O.k. guys it's pretty damn cold out what are we gonna do about it sit around on the keyboard and complain or we gonna have an ice fishing derby some sunday morning Everybody throw in 20$ we'll get some burgers sausage coffee what ever have alittle bbq and catch bass pickerell perch and maybe trout lets find a pond about 20 miles away from boston with plenty of acceess and decent fishing as far as dates how about jan 16 a sunday we'll decide on what the prizes will be ie 1 2 3rd for each cataegoryLets make sures its catch and release does anybody have a portable digital scale?bring the kids we'll doit fr7;30 a.m until 1p.m or something like that.whaddya think santini

I will join ya, as long as I have the day to play...The new xmass Korkers will come in handy...:D

:wave:

Mind if I jig your hole?

That's a nice tip-up you have there. :heybaby:

any ideas on where to have the derby gotta be close to boston about 20 miles or so

On some ice?:confused: I would be interested but I am unaware of any safe ice. Plenty spots over my way...Whitmans Pond in Weymouth, Ames Nowell in Abington....Plymouth is great with Little Pond and Long Pond.;)

Buddy can you spare an auger? I can't seem to find mine.

i would wait till middle january for a ice fishing derby thats when the ice is very safe

I've got a couple of choice spots in Rhody and CT. Catching large LM's is nice but my ice pursuit involves northerns over 20#.:kewl:

I'm game, but I have to work that Sunday. Could always call in sick.:smash:

No safe hard water round here yet...but, soon come... Gonna have to get the sweet water license early this year, if we are talking the 2nd week of the year...

I just wanna watch BF run across the ice after the flag...:laughs: ;)

I already got my fiching license for 2005 last week.
The MassWildlife website has online licenses, and it is mailed within 3-5 days.
They have lists that tell places that should be good for specific species such as Largemouths, Smallmouths, Pike/Muskies, stocked trout waters, and even Broodstock Salmon.
They also have printable pond maps for most of the state, so there is a very good selection to choose from. About 95% of the maps also have survey information that list the most recent sampling of fish taken from that particular body of water.

I found a few ponds that were productive (for me) for my first season on the ice.

I'm interested in a derby, but alas, I will have to plan to "not be working" that weekend. (I'm helping my brother with his summer cottage project up near Winnipesauke.)

I live to ice fish! Best bet is a pond with lots of perch, bass and pickeral. Trout fishing tends to be pretty slow. The better ponds for action with plenty of parking around my way is Whitmans Pond in Weymouth, Sunset Lake in Braintree, either of the Twin Lakes (Monponsett) in Halifax/Hanson. Further south towards Plymouth Billington Sea in Morton State Park is great too. I have a digital scale, Catch and release! My favorite spots are on the Cape if you get the ice! I hear yah Inthe surf chaseing northerns is an obsession to me!

Lets see what we get for weather for the next week we should be o.k. for mid jan hows that ponkapoag pond in randolph is it easy access and can you fish it?

Originally posted by In The Surf
I've got a couple of choice spots in Rhody and CT. Catching large LM's is nice but my ice pursuit involves northerns over 20#.:kewl:

don't forget about me dave. i'll follow your tracks in the snow if need be :D

I'm am game for something like this as well. How would some of you guys feel about going to Lake Winnicunnet (winny) which may be a little furter south of Boston than you were thinking but can be well worth the little extra drive. Lots of big bass and pickerel in the lake with an outside shot at tiger muskies and an occasional big brown trout. Plenty of parking there in a big lot by Ann's restaurant which is right off 495 at the Taunton/Norton line. I have a Rapala digital and a jiffy power auger ready to go just waiting on some safe ice.

power auger=You can ride with me :hihi: I have some shweet ponds a little south but not very user friendly for more than a couple of guys...:smash:

Pete, Ponky has a rather small parking area. I don't like to ice fish there cause the rat pics drive you up a wall!:smash: Winnicunett can be good but have never heard of trout caught there????

Canalrat, I didn't think there were any in Winny myself but I did witness an older gentleman take two Browns out there last winter way out in the back by the river. One of them was 2 lbs plus I would say. I believe they stock that river every spring so the fish may be able dump into the lake if they want to but I'm not sure? I was hoping to get out there yesterday but it wasn't safe yet. First ice there can be awesome!!!!

long pond in plymouth is right up the street from me its very good for trout(BIG browns),salmon and i have seen some lunker smallmouth and largmouth taken out of there. you need a deep freeze for long pond to be safe. in some spots its 100ft deep

can i bring my boat:D

O.k so winnicutt looks good for me how fare is it from downtown boston and how you get there from 93 south?

Pete, I would say it is about 45-50 minutes from downtown. It's really easy to get to. Take 93 south to 128 then onto 24 north. Take exit 14 off of rte 24 to 495 north before the burger kings and then take exit 9 off of 495 the norton exit. Take a right off the ramp onto Bay st towards Norton and the lake is immediately on your left. follow it for a few hundred yards and you will see a big restaurand called Ann's and there is a big parking lot which would be where we could all meet up.

Very important does the restuarant have a bar? I think the winner has to buy us a round

I believe it does have a bar inside! I have about a dozen extra traps if someone here wants to come but doesn't have the equipment to go. Just shoot me a pm if you are interested in using them.

You all have fun and send pics :) - I'll be away in Balmy Bridgeport, CT that weekend :doh:

I'm interested, sounds like fun.

Originally posted by thefishingfreak
can i bring my boat:D
As long as it handles ice better than the Titanic:smash:

Originally posted by JohnR
You all have fun and send pics :) - I'll be away in Balmy Bridgeport, CT that weekend :doh:

Whatchoo doing there? :wave:

i am thinking badacoock in groton or whites pond in concord

i am looking to catch some salmon and some brookies and bows

i have a power auger and a chipper no power auger for whites

bob

with the snow it acts as a insulator and it will take longer to freeze
first week in feb is usually good around me

bob

Tatoo trout fishing can be mighty slow through the ice and whites is a pain because you cant use a gas auger and parking tight same over at waldon i used to fish both of them with smelt for nice browns Thats why i think we should focus more on bass pickerell and maybe a trout or salmon Besides its a catch and release tourney and trout die really easy once they swallow a bait. But lets have a vote everybody pick a pond they like and we'll see which one wins

After today.....no thanks I'll wait till spring!

There are so many choices.....:kewl:

The 16th would work great, I think the pats are playing the 15th. We can listen to the Steelers get beat down on the radio.

I'm in....

Hah Choo!:eek:

OK,OK do Ice fish count?:confused: :D
Diz

Better wait till it has been below zero for a few days and the ice is over a foot thick........................us "ATHLETIC" guys don't really enjoy the sound of cracking ice too much.:laughs:

Ya lets see what happens later next week. You need 5 nights in a row below freezing for good ice anything over 8 inches should be o.k.

Originally posted by Shawn B
Pete, I would say it is about 45-50 minutes from downtown. It's really easy to get to. Take 93 south to 128 then onto 24 north. Take exit 14 off of rte 24 to 495 north before the burger kings and then take exit 9 off of 495 the norton exit. Take a right off the ramp onto Bay st towards Norton and the lake is immediately on your left. follow it for a few hundred yards and you will see a big restaurand called Ann's and there is a big parking lot which would be where we could all meet up.
"24 south":D very nice pond 10 minutes from my house I might stop over and say hello

From what i'm hearing winnicunnet is the place to have the deby lots of action and big bass pickerell and a shot at a big brown Thats what were looking for a place we'll be chasing flags all day not like they say in maine " the traps have the bends"

Yah might not be chaseing flags all day there, but it can put out some good fish. Its one of the first ponds in the area to freeze and gets pounded. There are a few derby's there every year. My chioce would be Sunset in Braintree, its only about a mile or two from the "split" Its not overly fished has good bass and pics and gets stocked with trout in the spring. I have had a few good days there running out of bait. Alot of the board members live fairly close by too.

hows the parking at sunset and how big is it

I don't believe any of the derby's are before Jan 16th at Winny but I will double check on that when I can. They are normally in February. After the Derby's the lake can shut down for a week or so for sure. The Pond being so shallow and the first to freeze will also be a good thing if we are going to stick to that date because if you have seen the long term forecast it doesn't look good for the ice. The temps are suppose to be in the 50's for friday and saturday....urrrgggg. As far as running to flags all day, some day there I have, other days have been slower....that's fishing.

Pete is around 75 to 100 acres plenty big enough for a good sized crew. There is also plenty of parking as it borders the high school and the town swimming beach. It freezes fairly quick, probably close to safe now if not already.

Im in wherever it is...youze guys pick the place
here is BigFreak with a whopper:laughs:

:eek: Oh, sure Slingah....you don't show your "WHOPPER" do ya!:laughs:

Small fish but fun....that was a beautiful day as I recall?:happy:

slingah wow what a trout . It looks like it was hatched out of a pautske salmon egg.

i'm in just say a time and a place

who's bringing the minnows

bob :)

Is that bait BF. :confused: :D

They are supposed to look like these.

Originally posted by pete santini
slingah wow what a trout . It looks like it was hatched out of a pautske salmon egg.
that is BigFish pete
what is a pautske salmon egg????

Whatever it is Slingah...it is a joke at my expense!:laughs: Yes, Tynan, that is bait:rolleyes: I am about to bait my tipup with a small trout!:laughs: You don't see Slingah posting his picture but ahhhhh....revenge shall be mine as I now have a digicamera!:happy:

I'll bring shiners in oxegen bags I have about 40 extra traps if any body wants to borrow them as well as 2 power augers but i gotta get them running as i haven't used them in about 3 years

i'll bring some popcorn and sit in my truck with the heat on:D
watchin' you guys scurry arround on the ice like bambi

Got Korkers......:hihi:
No slippy for me, how many traps are we going to limit each person to? 5 ? I was looking at my traps last night, I gots some maintaining to do:smash:

FF, I will be easy to spot, I will be the one standing still sweating my arse off, I swear I sweat worse than Wakefield..That and a cloud of smoke around my head :smokin:

We wiill abide by mass state law no more than 5 hooks in the water Catch and release on all pickerell bass trout pike all gamefish. We should have a kid division for the most panfish jigged up whaddya think?

I just found out My good friend chuck casella is having a derby on sunday jan 23 at chadwick pond in haverhill at the haverhill rod and gun club Its a $10 entry fee amd there is a 1st 2nd and 3rd cash prize for the heaviest fish last year a 5.5 lb bass won it Chidren under 15 free with paid adult, refreshments and bait available at th club house Chuck will post the details later This derby already all set up lets do it santini

Pete and All,
I'm hosting an ice fishing tourney on January 23rd in Haverhill. It is at Chadwick Pond and will be based out of the Haverhill Hound Rod and Gun Club. Entry fee is $10, prizes will be $200, $100 and $50. If people are interested from this forum, I may make it interesting and get some tagged trout and have an additional category for the largest tagged trout.

Hiya Cando........
No clue where this pond is at, but I am in for sure...can you email me directions or post em up? Did I see right, shinners are available there?
Thnx,
Chris-RE

Yes. Bait will be available at the club house. I'll put the details together and send out tonight. I'm off to my treestand now. Hoping to get one more deer before season is over.

Originally posted by cando
Pete and All,
I'm hosting an ice fishing tourney on January 23rd in Haverhill. It is at Chadwick Pond and will be based out of the Haverhill Hound Rod and Gun Club. Entry fee is $10, prizes will be $200, $100 and $50. If people are interested from this forum, I may make it interesting and get some tagged trout and have an additional category for the largest tagged trout.

Chuck - is that you? Bout time you got your ass on S-B...

Everyone - please give a nice little welcome to Capt Chuck Cassella. He is a former MSBA President, attends countless fisheries meetings, official (former official?) protector for the much maligned Tailus Waggerus Skate, a Boston Harbor Charter Captain, and generally a good egg :laughs:

Oh yeh, and I did his website a year and a half ago:

http://www.candocharters.com

ya john you said it right chuck is a good guy we're lucky to have him on the council to protect our rec fishing > Don't forget to watch him on tv, in january on oln catching stripers down the vineyard. As far as the derby goes lets get the ball rolling we only got 3 weeks left santini

I am in. Have that weekend off. Was on the ponds the last two days. There is only 3-4 inches and this weekend is supposed to be warm.

The info for the ice derby is at www.hhrg.com.

HERE'S ONE POSSIBLE SET OF DIRECTIONS.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD/CHANGE IF IT WILL HELP SIMPLIFY.

ACCORDING TO “MAPQUEST” CHADWICK POND IS LOCATED OFF EXIT 48 FROM RTE 495.
AT THE END OF THE OFFRAMP TAKE A LEFT ONTO MAIN ST,
TAKE YOUR 1ST RIGHT ONTO BOSTON ROAD.
TAKE YOUR 2NR LEFT (APPEARS TO BE A FORK IN ROAD) ONTO WILLOW AVE.
THE 1ST MAJOR INTERSECTION YOU COME TO IS KINGSBURY AVE.
TAKE A LEFT HERE AND THE POND IS A FEW HUNDRED FEET ON THE LEFT.

I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE PARKING WILL BE LIKE, BUT GETTING THERE SHOULDN’T BE TOO DIFFICULT

NOW, LET'S ALL PRAY FOR SAFE ICE.

The ice doesn't look good. It is supposed to be rainy and high 40's all next week.

check this un out

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=17530.0

https://www.sharemation.com/trx450r19/pontoosuc%20record%20fish.jpg

Now that's my kind of ice fishing!

How the hell did he get it through the hole? I would have freaked.