Sk8man

The TD will help with temp/depth relationships but not down speed. They work well for that application and are very portable and nice for seeing how deep your wires coppers and leadcores are running along with the temps at those depths

Lakers have always loved FreshwaterSculpin so I imagine they would chow down on something that looks that close.

Fish Hawk X4D (new model with red screen not the blue screen which is the older one)

Thanks for the "reality check" Jim Lets hope that the cold temps projected for the next few days will firm things up enough.

King Slammin he didn't actually check out the ice itself....just a visual on it from his house located between north end and Trident. He is getting ready to move though so pretty busy right now. Finders Keepers that sounds like a good idea> Even in a good year things can be pretty precarious out there for machines and vehicles (someone goes through almost every year). A walkout would be the safest approach this year for sure.....hopefully be some good safe ice by then very cold temps projected for next week day and night

My son called this AM and said there was snow covering ice on the lake as far as he could see.

If we do get the opportunity to get out there for folks that are unfamiliar with the lake it has some particularly concerning aspects that you should be aware of - There are a number of small "runoff" type streams around the lake which may not be readily apparent (e.g. just to the north of the launch at the south end on the east shore) and usually there is a bubbler near Trident Marine that creates havoc at that access point. There are also random gas pockets which when snow covered can be a problem and dangerous. Sometimes ducks and geese keep open spots out there that may freeze over eventually and may be much thinner than the surrounding ice and may be difficult or impossible to spot when snow covered. I am not trying to unnecessarily scare anyone and hope to be out there myself but being safe is of the utmost importance and regardless of how experienced someone may be (or think themselves to be) regarding ice conditions you can still be "had" out there. For example currents can and do move under the ice and may originate a long way away from that site and out of range of visibility and yet "saw" it thin from underneath. After going through in just such a circumstance in the past up to my chin and with nobody around I can tell you 33 degree water is no fun. If you have a float suit or life jacket etc. don't be hesitant or ashamed to wear it. Ice fishing is one of my favorite methods of having fun and I've done it for most of my life but these days I have a deep respect for when things don't go as planned. My son just called and said that he can see open water with white caps from near the north end to the south well past Trident so this wind sure isn't helping us out.

Don't give up yet....remember Honeoye 's maximum depth is about 30 ft. with much of the lake 12-18ft. We are supposed to have real cold weather this week and there is already some ice on the lake. It is usually the first Finger Lake around here to fully freeze. Although the next ten days are currently projected to be pretty cold for the most part there is snow forecast as well and rain on a couple days with temps just over freezing then. The wind speed/direction may well play a major role especially nights but once things fully setup so that the wind can't work any open areas ice can still form underneath.

I hear ya Andy.

My son was just here (he lives right within a few hundred yards of the lake) and he said that from a little south of Trident to a ways out from the north shore it is open water but looks like it is iced up south but couldn't tell how far south as he is near the north end. I'm not sure how the wind speed was determined (e.g. 15 mph) that you saw last night but it may have been in a "lull" because my son said he had to go outside and check the siding on his place etc. as the whole house was shaking and had some tree limbs down as it was here outside Canandaigua. My place was doing the same and it takes at least 45 mph or so before that ever happens here.

The keyword is probably WAS 50-60 mph winds last night and substantial stuff right now. Probably better to get a "restart" on things anyway so that the thickness is more consistent and the surface not all choppy.

Welcome to LOU. You live in a great state....sure wish NYS was more like it in terms of freedoms and gun laws etc. I have a good buddy out there just east of Victor MT

Nice one Nick. Hopefully the crowd has thinned out by now. We're still waiting for ice.....bunch of new jigs and some new tipups to try out and no place to go

Looks a lot like a Freshwater Sculpin/Stonecat to me Mike....hard to see some of the features (e.g. spot on dorsal, scalloped pelvic fin etc.) with that mottled background. After several looks at it you may be right though it would have been nice to have had a contrasting background as those colors blend right in with the fish.

:lol: I have 4

Many years ago fishing for perch in about 60 ft of water on Seneca I was using two rods and had one in the rod holder while I fished the other.I had a double on and jumped up quick and my knee hit the rod in the holder (that had my favorite ultralight in it) and it went overboard and sunk in the 60 ft before I could do anything. I was pissed but I chalked it up to fishing and pretty much forgot about it. A couple years laterI was jerking copper wire with a Pfleuger 4 spoon right on bottom for lakers and I snagged something that I thought was a tree branch from the bottom. When I got it up to the boat I realized it was my lost rod and reel still in good condition (before the zebras came) and I had engraved my name on the reel so I was absolutely sure of the ownership . I disassembled the reel when I got home dried it out and put it back together and I still have it down cellar What do you suppose the odds are of that happening?

What about the workbench and the work shoes Nick?