Conference wahoo::fishing

ARNIE,

I went out ice fishing yesterday on a small pond near my home and there was 
about 8" of ice....plenty safe.  However, this pond is in N.H. (between 
Manchester and Concord), so I don't know what MA ponds are like.  

The only place I had to be careful was at one of the inlet feeder streams to 
the pond where there was still a little open water.  I just steered clear of 
that area and all was fine.  I'd suggest contacting local tackle dealers and 
shops as they often get reports in from fisherman.  If you're leary of the 
ice, just bore out a few test holes as you walk out.  And I'd suggest a 
minimum of 4" a clear, solid ice to be safe.

Yesterday's results...

A rather quiet day... a couple of flags in the AM, then nothing for a couple 
of hours.  The action really picked up between 2PM-3:30Pm with a flag every 
few minutes, and sometinmes 2 or 3 at a time.  All we got was a few pickeral 
(small) and about 12-13 yellow perch.  A real nice day though...sunny, mild 
and no wind!

-HSJ-

    Brimfield Res (ma) had 3� inches over 20' of water on sunday. We
    were there about 3 hrs and had 2 flags. One perch, one nothing.
    
    Rich

    Arnie,
    
    Things looked pretty solid in the Berkshires of WMass yesterday.
    There were quite a few people out on Greenwater Pond (pretty big
    and deep) and Laurel Lake which was mushy at one end Christmas weekend.
    Both are in Lee.  I didn't stop to check results or specific thickness
    but don't imagine 20-40 folks would have been there at ~3:00 without
    good reason and sense.
    
    Steve

    I went to long lake in littleton Sunday morning for afew hours....the
    ice was about 5 to 6 inches....
    
    In the afternoon i shot over to Batacook (sp) in Groton.  The ice
    was about the same there.....
    
    Watch-out for the rivers where they mouth out...the ice ain't thick
    at all....almost lost it on Forge pond in Westford on Saturday ....
    at the mouth of Beaver brook and the pond.....
    

    Here is some info on the ice west of Worcester
    
    	Quaboag  4" on Thursday,  Sunday there were lots of people on
    it.
        Brimfield 3"-4"
    
        Howe pond 6" except by the stream bed.
    
    	Browning  Lots of people fishing should be safe but I'm not
    sure of the thickness.
    
    	Everything west of Worcester should be great by this weekend
    with the cold spell coming in.  I'll be on Quaboag with a group
    on Saturday,  anyone want to join us give me a call on the ENET
    
    
    Les
    	

    
    
                Lots of people on Lake Cochituate in Natick Ma.
                Ice is only 3 inches thick in the coves but the
                crazies are out there.Saw a 14inch bass taken in 
                a back cove that averages 3 feet of water.
                Heading to Little Ossipee in Maine for Lakers and
                Browns this weekend,I hope.
    
    
    
                                                 The Keg
    
    
                                       

    
     WOW !!!!!!! I can't believe anyone would fish on 3 inches of ice..
    ya,it must be like walking on water.. Yesterday i was on the shores
    of Long Pond and it wasn't safe.. I live right near Long and knopps
    Pond and dieding to get out there BUT,it as to be a lot safer..
      In the paper Saturday,two people in vermont fell thru the ice
    in there snowmobles and in todays globe it has a story of a guy
    who fell thru the ice on moosehead lake yesterday.. SO,it only
    shows you,IT AIN"T SAFE YET.. 
    
    
    I'LL WAIT ANOTHER WEEK !!! I DON'T WANT TO BE SOUP OF THE WEEK...
    
    ARNIE

    Ice fishing was great this weekend on two small lakes in Auburn/Raymond
    area in N.H. The ice was between 5" and 7" plenty for fishing...
    
    Went out on the first to a favorite fishing hole in Raymond - got
    4 pickeral one 20" and about 8 small yellow perch, lots of flags.
    On saturday went to Auburn and landed 5 large mouth bass and again
    4 pickeral the bass wern't over 2 lbs but lots of action and misses
    this was two good days of fishing and the weather was great...
    
    Next weekend I would like to try MOORE DAM RESERVIOR for some trout,
    has anyone every ice fished there and had any luck???
    
    MIke
    

    3" IN SOUTHERN MASS. THIN SKATING, BUT A FRIEND CAUGHT SEVERAL BASS
    IN THE 3LB CLASS IN A SMALL POND. 
                                        NIGHTCRALWLER~~~~

re. .8

Hey Mike....

Where in Auburn did you go?  Little Massabesic by chance??

If not, have you ever been there?  I went once last year during a raging 
northeaster and didn't do too much....lots of wind flags.  I wish I had been 
there the day before because it was black ice conditions.  I've seen it in 
pictures but never been on black ice.  Unfortunately, the storm had covered 
the ice so all I could do was see thru the ice where I was boring.

-HoleShot Joe-

    	Went to Onway Lake in Raymond, NH over the weekend. The ice
    was 5-6" thick. Only stayed a couple of hours. My friend got 1 pickeral
    and a couple perch. I got zippo. 
    
    RAYJ

       Leominster Sportsmen's Club was about 5".
                                              Denny

    Joe - it wasn't little Massabesic, it was a little pond behind my
    fathers house thats basicly land locked... its call calif pond.
    
    Ive fished little Massabesic and its a perch/pickeral pond - usually
    lots of flags. on the other hand LAKE Massabesic is excellant for
    ice fishing "white perch, pickeral and bass" the Gazetter says theres
    even trout can you believe that?? good Luck 
    
    MIke V

    Joe - I forgot to mention that there still not much ice on Lake
    Massabesic yet 2" plus open water... have to run
    
    MIke
    

    re .12
    
    What's the Leominster Sportsmen's Club?  I live out there and never
    heard of it.

    Thanks,
    Mike_L

    Mike,
       The Club is up near the Grand View Country Club.
                                         Denny

     Went fishing in R.I. this weekend.  My buddy has been telling me
    fish stories about PIKE that have been straightening hooks (4/0
    heavy tru-turns), and cutting peoples fingers, but know one has
    caught it yet.   We got to JOHNS bait shop in R.I. at 5:30, John
    said the BIG ONE was hooked twice this week but got away, again
    another hook turned into a spear!!!!! 
      Well we got to the spot that was producing these stories at 6:00
    and set up twenty five tip ups in a 200 yard area.  We used 4"-6"
    suckers for bait, we had to clip the tails off to prevent them from
    setting up the tip-ups.  Sure enough the spot produced!!!  I pulled
    up a 18" pickeral real fast.  Then the action happened.  a few minutes
    later I pulled up a 5 1/4 lb 26 1/2" PIKE,  We got a few more pickeral
    a bunch off perch, we lost another PIKE at the hole it's back was
    about 6" across, I guess it was in the 12 lb class but it was hard
    to tell, boy did I take abuse for losing that one!!  Then it happened
    Flag up, line screaming off the spool, this thing nearly cleaned
    the spool of line,  Bob was pulling that line like crazy, this PIKE
    came through the hole with its jaws wide open, if we didnt cut 12"
    holes it would not of come through!!  39" 16 1/4 lb,  NICE FISH!!!!!
    Almost immediately another flag, again a screamer, we set the
    hook and started pulling, when the fish got near the hole the snap
    swivel, rated at 45lb., straighten out and leader, hook, and fish
    were gone.   If the ice doesn't go I'll be back next week to the
    same spot.  
       Oh by the ways, Bob caught a 13 lb and a 12lb  Pike at the same 
    spot last week, the State will have the 13 lber. on display at the
    CENTRUM this week.  We kept the 16 lber alive and it is at Jonhs bait
    with the 13lb PIKE. So you might see them both.
    
    
    Les  
                  
    

    
    
    What lake was this in RI.  Some big Pike are being pulled out
    at Waterman's Lake in Smithfield, Wardon Pond in South County,
    and Pascoag Res. in Burrillville.   Where were you fishing
    if you don't mind vbe askin'.
    
    
    The Harbor Master of Echo Lake
    

    I promised not to say, At the CENTRUM they will have the wrong lake
    that these were cuaght at.   

    The following is a reproduction of the 'American Pulp Wood Association's
Table for Measuring Relative Safety of Ice'

    It referes to 'the hard blue ice that forms on lakes and ponds'.

    'The strength of ice is reduced by at lease 15% for clead blue ice over
running water such as a river.'

    'Slushy ice has less than half the strength of blue ice.'



                         APA Ice Thickness Table

                   Ice Thickness   |   Permissable Load
                   ----------------+---------------------
                      2.0 Inches   | One Person on Foot
                      3.0 Inches   | Group in Single File
                      7.5 Inches   | Passenger Car (2-Ton)
                      8.0 Inches   | Light Truck (2.5 Ton)
                     10.0 Inches   | Truck (3.5 Ton)
                     12.0 Inches   | Heavy Truck (7 Ton)
                     15.0 Inches   | 10 Tons
                     20.0 Inches   | 25 Tons
                     25.0 Inches   | 45 Tons

                 Table reproduced here without permission.

	Well here we are in the middle of December and no ice to be 
	found in Mass. :-/   I'm getting antsy to use my new "hand crafted"
	ice fishin' box, but the problem is, where is the ice ?

	With the week btw Christmas and New Years off, I was hoping to get
	in some ice fishin', if not in Mass, then up north.

	Is there ice up in Vermont ?  New Hampshire ?   How far north ?

	Thanks,
	Ken

 Try Canada.

    If temps stay under freezing for the next 12 days then NH might have
    some ice to offer.  A pond in Brookline NH, where I occasionally ice
    fish is covered with ice - and some wind blown snow this morning.  
    
    A good cold snap would probably have it fishable after Christmas.
    
    We'll need a real deep freeze to have our tidal rivers ready for 
    smelt fishing within the next couple of weeks.
    
    donmac

    Out west of Worcester the ponds have a thin layer of ice on them.
    Should be good by the weekend of the 29-30.     Keep your fingers
    crossed.
    
    
    Les

	Ice fished Saturday in Mass, drove North and West til we found 
a small pond protected from the wind. It had 2 1/2 inches of ice on it and some 
nice bass and perch in it. The pond was somewhere off 2a 101.

	Johnny Roach

	re: Try Canada

	;-)  Yeah, really, that's what I've been saying :-/  Global warming
	trend or what!

	re: others

	Since I live west of Worcester (in Charlton) North west mass sounds
	good!  Not to mention already-having-a-license in Mass...

	Keep the updates coming!

	Thanks, 
	Ken  (who might have to resort to ROD+REEL! ;-)

    They were ice skating in the coves, on Sunset Lake in Ashburnham, Mass.
    on Saturday. Of course this doesn't mean it's actually safe, put two 
    fishermen standing next to each other and kaplush !



    Jim

    
    re: Try Canada
    
    Well maybe Northern Canada.
    
    Here in Eastern Ontario and north approx 200 miles, the lakes and
    rivers still haven't frozen over.
    
    We don't have many small ponds worth fishing and the large ones still
    don't have much ice. The Ottawa river is still wide open and probably
    won't be frozen enough to use for another two to three weeks. 
    
    The lake at my brother's cottage (good lake trout) still has only an
    inch or two for approx 20-30 ft from shore. We had hoped to get out
    between Christmas and New Year's but it looks like we'll have to launch
    one of the boats.
    
    So you may as well stay home; it's no better up here.
    
    Roger

 Yeah, I was thinking Labrador or Saskatchewan.