# Last Blast of Winter



## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

Tomorrow, Tuesday 2/19 looks like the last cold, sub freezing day for a week or so. I can see in the PLX area the ice is deteriorating and I'm seeing more & more open water.

Think I'm gonna hit Mosquito for most likely the very last time this season Tuesday, 2/19. One last hurrah. At this moment, not sure where I'll be drilling, but I'll be on the ice near daylight.

Comments, Tips, Suggestions are sincerely appreciated from the more experienced Skeeter Walleye Guys.

Hopefully at the end of the day, I'll be checking off from my "Bucket List" an iced Walleye.

Anybody want to join in the search is welcomed.. just pm me.


----------



## DBV (Jan 8, 2011)

Stinks. Sure was another short season. I think Sat might be the last day at East Harbor, depeding on how the shore ice holds up. Growing up seems like we always ice fished from Christmas until the end of March. Too bad, as ice fishing is my favorite!

Watch - we have one of those cool March's like last year that makes you think about ice fishing.


----------



## pawcat (Oct 24, 2011)

I would say that it might be your last chance to go ice mining....good luck!


----------



## Straley (Jul 14, 2012)

Better load up and go to Saginaw fish fri and sat and sun ended the trip with 63 walleye


----------



## Tbomb55 (Nov 27, 2008)

For what it's worth, my brother saw a red winged blackbird in his yard a week ago. He lives in Huron.


----------



## Outasync (Mar 5, 2016)

Ill be heading to the cemetery at skeeter in the morning myself. Never fished it before but its only 15 mins from my front door so i gotta give it a shot! Any tips would be appreciated. Was told the humps just north of the launch and the roadbed straight out from the launch are good starting points.


----------



## DBV (Jan 8, 2011)

Yeah - I have seen those and robins all winter. They probably are from Canada.


----------



## DBV (Jan 8, 2011)

Sounds like we will get another blast of winter after this weekend through early to mid March. Just not sure how cold that means though, as normal temps start getting warmer. Hope the ice can hold and if we get lucky refreeze the shorelines again.


----------



## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

Straley said:


> Better load up and go to Saginaw fish fri and sat and sun ended the trip with 63 walleye


that is a bunch of nice eyes. congrats on getting into them.
sherman


----------



## Dave_E (Apr 6, 2004)

Good luck IBJ.

I’ve never iced an eye either. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

Straley said:


> Better load up and go to Saginaw fish fri and sat and sun ended the trip with 63 walleye


WOW!(And I thought "Motley Crew" was a rock group!!) Fantastic couple days, I'd say! Very good trip!


----------



## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

Check out this Pic... Very nice, 25" Skeeter Eye. My Dream Catch. BUT HERE'S THE REST OF THE STORY....










Yeah, I wish it was me who iced that beautiful eye, but sad to say, it wasn't me... and STILL WAITING ON MY 1st Eye. A youngster fishing next to me at the Skeeter Humps landed this fat girl. Jeremiah Norris was the guy. Shockingly he didn't want it and offered it to me. Happily I accepted it in a heartbeat.

My Bucket List for icing a Walleye Continues.....

Evinrude58 Carl & I fished the humps NW of the Cemetary 7am-6:30pm. I kept 8 really nice keeper Crappie and perch., Carl landed the same number of perch some of which stretched over 11".
NO EYES ON THE END OF OUR LINES.

All my crappie hit on full minnows on a tiger/perch Flutter Spoon in 21fow. I never got a bite on a minnow head.

Looks like I'm still in the hunt for that elusive walleye.

Thanks to Jeremiah, the wife & I will have a very enjoyable walleye dinner.


----------



## Kenlow1 (Jul 14, 2012)

Thought for sure that was your eye when you sent the pic-a nice walleye none the less. Nice gesture to give you the fish by the young boy. Sounds like you had a great time on the ice. You sure did not get cheated tryin for a walleye, that's almost 12 hrs on the ice!


----------



## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

whatever you do don't catch a walleye. I was crappie fishing through the ice on our local lake that wasnt known for eyes. I had 3 rods out with Johnson century reels with 4# line and minnows. one rod went and I grabbed it and the fight was on. when I got it in all 3 lines was tangled to no end. as I brought the head up in the hole I had no idea how to get this huge fish out. I looked around for help but nobody close. after some time it dawned on me that a friend had found a pair of needle nose and just threw them in my box. I got the fish out and took it to the bait shop. it weighed 9.5 lbs and was 29 1/2" long. that was my 1st walleye ever. and I was hooked on walleye. and its cost's me tens of thousands of dollars chasing them.
sherman


----------



## bustedrod (May 13, 2015)

nice fish sherman , i carry a gaff in my sled just for big fish , even an 8 " hole is tough pulling a fat fish thru,,


----------



## Outasync (Mar 5, 2016)

Whats everyone use to sharpen tiny ice jigs? I have a handful of my favorites getting to the point i cant get them through a wax worm very easily. IBJ i was just south of the pack yesterday from about 8 to 1230. Red eskimo quickfish 2. Im still looking for my first walleye too. I think i had a few looking yesterday at a blue sonar with 2 waxies but they wouldnt commit.


----------



## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

A flint-grit or diamond fingernail file will sharpen any hook. Drugstores, Even girlfriends, wife, sister, etc prob have a dozen!
TIP-By the way, since Mosquito is a relatively shallow lake(even the streambed is kinda like fishing only as far down as the length of your truck!) most people are still fishing flats(off the creekbed) higher up/shallower than the creek channel. With all the noise from packs of icefishermen, the "mature" walleye will be on the bottom of the creekbed because that's as far from the noise and commotion as they can get! That, and the fact that "pressured/negative" fish are not in the "mood" to bite!, they will lie on the bottom til things "quieten down" then start to feed(usually after dark) on inland lakes!? Don't fish in or adjacent to a "pack" for walleye, that's for "perching" on L Erie and under a huge school of shiners(of course, there's aways a few "rare" exceptions and some "dumb, possibly senile!, fish" will be caught)!! JM2C.


----------



## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

Women's Fingernail Sharpening/File Boards work good for fine-tuning hooks


----------



## jmshar (Jul 9, 2011)

icebucketjohn said:


> Check out this Pic... Very nice, 25" Skeeter Eye. My Dream Catch. BUT HERE'S THE REST OF THE STORY....
> 
> View attachment 294537
> 
> ...


----------



## jmshar (Jul 9, 2011)

IBJ.... Thanks for the great report on your day out... Again I wish I could have been out there with you.. Your walleye is still out there and getting bigger each day that passes... You'll get him.. IBJ thanks again for the awesome story and pic


----------



## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

7" Crappie in the stomach of that 25", 5.5lb egg-loaded, female Walleye


----------



## Workingman (Jan 21, 2016)

Haha, that's an awesome pic John! I eat like that sometimes too! (On holidays)


----------



## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

SWEET pic IBJ!!!


----------

