Early Ice Fishing For Trout

[KBFlyer]

This year has been a really weird fall winter weather. Where I live by now we ussually have a foot of snow and very cold temps below zero. The nights get down to freezing but daytime temps creep back up to 40F plus. Went to my goto specal trout lake 20 minutes from my house. Brought some gear and hoped there would be some ice to fish through. Turned out to be very thin ice, about 3 inches max near shore. Well drove out there so lets fish.
3 inches of ice and two feet of water and the trout were just going nuts today. Frtom the bright colors they are still in the spawning mode.
T-Shirt fishing on thin ice is so much fun when you catch beasts like this.

 

[Nodak21]

Wow that is awesome!! What kind of trout are those? Any good to eat? I love ice fishing but I’m enjoying this nice weather this fall even more!

 

[KBFlyer]

Wow that is awesome!! What kind of trout are those? Any good to eat? I love ice fishing but I’m enjoying this nice weather this fall even more!

They are Speckled trout and yes they are good to eat. The ones that are stocked take a few years to develpe into good tasting trout. Stock trout have whitish meat and non stock trout have very red meat. Great for smoking. They are in their spawn right now, reason the bellies are so red. The just get really bright when they are spawning.

 

[Hijack73]

Oh my Heavenly Jesus those are great and I bet it was a blast!

 

[SmokingUPnorth]

Man that first picture looks like heaven! Nice catch

 

[KBFlyer]

Man that first picture looks like heaven! Nice catch

Yup and from the time I start my truck its 20 minutes later and I am there. I have my sons dog this week so it should be interesting with my golden to see if I can fish and babysite two dogs LOL

Don't want either one going out to where the ice ends and falling through.

 

[JLeonard]

Great looking fish. And to be able to be where your at in 20 min is great.

Jim

 

[forktender]

Beautiful fish!!!

I'm out unless it's in a heated shack with partners like this.

Because being from Cali, and with my knowledge of reading ice, it would most likely end up like this.

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Now that looks like a great time and nice fish! Growing up in Michigan it would be like a city of shanty's out on the ice.

 

[crazymoon]

KBF, I just saw your post, awesome brookies right there!