My favorite time of the year.  Fresh chrome from the big water and spawn goo on your wool gloves.  It's peaceful.  Everybody else is stooped over a hole on the ice.  Out here it's just me and the beauty of mother nature. 

 

When the water gets below 33°. 

Yesterday morning was too cold, 25 degrees but no wind, for the boat lift cables to safely lower the boat, so I made do with some pier casting.  Ended up with a few little guys.

 

scott

 

 

When I was younger I’d go out as long as there was no ice, granted I didn’t catch any fish, but it’s always nice to get out.

 

30 years later, FUGETABOUTIT.

 

20 hours ago, redmeansdistortion said:

My favorite time of the year.  Fresh chrome from the big water and spawn goo on your wool gloves.  It's peaceful.  Everybody else is stooped over a hole on the ice.  Out here it's just me and the beauty of mother nature. 

 

Absolutely wonderful photo!!!

Ice fishing is a go for me!  I’ve been out in -5 no shanty. 

27 minutes ago, Susky River Rat said:

Ice fishing is a go for me!  I’ve been out in -5 no shanty. 

That used to be me, haven't fished on the ice in a couple of decades though.  Lake St Clair just doesn't get ice like it used to.  Guys break through often, back then it was a rarity.  We would have walkable ice by Christmas and drivable ice by February.  Ice would stick around until early April.  Ice season here now lasts about 4-6 weeks, usually early January until mid February.  Back in the day you had a good 10-12+ weeks of viable ice.  We still get the occasional season where the ice is good, but it's very sporadic and not the norm that it used to be.  In those days me and my friend would get our limit, fillet 100 perch and have a good old Midwestern fish fry the next day.

7 minutes ago, redmeansdistortion said:

That used to be me, haven't fished on the ice in a couple of decades though.  Lake St Clair just doesn't get ice like it used to.  Guys break through often, back then it was a rarity.  We would have walkable ice by Christmas and drivable ice by February.  Ice would stick around until early April.  Ice season here now lasts about 4-6 weeks, usually early January until mid February.  Back in the day you had a good 10-12+ weeks of viable ice.  We still get the occasional season where the ice is good, but it's very sporadic and not the norm that it used to be.  In those days me and my friend would get our limit, fillet 100 perch and have a good old Midwestern fish fry the next day.

 

Sweet memories.

Living in south Louisiana it's never too cold to go fishing. It's rare that we have a day that the daytime temperature doesn't reach at least 50 degrees. When the morning temps are in the 30's I usually wait for it to warm up a bit before launching the boat.

 

I will say that after a strong front passes and the Barometric Pressure is 30.3 or above, I may not be enthusiastic about going out. It's been my experience that fishing becomes extremely tough in those conditions. 

 

Fortunately, being retired I get to pick and choose the days I'll go. 

 

4 hours ago, Susky River Rat said:

Ice fishing is a go for me!  I’ve been out in -5 no shanty. 

 

When I retire I might try ice fishing.

 

I've only gone like three times and walked away empty handed all times.

 

That or I'll get back into hunting.

When I was a kid I would start wet-wading (sneakers and jeans, no boots or waders) while there was still ice along the edges of he creeks, and in the fall until there was skim ice out to the deep water. If I tried that now I would die. Now days it has to at least reach 40F, and I bundle up and stay dry and if necessary I take breaks and hop into the truck to warm up. I am much more aware of my mortality these days.

On 11/10/2025 at 9:25 AM, DaubsNU1 said:

If the high temps for the day are in the upper 40's, and the wind is not howling, I will try to fish. 

 

Yesterday the high temp was 32, winds out of the north 10-18 mph, with gusts to 25. Hard no for me. 

 

What is your cut-off point, weather wise, where you will not fish? 

 

 

Almost exactly the same as yours. Mid 40s, little to no wind, prefer it be sunny at that temp. 

In my younger days I fished in temps as low as mid 20s many times but now I'm into my 7th decade and mid 40s is about it and only if it isn't windy.

In my younger days I fished in temps as low as mid 20s many times but now I'm into my 7th decade and mid 40s is about it and only if it isn't windy.

In my younger days I fished in temps as low as mid 20s many times but now I'm into my 7th decade and mid 40s is about it and only if it isn't windy.

When it’s too cold in the morning go in the afternoon.

Tom

One of my best days ever guiding for steelhead in terms of fish per hour, surface temps of the river were 31.8 degrees and the high forecasted air temps were in the single digits... I think it was so cold, it effected the fish in a manner that actually made them more aggressive, think we boated like 17 fish in 4 hours... Every hole we hit, bobbers just dropped over and over...

 

Even the Coast Guard looked at me like I was crazy as I rolled past as they were doing some training on the same water...

 

Must be why my hands don't work as well anymore, too many years of that crap LOL 

 

I don't even ice fish in single digit temps anymore LOL 20 degrees is probably my cut off I would say at this point, I long for Winters spent in the South....

Like many others here in my younger days cold didn't bother me too much.

Never ice fished or really had any desire too.

We would fish through the winter at a reservoir though that usually didn't freeze. 

It was a boring type of fishing, bait and wait fishing with herring. 

We almost always had success doing it with various types of trout. 

Here's a laker I caught, we always fished from shore.

 

I quit ice fishing when I quit drinking 

The prerequisite around here was drinking a lot of Hiram Walker blackberry brandy.

That's ok if you like having railroad spike driven through your skull hangover