Hands down the worst winter for ice we've had since i started doing it about 10 years ago! I really think it's over, but maybe a miracle deep freeze will give us another few trips, but i highly doubt it!
that being said we busted our asses last weekend checking ice and finding some good fishing (my shoulder was killing me from spudding...you couldn't take 5 steps without spudding or you'd risk going through)
After we thoroughly safety checked an area that we liked, we set up shop and it didn't disappoint! I hate that we had so little options of ice and had to put so much work into checking it, but it is what it is...def worth it imo so you can save your 'no safe ice' replies and 'no fish is worth your life' replies for someone else, we know what we're doing
Squatch (or should i say, his wife) hogged all the big bass (and then let pose with them) but i did manage to bag another big pickerel and had some awesome light inline panfish jigging action! plenty of perch for tacos, big crappie, and a GIANT pumpkin seed that i unfortunately lost at the hole in a transducer tangle battle haha.
all in all i think we made the best of what we had...RIP nj ice :
(
