West of Sandstone Still Not Safe With Some Open Water

NO AUTO TRAVEL
4-9 inches east of sandstone
Four open holes north of sandstone

• Ice conditions vary and no one should use a car or truck to travel on the ice this winter. Fisherman are using ATV's and snowmobiles east of Horner's and anyone going west is taking a chance regardless of the mode of transportation.
• Lake Trout action has been good to poor. I have seen 5 fish over 12 pounds so far and some very good stories about the ones that wouldn't fit through 6'' holes(thin ice and foot patrol mean small diameter hand augers). Bloaters have been hard to come by and some fishermen are using shad with good success. One 13# laker was caught on shad while another fisherman caught his limit of 20'' fish using jigs tipped with a strip of shad. Some of the local fishermen have been doing very well between Horner's and the Shale Bar. They are fishing in 80-120 Ft of water and catching their limit every day.
• Bluegill action has been slow to stop. Beyer's Cove is the only spot that I have heard of with any numbers, and a good day would be 15-17 fish in the 8'' range on plastics. Some fishermen can catch them while others are getting frustrated.
• Northern Pike action has been good on tip ups over the weeds. Large Golden Shiners are the bait of choice while some fishermen have been trying smelt on dead bait rigs. The manager of Goose Blind released a 38'' Tiger Muskie today on a tip up. Nice catch Brian!
• IF YOU GO BE CAREFUL AND DON'T GO WITH A VEHICLE!!!!

East End Has 5'' Of Ice

Atv's and snowmobiles were traveling on the east end
Everything I measured was 5+ inches
Two portables on Sandstone today
Use caution

• Everything west of Sandstone was open yesterday and is very thin at this time. STAY OFF THE NEW ICE TO THE WEST-The east end has not been totally explored so use caution.
• Lake Trout fishermen have had good action on the Heidel Bar and Inlet in 60-80 Ft of water. Some fishermen are using shad for cut bait and others are jigging the usual trout spoons; easy prey, Swedish pimples, and jig-a-whoppers.
• Cisco should bite good off of Sandstone until the noise builds up.
• Northern Pike fishing should be off to a fast start on the east end. Tip ups and shiners over the weeds should bring some good action.
• Walleye are not being heavily pursued and this could be the time when the fishing is the best. I saw a fisherman come off the east end with a 7#+ fish today and he said he lost one at the hole that was better than 10#. He was fishing the weed edges to 18 Ft of water. The Heidel Bar would be a good spot to try as well as Pilgrim Camp and Derrings Landing. Tip ups and medium shiners are the best bait.

3'' to 5'' On East End-Open West Of Sandstone

Stay away from snow drifts
Use extreme caution
Foot travel only

• Some lake trout were caught on the drop offs on the east end in 60-80 Ft of water. Ice conditions vary and you must be very careful if you venture on this ice. THIS IS NOT SAFE ICE IN ANY WAY!

Everything East Of Sandstone Has Thin Ice

Less than 3'' of ice on east end
Lots of open holes
Two thirds of the lake is still open water

• Fishermen were taking chances on thin ice today off of Horner's landing and Pilgrim Camp. Very little activity in the Bay or Channel for gills today.

The East End Is Skimmed Over

All main lake landings are iced over
Sandstone to Oakwood and east is ice

• Very little fishing activity today on the bay or mill pond. If the wind stays down tonight we will have ice on half of the lake tomorrow. Temperature forecasts do not look good for safe ice. There are a lot of open holes from Pilgrim Camp to Holiday House. If the ice stays until the weekend you will see some fishermen pushing their luck.