure did seem it would benifit from a swivle of some sort, next time out i'll see if I can get away with a small snap swivel.

[nicemustang]

I use them with snap swivells all the time, especially for walleye. Works wonders.

[iliketrout]

I put a stinger on with the red rubber ring that goes through the main hook. Helps keep the bait on if you want to jig aggressively and also gets the ones who only want to nibble.