kevinb
12/28/2008 9:41:00 AMTroutCowboy
12/28/2008 6:48:00 PMPaul & Sammi
12/28/2008 8:06:00 PMWe are planing a trip out on new years day. We will be going out from the public launch area. That road usually gets plowed. Hope so. If you see a red toyota pu stuck on the hill we would appreciate a tow. :)
TroutCowboy
12/28/2008 8:33:00 PMi would say there was around 5-6" of ice. it was hard to keep the hole clean because the slush that would drift into it, so i didnt get a great look at the edge of the hole to gauge a thickness. my buddy did all the augering too, so i didn't get a good read on it that way either.
i probably can't stress enough to come prepared. be prepared for deep snow on the road, slick conditions to/from, and bring waterproof boots/gear. knee-high rubber boots wouldn't be a bad idea! there was a good 6" of slush under all of the snow, but i can't fathom how much the snow/slush ratio has changed with this warm weather and rain. it was really rough going. i was really wishing i had some snow shoes or maybe x-country skis to stay on top. i think the snowshoes would really help, there was a big difference in "floatation" just between the wider footprint of my sorels and my buddy's knock-offs.
once we got to our spot we were just sitting in a slush pit. we did manage to compact some snow to stand on to stay out of the water.
good luck out there, i look forward to your report! i hope to stay longer next time. ;-)
travislikesfishing
12/28/2008 8:48:00 PMPaul & Sammi
12/30/2008 9:20:00 PMLast year the snow was 16 inches deep with 4 inches of slush under it, and it sucked getting around out there. And getting there. I can imagine what its like right now. We have had 63 inches of snow here in the last 12 days. Today we made it 2 miles to the post office and back, and it was an adventure in itself. We might postpone our first trip of the new year until it stops snowing for more than 20 minutes and the plows catch up. Then we will have a go at the lakes snow and slush. We have good rubber boots and a strong desire to drown some worms. :)