I fish anytime the water is soft...

Where the heck you been Eric ?

Been building the SOBE wine and food festival since early November. Then a couple of small jobs right afterwards. Just finished up. Start taking some time off day after tomorrow. Had roughly 6 days off since we started.

How soon do you go fishing once the ice starts melting?

 

One hour....wait... that was swimming after eating.....I meant 10 minutes

I was pulling a jig off an ice shelf into open water 2 days ago.  That soon enough for you?

I fish Castle Rock in Wisconsin as soon as the ice pulls back from shore. That lake is considered part of the river system, so there isn't a closed season. The bass aren't very cooperative, but the walleye and occasional Muskie keep my interest until they get active.

Are you sure? I haven't seen that in the regulations. Do you know what section that exclusion is in? Not saying you are wrong. Just that I didn't know that and would like to take advantage of that exclusion.

Assuming the weather remains about where it's at now, the first of April.  We had about 10 inches of ice on the lakes and that doesn't go away overnight.  Plus, truth be told, I seldom catch anything when the water temps are really low and I don't bother if I don't think I'll catch anything.

As of right now, those of us in Michigan have to wait until the Bass season opens. Which is currently at the end of April. The DNR commision will hopefully be changing that to a year round catch and release with harvesting beginning at the end of May

Wisconsin needs this too.

This year Minnesota moved the bass opener up to coincide with the Walleye Opener (May 9th) so not until then. 

 

Note: The first two weeks of bass season is catch and release only and it's different for the Northeast part of the state I believe.

 I hoping to get out on my kayak as soon as the ice melts.  I'm only going into my second year of kayak fishing.  Last spring I waited till it got really warm before I took my kayak out.  I don't want to make that mistake again, I want to get in early spring as soon as I can.  Being in a kayak though, I have to worry about falling in and hypothermia.  So I will only kayak fish in a few small strip pits where I'm not too far from shore.  

I start out fishing ponds first since they open up quicker then wait a few weeks to start taking the boat out.

Bass season opens later in the spring, but I generally fish for steelhead as soon as the rivers open up and clear a bit. When they thaw, the runoff makes them super muddy and almost un-fishable, so I wait a week or two before I fish for them.

Like Others Have Said , As Soon As It Is Safe To Launch.

 

Mike

Have caught many bass along the edges of ice on both reaction and plastics

As soon as I can. I am hitting small ponds first and if there is flowing water I am fishing. I fished small ponds late last year that were half frozen over or more and just fished the spots I could. I'll do the same thing. Soon as I see as much as a small edge of the pond thawed out I am fishing. We have snow on top of ice on top of snow on top of ice here in this god forsaken frozen waste land of a state NJ. But the worst is behind us and the snow is slowly but surely melting. I am going to check a few spots this weekend and I hope I can fish one of them. Only way I'll know is if I get geared up and go check em out. At the very least I'll be setting up my combo and loading up my tackle which in and of itself has me super pumped!

ASAP ... some of my biggest bass come from the bank early in the season up north.

Ice? What the heck is this ice thing you're talking about?

80 degrees and sunny today. Nice breeze keepin it cool.

 

That's why no one likes you.

This past weekend in Ky. @ my place the Water is open! As such, invasion of the mating frogs has in all earnest, begun! Time to get my shooting range bag out and get the earplugs in. Geez, they are loud. It will ( fishing ) only improve from here, save flooding.

That's why no one likes you.

Shhh....quiet you!

As soon as I can. I am hitting small ponds first and if there is flowing water I am fishing. I fished small ponds late last year that were half frozen over or more and just fished the spots I could. I'll do the same thing. Soon as I see as much as a small edge of the pond thawed out I am fishing. We have snow on top of ice on top of snow on top of ice here in this god forsaken frozen waste land of a state NJ. But the worst is behind us and the snow is slowly but surely melting. I am going to check a few spots this weekend and I hope I can fish one of them. Only way I'll know is if I get geared up and go check em out. At the very least I'll be setting up my combo and loading up my tackle which in and of itself has me super pumped!

What do you get on bit on around those ice edges in small ponds? I fish small ponds here on Long Island and i can never get a bite with ice still on the water..

As soon as the water opens enough to fish from the bank I'm ready. Two years ago in January I caught my biggest local bass of 7.3lbs on a shallow crankbait.

ASAP! When i was about 14 i went to the local farm pond in the middle of winter, ice was about 2.5ft thick. I walked out with a pickaxe and made myself 4 or 5 good holes. Walked back to the dock and practiced flipping into them.

They hungrrry when ice first comes off

UPDATE: ice was off enough yesterday at my local sportmans clubs little lake. So I went and got my lines wet, didn't catch anything, but man it felt great!!

There are a couple of lakes near me that the dnr is worried about winterkill so they put aerators in. This gives a football field size opening early in the season. In mn they can ticket you for fishing for a species out of season. So it crappie and sunnies until may.

What do you get on bit on around those ice edges in small ponds? I fish small ponds here on Long Island and i can never get a bite with ice still on the water..

 

That particular pond is loaded with yellow perch. Late fall/early winter and then late winter/early spring when there is ice, that is what is biting and I just catch those. Wish I could say I have luck with bass under those conditions but I have not. But this year I have some new tricks up my sleeve and maybe this will be the year. Just waiting for some of the ice to finally begin to melt :-l 

As of right now, those of us in Michigan have to wait until the Bass season opens. Which is currently at the end of April. The DNR commision will hopefully be changing that to a year round catch and release with harvesting beginning at the end of May

So you can't purposely fish for bass til then? even if you release them. That is quirky.