NH Ice Fishing Derby - Lake Winnipesaukee 2013

We had our NH Ice Fishing tournament on Lake Winnipesaukee this weekend.  Mike, Rick, Steven, Kevin and I were heading to David’s on the lake.

We were all going to head to the lake on Friday.  Rick and Steve were going to fish Saturday and Sunday.  Mike was going to stay Saturday and head home.  Kevin and I were going to fish until Saturday afternoon. 

Why weren’t we staying until Sunday you ask?  I had a date with my wife to go “Dancing With Your Star”.  YES … I was throwing my man card down so I could learn how to “Ball Room Dance” by Professional Instructors.  My plan was to let my close friends know but not make it public when on the ice for fear of a cold swim by yours truly. 

In any case we had “The Blizzard of 2013”.  It started on Friday and by Saturday morning we had 26 inches of snow.  High winds caused large drifts also.  Rick and Steve had almost 28 inches in their town.  Mike had 8 inches in Vermont. 

This moved our timeline back.  The snow stopped by mid morning.  It took several hours to clear the snow.  Mike headed for the lake Saturday morning.  MA had a driving ban so Rick and Steven heading out late afternoon.  “Dancing With Your Star” was cancelled by the instructors because of the weather.  I picked up my man card and started packing.  Kevin didn’t feel well so I headed up by myself mid afternoon.  Mike arrived first … I followed … Rick and Steven showed up around 6:30PM. 

I noticed on the drive in there weren’t many on the ice so the snow messed things up.

Steven had the food so we had a late dinner (Chicken Pot pies, venison steaks, mashed potatoes, etc.)  Fire in the fire place … had a fun night relaxing, playing cards, and laughing.

We got up Saturday morning … the temp was 1 below zero … Rick, Steven and Mike headed for the ice while I headed to Dunkin Donuts for the coffees.  Doug was on his way up so I met him at DD.  He followed me to our fishing spot on Moultonborough Neck. 

When Doug and I arrived the guys were working on the ice auger.  They finally got it started and put some holes in the ice.

Steve started cooking and Rick got the tip-ups in the holes.  In keeping with tradition Steve made the “Heart Attack” sandwiches. (2 eggs, cheese, sweet sausage, bulky roll)  Mighty Fine … We had Rick’s venison stew for lunch. I think it was from one of Ryan’s deer this year.  (Was it the “Taco Bell Buck?”) 

Mike headed out early afternoon.  All day the guys wanted me to drive my truck on the ice.  The ice (black ice) in our area was 10 inches thick with 18 inches of fresh snow on top.  Before Doug and I headed out mid afternoon I did just that.  No problems with the ice and snow.  With new tires I had some good rooster tails going.  I loaded up my gear and headed back to shore with Doug.  Rick and Steve remained to keep fishing until dark.

When I got off the ice a guy in a Ford F150 had a dead battery and needed jumper cables.  He was off the road and I couldn’t get my truck in close enough to give him a jump.  With no power he couldn’t get his truck out of park.  I figured he was in the snow so he would slide so I hooked him up with my tow strap and dragged him 15 feet to get him to an accessible spot to give him a jump.  I showed those RAM, Toyota, and Ford boys that a Chevy is really the way to go.  hehe …

I stopped in Meredith to check out the ice shanties and see the action on the board.  The storm kept people away on Saturday but looked like things really picked up on Sunday.  There were lots of people and some nice fish on the board. Nothing like a good ice shanty either! 

We didn’t have a lot of action from the fish but always have a great time.  Someday we may catch something big enough to make the board and win a prize …

Search Blog Archive: February 2012, February 2011, January 2010 & February 2009 - for more Winnipesaukee Ice Fishing.

Winnipesaukee Collage ...

NH Ice Fishing Derby - Lake Winnipesaukee 2011

Rick and Steven stopped by my house on Friday to pick up fire wood.  They were staying at David's over the weekend.

I would head up with Kevin early Saturday morning and meet them on the ice.  Kevin had been out of school and running a temperature so he ended up staying home.  I planned to be on the road by 6:00AM.  I woke up at 4:30AM (no idea why!).  I loaded up, stopped at Dunkin Donuts for a coffee, and headed north. 

Jed, John and their crew were going to Spindle Point.  I met Rick and Steven just after the bridge on Moultonborough Neck. 

I parked off the road. I was hesitant to drive my truck on the ice although there were other trucks out there.  The morning temperature was 6 degrees.  The sun came out briefly but was blocked by clouds much of the day. 

Steve and Rick were set up when I arrived.  They had just finished drilling the holes in the ice and the tip ups were out.  Steve made his famous breakfast sandwiches on the grill.  We had lots of food in case others showed up. 

We met Chris and his son David fishing next to us.  They had come up the night before and set up.  They were sleeping in an ice shanty with -40 degree bags and a propane heater right out on the ice.  If you have the proper equipment it would be fun.  They caught several cusk and some perch but none big enough for the board.  Rick caught a very nice salmon that he quickly released as salmon are protected this time of year. 

There were some interesting ice houses on the lake.  As usual, the game warden stopped by to check licenses and the number of traps we had set up. 

Enjoyable afternoon.  It warmed up to 31 degrees however, the wind picked up so it felt much colder. 

Late afternoon I ended up driving my truck on the ice.  As I parked I was talking to Chris and David and the ice made a huge popping noise.  I remember long ago what Doug said "If we go through the ice just follow your bubbles!!"  David said that was the ice settling.  eek ...

One truck on the ice got stuck near us.  The driver was trying to keep up his momentum as he passed us but the back end of his truck started bouncing around as he passed by.  As the truck continued to bounce the ice around us started to move up and down also.  That was a very strange feeling.  We ended up pushing him to get him moving again.  Many of the houses near shore had their docks raised so they wouldn't be crushed by the ice. 

There wasn't much fish action for us.  We packed up around 4:15PM.  Rick and Steve headed for David's house to start making their big spaghetti dinner.  The crew from Spindle Point was joining them.  I couldn't stay so I headed home.  Hopefully the gang will have better luck Sunday.  Rick said they may fish near One Mile Island tomorrow. 

I stopped at the board on the way to look at the fish that had come in for the day.   There were some big fish in each category.  The rainbow trout were very colorful.  There were lots of ice huts, people, snow machines, and ATV's on the ice.  They had helicopter rides also.  It would been fun to take Kevin up so we could see the lake and Red Hill from the air.

Ice Fishing is relaxing and fun especially with friends and family. Get out there and take your family fishing ...

Search Blog Archive: February 2012, January 2010 & February 2009 - for more Winnipesaukee Ice Fishing.

NH Ice Fishing Derby - Lake Winnipesaukee 2010

The fishing derby is the last weekend in January which is early this year. The snow covered peak in the background is Mt. Washington. It was clear enough to see from Moultonborough.

The forecast predicted very cold weather and 10 - 20 mph winds. They were correct. As we drove through Meredith it was -4ºF and windy. The ice status report said "Recent rainfall has left the surface of the ice extremely slick in spots, and the snow squalls of Thursday evening dropped just enough snow to hide the surface. Use extreme caution while walking around. Ice-in was officially declared for Lake Winnipesaukee on January 16th. There are still some thin spots so please use caution when venturing out on the ice. The current lake temp is 32.2ºF and dropping slowly. "

Steven, Jed, and John entered the derby and got set up on Friday. Big prizes for big fish. Doug went up on Friday night. I decided to go up early Saturday morning with Kevin. and would make a long day of it.

We had a good set up in the cove with the house close by. Luckily, the cove protected us from most of the wind. There wasn't any protection away from the cove where we put most of the traps. We had a fire on the ice in a fire pit.

Steven had control of the cooking on the ice. Kevin and I arrived to breakfast sandwiches with a venison patty, fried egg, and cheese on an english muffin hot off the grill. Throughout the day Steven cooked BBQ chicken, venison rib eye steak, kielbasa, etc.

Because the ice was very slippery, I brought spikes for my boots. Kevin ended up wearing them which didn't help me much.

The little ice hut the guys brought up had 2 small mice as passengers. This mouse didn't like the cold on the ice and was looking for cover in the jacket collar. The boys took both mice and their nest and kept them warm in a closed bucket.

Later in the morning 4 Game Wardens approached on ATV's to check fishing licenses. Riding ATV's all over the lake would seem like fun but they had strong winds and a lot of lake to cover.

There were other groups on the ice. Some had their trucks on the ice. I don't have the nerve to try that.

Steven helped Kevin use the ice auger to drill a 10 inch hole for a trap. Not like to olden days using a hand auger. We had 2 equipment boxes on skis which makes them easy to pull around on the lake.

We had 17 traps on the ice with different kinds of bait. Shinners, fish eggs, a couple big suckers, and smelt. (no mice)

Rick and Paula arrived early afternoon with their ice skates and had a good time. Kevin and I shot 100 rounds with the 9mm. I forgot the tape for the targets so we used cans. It was a bit cold to play football so just played catch waitng for the flags to pop.

Once it got dark we headed inside and had a great spaghetti dinner with venison meat sauce.

Search Blog Archive: February 2012, February 2011 & February 2009 - for more Winnipesaukee Ice Fishing