I predict Lake Erie will be ice free & the smallies will be biting on April 19th. Mark my words. 😀

Man, we had some of the hardest and most drenching rain overnight that I've seen in a long time.

#biblical

Lasted several hours.

As a hard water hater, this is music to my ears.

The remaining ground snow certainly took a hit.

The forecast is calling for a bunch more rain over the next several days/nights.

13 days and a wake-up.

I might not get to clean this winter off the inside & outside of my truck before my first fishing trip of 2026.

But I'll get over it.

A-Jay

#operationpayload #incoming

2 minutes ago, gim said:

#operationpayload #incoming

Instead of a tandem,

I am thinking of making my boat trailer into a dually.

Just to be safe.

A-Jay

@A-Jay -- happy to hear you got rain this time - Winter came screaming back in here, giving the Johnny Cash double middle finger salute to Spring - 4 inches of wet heavy snow yesterday (Thursday) and a predicted 6 to 8 inches more before the weekend is over - night-time temps as low as 15 degrees and it looks like those night-time below 32 temps persist for the next 10 days - I had predicted an April 18th ice out, not looking like that is going to happen unless sun/wind/rain/temps elevate considerably

@WaskaCrank12

Figures right ?

A couple of positive thoughts I fall back on during times like these.

Late open water means fishing in warmer air temps usually. And as the water warms quickly there are often concentrations of Plus Size fish all moving in at once.

I'm still looking for that elusive dirty thirty pound bag and that's decent time to bump into one.

Stay safe.

A-Jay

We have definitely received some significant rain and there is more to come tonight (predicted). The rivers are swollen for sure and I know you could use it to get the snow base off @A-Jay .

My Menderchuck opened a couple of days ago; which is sooo surprising due to the long, long cold winter we had. I woulda bet no soft water until the 14th or so.

I plan on going out next Sunday. Should whack em pretty good!

13 minutes ago, Smokinal said:

My Menderchuck opened a couple of days ago; which is sooo surprising due to the long, long cold winter we had. I woulda bet no soft water until the 14th or so.

I plan on going out next Sunday. Should whack em pretty good!

That's awesome.

I am really chomping at the bit myself.

Don't forget to check your drag . . . . .

Good luck and stay safe.

A-Jay

On 12/13/2025 at 11:24 AM, gim said:

Winter has come early and harsh thus far here.  Whether that is a sign of things to come for the next 4 months, I don't know.

 

Ice out has occurred earlier than average the past couple years here.  My guess will be Wed, April 8.

 

For my entire life, I have been unable to legally target a bass until the second Saturday in May.  I have always been relegated to targeting panfish until that date.  That changes in 2026.  I don't necessarily plan to be bass fishing the day after ice out, but my hope is to certainly be out there before the second Saturday in May, weather permitting.

Quoting myself from page 1 of this thread last December.

Ice out was yesterday (Lake Minnetonka), April 3. So I missed it by 5 days.

1 hour ago, gim said:

So I missed it by 5 days.

3 hours ago, A-Jay said:

That's awesome.

I am really chomping at the bit myself.

Don't forget to check your drag . . . . .

Good luck and stay safe.

A-Jay

Thanks for the reminder! I loosen them all before storing.

Looking forward to seeing some of your brown tanks!

Well, it snowed off & on all day yesterday, and overnight air temps were in the single digits.

So, in what can probably be best described as an act of desperation, I loaded the gear into the Pro-V Bass yesterday. Except for the rods, which I get to today after I train.

The rest of the week is not too bad weather-wise.

And I might take a RECON trip over to Lake Mendercuck in a day or two.

But it is Tanker Tuesday, and this time I'm doing something a little different.

Below is a screenshot of the video made when I caught my PB Brown Bass.

This image captures the moment I realized what I had just netted.

#holysmoke

https://youtu.be/frJAlndpO7E?si=OCPFfqYHNQYNea59

9 Days & a Wake up.

It's gonna be close.

A-Jay

The GMC & I visited local Lake Menderchuck this morning.

Once we got on the road, the snow flurries didn't exactly heighten my mood.

Todays picture sort of reveals that we do live 100 or so miles north of Toronto, Canada.

Pretty sure there's an access point over there somewhere.

🤓

A-Jay

Probably not the best week to clean up the truck.

But I can already hear Lake Mendechuck melting away from here !

A-Jay

The brawl between Winter and Spring continues - Winter has smashed Spring in the face multiple times - including snow and 16 degree temps last night - smaller lakes were skimmed over with ice this morning, yet the bigger lakes look to no longer have visible ice on them (yet my guess is they have ice chunks lurking below the surface) - temps will be mid 50's Saturday and mid 70's Sunday, both days with big wind - my guess is the lakes will be considered to have achieved "ice out" condition either Saturday or Sunday (I had predicted April 18th so this would be a week earlier than that) - if that occurs, no complaints here - this weekend I will install a new starter and starter solenoid and exhaust manifold gasket - then should be ready to go - possibly Sunday but most likely next weekend (18th)

Hoping for rain/wind/sun for @A-Jay

Yesterday was really nice, at least for here.

Air temps almost 60.

I put up the snowblower for the season.

Always a risky move.

Also started all the lawn equipment.

Good to go there.

Did I mention there's still quite a bit of snow on the ground?

Either way, I pulled the driveway markers and topped off the boat trailer tire PSI.

Then, at the end of the day, a local Ice fisherman posted a picture on FB of one the Lake Menderchuck's ice thickness.

Might be a while yet.

A-Jay

Holy smokes 2’ of ice still?

1 hour ago, 12poundbass said:

Holy smokes 2’ of ice still?

Yup

A-Jay

On 4/8/2026 at 11:22 AM, A-Jay said:

The GMC & I visited local Lake Menderchuck this morning.

Once we got on the road, the snow flurries didn't exactly heighten my mood.

Todays picture sort of reveals that we do live 100 or so miles north of Toronto, Canada.

Pretty sure there's an access point over there somewhere.

🤓

A-Jay

I zoomed in on the sign in the picture, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't tell what was written on it. I thought it said Lake Menderchuck, but that might only be wishful thinking. You are getting brave posting this picture, or are you trying to throw the internet dogs off of the sent?

9 minutes ago, king fisher said:

I zoomed in on the sign in the picture, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't tell what was written on it. I thought it said Lake Menderchuck, but that might only be wishful thinking. You are getting brave posting this picture, or are you trying to throw the internet dogs off of the sent?

Nope.

I'm done with that.

I said this before and I'll say it again.

Watching a Bruce Lee movie doesn't suddenly turn anyone into a Kung Fu master.

A-Jay

4 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Nope.

I'm done with that.

I said this before and I'll say it again.

Watching a Bruce Lee movie doesn't suddenly turn anyone into a Kung Fu master.

A-Jay

You have a valid point, but remember Bruce Lee wasn't around when AI was developed. An AI search of this picture may give exact location, along with recommending an angler follow the guy in a Lund Pro V early in the spring from this launch, fish a Vision 110 in a perch pattern and also have a Jack Hammer tied on. Now that I think about it, forget about AI, that is what I would do.

29 minutes ago, king fisher said:

You have a valid point, but remember Bruce Lee wasn't around when AI was developed. An AI search of this picture may give exact location, along with recommending an angler follow the guy in a Lund Pro V early in the spring from this launch, fish a Vision 110 in a perch pattern and also have a Jack Hammer tied on. Now that I think about it, forget about AI, that is what I would do.

In a couple of weeks, before I go out and hammer a 25 or 30 lb bag of plus sized brown bass.

I'll take a picture of the dark parking lot at the Lake Menderchuck boat ramp when I pull in at 0345 am.

It will be 25 degrees out, snowing, and the water temp will be 41.

There will be no docks in yet, so I will be launching solo with waders on and a headlamp.

Besides the turkey, deer, raccoon, rabbits, and skunks,

you can let me know if you see anyone else in the picture.

I love AI but don't count on it to provide the end user with intestinal fortitude.

A-Jay

34 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

In a couple of weeks, before I go out and hammer a 25 or 30 lb bag of plus sized brown bass.

I'll take a picture of the dark parking lot at the Lake Menderchuck boat ramp when I pull in at 0345 am.

It will be 25 degrees out, snowing, and the water temp will be 41.

There will be no docks in yet, so I will be launching solo with waders on and a headlamp.

Besides the turkey, deer, raccoon, rabbits, and skunks,

you can let me know if you see anyone else in the picture.

I love AI but don't count on it to provide the end user with intestinal fortitude.

A-Jay

I hope you catch your 30 pound bag, and may the location of Menderchuck forever remain a mystery.

First off, my thoughts are with many living in the more northern part of Michigan,

which is getting wild river overflows from big snowmelt plus epic rains several nights in a row.

Hundreds of folks are being evacuated due to dams being blown out and run over.

Hope everyone is ok the best they can be.

Just returned from my morning RECON trip over to local Lake Menderchuck.

It's certainly heading in the right direction.

Hard to tell, but a very loose guess might put it at something like 35% open water.

All on the west side.

My preseason prognostication gives me 2 days and a wake-up.

Don't think we're going to make that this time around.

But it shouldn't be long after that.

I've still got a few more things to button up tackle-wise, which should keep me busy.

Either way, whether there's a dock at the ramp or if I'm going wader launch,

the giddiness will be palpable.

A-Jay