CTFishTalk.com: Lake Winchester 02/05 - Connecticut Ice Fishing Reports ( CT Ice Fishing Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

hila2006 (aka John and Jenn) hadn't been on the ice at all this year, so we arranged to meet at Lake Winchester this morning. As I drove up Route 263 from Winsted to Winchester Center, the air temperature dropped by three degrees, from 27 to 24 degrees. When I got to the boat launch ramp, there were four cars parked down by the ramp and a dozen more in the parking lot up the hill. There were a lot of groups already on the ice in the south end of the lake. I unloaded my sled and parked my car, and got on the ice at 9:30 am. I saw that none of the groups had set up in the first cove on the left, so that's where I went. It was a beautifully sunny day with only an occasional breeze up to five miles per hour. I drilled half a dozen holes along the south side of the cove, from the mouth toward the back of the cove. The ice was about six inches thick and the water was about 8-1/2 feet deep in every hole that I drilled. I set a trap with a medium shiner in the first hole. Well, "medium" is a bit of a stretch. Rolling Eyes

It was small enough that I decided to go with a single treble hook through its mouth, instead of the two treble hook rig that I had been using this year. Right after I set my second trap, I turned back toward the first one and saw that I already had a flag Surprised

. It was spooling very slowly, but since I didn't want to gut hook the fish, I decided to set the hook. To my relief, I hooked the fish, although it was just a 14 inch chain pickerel:

After I finished setting the rest of my traps, I drilled a dozen more holes further into the cove. While I was getting set up, a couple of guys with a little girl set up on the north side of the mouth of the cove. It was roofman (aka Steve) with his daughter and a buddy. Hey, Steve! John and Jenn finally arrived around 10:45 am. John didn't have any crampons or cleats on his boots, so Jenn had to hold him in place while he drilled holes Laughing

:

I bet you guys didn't know I saw that! Wink

At one point, I drilled a hole about 20 feet from the north shore of the cove, but the ice was only 3-1/2 inches thick. Shocked

I quickly retreated back to the shady side of the cove. Although I was jigging, I didn't get so much as a nibble. I did, however, get another flag. Once again, I set the hook on a fish:

It was only a 15 inch chain pickerel, but at least it was a keeper. Rolling Eyes

I drilled another dozen holes along the south side of the back of the cove and jigged in five to six feet of water. I didn't get so much as a nibble. When I went back to the traps, I learned that neither had Jenn. Crying or Very sad

We ended up getting off of the ice at 1:45 pm. I have a feeling that this was the last day that I'll fish through the ice this year. I'm gonna pull out my jerkbaits. Wink

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Michael · Joined: 28 Jan 2012 Posts: 3823 Location: Bridgeport

Good luck getting back out

Elixir · Joined: 30 May 2011 Posts: 288 Location: Danbury, CT

Looks like it was a beautiful day and you had fun...

x182dan · Joined: 19 Mar 2009 Posts: 329 Location: Seymour, CT

You most have walked right past me to get to that cove. I was there on sunday we had the cabelas shanty to the left of the launch right before the cove. A few flags, nothing but dinky pickeral.

icefishingnewbie · Joined: 18 Dec 2011 Posts: 275 Location: Haddam, CT

I went there saturday and got a nice 18 inch pike i was about 120 yards of the launch and i went right is left better fishing?

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

x182dan - I'm the guy who yelled that you had a flag when he walked by. I think it was one on which you got a chain pickerel. By the way, that's one heck of a shelter. We wondered whether you had a flat screen TV in there to watch the Super Bowl! Laughing

You have some pretty funky looking tip-ups; I couldn't figure out how a couple of them work.

Noob - I haven't figured out Lake Winchester at all. I caught a 35 inch northern pike all the way in the back of the first cove last Summer with a big black buzzbait. On the same day, I caught another pike of the same size just south of the stump field on the north end of the lake with a trolled KVD crankbait. The biggest largemouth bass that I've gotten there was only 4-3/4 pounds. I got it on the right side of the south cove (just south of where you fished, I think) with a Texas-rigged soft plastic crawfish dragged on the bottom. Yesterday, I couldn't even find a panfish. Winchester is often a tough place to fish. Hey, shouldn't you be in school right now?!?!
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icefishingnewbie · Joined: 18 Dec 2011 Posts: 275 Location: Haddam, CT

im sick

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

Super Bowl party hangover? Laughing

I hope that you feel better, soon. Wink

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icefishingnewbie · Joined: 18 Dec 2011 Posts: 275 Location: Haddam, CT

a little bit Rolling Eyes

hahhaha but i hope ill be in school tommorow Shocked

x182dan · Joined: 19 Mar 2009 Posts: 329 Location: Seymour, CT

icefishingnewbie · Joined: 18 Dec 2011 Posts: 275 Location: Haddam, CT

from the launch can you give me exact directions to where you were

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

Do you want to know where we were so that you can avoid those spots, Noob? Wink

You outfished both of us with your 18 inch northern pike. Heck, that's a nicer fish than any I've gotten so far this year. Whatever. Very Happy

Here you go:

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SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi Phil,

Hey that was great!
How did you do that?
Nice way to mark particular fishing spots!
Let me know!

SeaDog1

icefishingnewbie · Joined: 18 Dec 2011 Posts: 275 Location: Haddam, CT

hahahha yeah but i wanted more flags but in my opinion it was still a nice fish now wheres the launch? Confused

icefishingnewbie · Joined: 18 Dec 2011 Posts: 275 Location: Haddam, CT

i was straight across from x182dan like just follow from his name all the way across to the other shoreline thats where i was/ Very Happy