Ice fishing jumps into high gear

What a difference a week can make. Last week I wrote that it was time for some good and safe ice fishing to start happening on many Mat-su Valley lakes. Although I prioritized other activities on Thanksgiving week, I overheard and angler talking in B.and J Sporting Goods in Anchorage who had recently beeb Ice fishing on Long Lake up the Glen Highway and done very well on some larger sized Arctic char. The ice was plenty thick for him to get out, walk around and fish. On Black Friday, my friend and long time Alaska Department of Fish and Game fisheries biologist (now retired) Larry Engel called to tell me how well he and his son had done while finhin gFinger Lake. They caught plenty of landlocked coho salmon, enough that they switched from fishing with bait to artificial lures and still caught plenty of fish, turning back smaller salmon to keep some larger ones about 11 inches in length.

My wife and I drove into Anchorage on Saturday, and as we passed Mirror Lake there was a very large group of people that looked to be ice fishing with a fire out on the lake. I would estimate there was likely 25 or more people in the group, all standing close together in one large bunch. This early in the season, I would want to spread that much weight over a larger area on the ice — but they appeared to be having no issues when we drove past. My advice, however, leave the cars and trucks in the parking lots for a while longer. My wife and I also saw people out on the ice at Kepler Lake and Echo Lake on Saturday morning, although some of them appeared to be ice skating and not fishing . We also saw people out ice fishing on Loberg (Junction) Lake on Black Friday. The points I am attempting to make is that ice fishing conditions are prime right now at many Mat-Su Valley Lake locations, and it is good to see so many anglers getting out and experiencing a truly Alaskan winter past time.

A Christmas Gift. For those with younger kids or even older adults they may be wanting to provide a memorable gift for, and ice fishing trip may be a different sort of gift, and perhaps well enjoyed. When I was school age in the Palmer area, both of my parents took me to multiple Mat-Su Valley lakes and either fished with me, or dropped me and my brother or a friend off and returned a few hours later to pick us up. I returned the favor for my mother, taking her ice fishing when she was oil her 80s Not something she wanted to do everyday, but she really enjoyed a good outing with reasonable temperatures, family to spend the time with, and a scouted out location where the fish were biting and everyone could have some catching success. Similar to a day of skiing, and even on a relatively warm winter outing, one of the highlights can be some hot drinks and a hot meal after the trip.

Picking the right day and having an abundance of adequate clothing can make or break an ice fishing trip. I vividly recall the first Alaska ice fishing trip my father took the family on during our first winter in Alaska. We were staying at an apartment in Anchorage at the time, and drove out to try our luck at Bradley Lake near Palmer. None of us had fished this location previously, we had summer fishing rods / gear, and the real kicker — it was 20 degrees below zero! I was a 10 year old kid at the time, wearing tennis shoes on a trip on a snow and ice covered lake. Once we got some holes broken through the ice, the water was constantly freezing to the fishing line and getting stuck in the rod guides because of the cold temperature. The fish were hardly biting — and the strikes we did get were very light. My one-year older brother caught the only fish, a rainbow trout of about 6 inches in length, and all of us were soon miserably dealing with (what for us was) extreme cold. After driving all the way out from Anchorage, however, my dad wanted to give it a good try — in hopes of catching more fish. We never did, and my take home message from my first ice fishing trip was, “I don’t ever want to do that again!”

Fortunately, I did go ice fishing again, and many times under much more pleasant weather conditions. I also experienced some very enjoyable and exceptional fishing trips under the same or worse conditions, but when I knew what to expect, and had the right cold-weather clothing to deal with it. My advice is, if you have never been ice fishing before, choose a relatively warm day (windless helps). You don’t need a lot of expensive fishing gear — especially when catching the 8 - 15 inch sized stocked fish available in many of the easily accessible Palmer - Wasilla core area lakes. Small baits and lures often work best during the winter months when colder water temperatures slow fish down. Expect many of the bites to be light, so you should have a short rod light enough in weight / action to feel those light bites. If fishing bait, I advise waiting until you feel a series of 3 steady light munches on the bait before setting the hook. If fishing a hard lure, set the hook at the first indication of a bite. When moving a lure, bites often occur after the lift as the lure is once again dropping down in the water column - you may only notice a sensation of slack line when the fish grabs the descending lure. Working the bait or lure slowly often significantly out produces constant or large bait / lure movements. This includes a slow rod drop to maintain slight tension on the descending lure / detect those slack line bites!

Good Luck and Fish On!

Although Andy Couch is a member of the Matanuska - Susitna Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Matanuska Valley FIsh and Game Advisory Committee the thoughts and opinions expressed in this column are his own - unless noted otherwise.