With the milder temperatures over the past few days, I was somewhat shocked this morning to find the Housy skimmed over from just about the Derby ramp south. Sure, it was only skim ice, mostly 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, and didn’t present an obstacle to our search for fish. But it did severely limit where we were able to get our lures in the water for the first few hours.
We did not find any fish to speak of until we got down below the Sunnyside Ramp, but the river in front of Ayer’s Marina was thick with fish. Fish that wouldn’t bite. Jim & I spent the better part of an hour-and-a-half trying to get one to commit to eating something there. We each had one “maybe” bite. We moved farther down river, and found another massive school near the south end of the island. I actually caught one there. That school too, either dissipated or moved out on us in less than an hour. This is the way the fish have been for a month or so now. Very fussy, and very mobile. I don’t think it’s going to change until the water temps climb back in to the 35~38 degree range. (Currently 31 degrees)
We found a semi-solid bunch just north of the flat at Beacon Point, but didn’t even stop on them. From there, we didn’t locate anything at all until reaching the cove at the Shelton Dump. Lot of fish along the edge of the ice in there, and I managed to catch three more. Three in one area today, in less than an hour? Hotspot!
By now it was noon, and the wind was really starting to whip, making it start to feel uncomfortable for the first time today. The tide had turned to outgoing, and the skim ice was virtually all gone. We started heading north again, looking for some of those fish we couldn’t get a sniff from earlier, hoping that they’d be feeding on the outgoing tide. Found quite a few in the area between the cove and Beacon Point (which had been fishless on our way down) but they weren’t having any of what we were throwing.
From the upstream side of Beacon Point north — the area that seemed to be holding all the fish earlier — was an empty wasteland. Didn’t see another school of fish on the electronics until we got to the point at the sand pit cove, and that was just a couple small pods that we didn’t even bother to stop and make a cast at. We kept checking spots and heading north, and found ourselves within site of the mouth of the Naugy by 1:30. The last fishable bunch we’d seen was down below Beacon Point, and I wasn’t about to turn around and make that run again, so we were done for the day, and just continued on to the ramp. Total catch — 4 stripers. At least none were those mini-stripers that have started to show up recently, and one of them was a 26 inch fish.
I feel good about looking in on my sick brother and not coming down now – thanks rich.
It will be march before we see a decent bite.
PS sold the old 13′er today and bought a new 14′ flat bottom replacment for the future pond fishing trips. At least i scored better than you with the sale, But you beat me from yesterday’s two fish catch.
Feb is always the toughest month there, but this is just excruciating.