Ice season? wait, i blinked...

[Chrisper4694]

Hands down the worst winter for ice we've had since i started doing it about 10 years ago! I really think it's over, but maybe a miracle deep freeze will give us another few trips, but i highly doubt it!

that being said we busted our asses last weekend checking ice and finding some good fishing (my shoulder was killing me from spudding...you couldn't take 5 steps without spudding or you'd risk going through)

After we thoroughly safety checked an area that we liked, we set up shop and it didn't disappoint! I hate that we had so little options of ice and had to put so much work into checking it, but it is what it is...def worth it imo so you can save your 'no safe ice' replies and 'no fish is worth your life' replies for someone else, we know what we're doing :D

Squatch (or should i say, his wife) hogged all the big bass (and then let pose with them) but i did manage to bag another big pickerel and had some awesome light inline panfish jigging action! plenty of perch for tacos, big crappie, and a GIANT pumpkin seed that i unfortunately lost at the hole in a transducer tangle battle haha.

all in all i think we made the best of what we had...RIP nj ice :

(https://s3.amazonaws.com/photos.fishidy.com/5e3b732f6e8bb80818f834fd_800

https://s3.amazonaws.com/photos.fishidy.com/5e3b73c76e8bb809cc82977d_800

https://s3.amazonaws.com/photos.fishidy.com/5e3b76e06e8bb80818146b2d_800

[jmurr711]

when was winter? ice out time lol

[NJSquatch]

http://www.quickmeme.com/img/f9/f98ea70f84ed9cbb4213daa66f9e0b8beda0cbce0b39aee88c 9811f3ebd21148.jpg

[FASTEDDIE29]

Yea man! Where did old man winter disappear too? This is the worse season since 2013. The year of NO ice! You did what you could to get a successful bite. Well done! Put that ice gear away. I’m sad to say it! :D

[thmyorke1]

I wont be surprised if we get two bitter cold weeks in March. Way to get in some ice fishing tho

[JDTuna]

At least you put some fish on the ice!

[Chrisper4694]

http://www.quickmeme.com/img/f9/f98ea70f84ed9cbb4213daa66f9e0b8beda0cbce0b39aee88c 9811f3ebd21148.jpg

😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[RWole]

Another idea is to say the hell with the ice, hope the warm temps continue and get the boat out earlier than expected.

[Hookmanski]

Nice work man! Crazy weather we've had this year, i was troutin the other day and actually had to roll my sleeves up cause i was getting too hot! :D Ice season was short but you guys made the best of it and thats what counts!

[Mikey topaz]

Another 2 week season, way to make the best of it Chris,
I feel so empty without a monster budd lake pinner pike 😢

[icebadger]

that crappie is nice, cool mixed bag. The ice season looks like it is done. the days are getting longer and the warm weather just will not stop showing up when we do get some ice. We were lucky to get the days we did and not end up taking a polar plunge. The water is going to warm up fast this spring so the jig-n-bobber season might get here a bit faster. We would need 4-5 days and nights of cold weather to get anything safe to walk on. I guess a short season is better than no season.

[Chrisper4694]

Another idea is to say the hell with the ice, hope the warm temps continue and get the boat out earlier than expected.

i mean i'd agree with you but, at least imo, winter fishing is much better through the ice than open water...i figure it's just because it's easier to do slow presentations and presentations that don't move from an area fishing through a hole in the ice. It pairs well with the fish not eating as often and aggressively.

either way, i'll be fishing one way or another somewhere!!

[Chrisper4694]

Another 2 week season, way to make the best of it Chris,
I feel so empty without a monster budd lake pinner pike 😢

yeah man i know haha... i did think that pickerel was a small tiger muskie for a few seconds though the way it fought and when i caught a flash of it by the hole... bit of added excitement