[hatchmaster]

Fished dowdy from 8-12 this morning. Ice was about 12-14 inches. Weather was great, couldn't ask for more. I've never seen so many people out there before. There were at least 30 people around me and more at other spots on the lake. Lots of action for stocker sized bows and browns. Started out using kasty with a little jig below it and caught one and a few hits. Switched to a blue ratso or shrimpo (which ever is straight not curved) and was getting bites like crazy. I landed about 12 with the largest about 13 inches. Those jigs are easy to ruin when removing from the fish. I mangled all my blue ones and had to switch colors and the fish turned off. Tipped em with a mealworm and fished em right off the bottom. It was great! I got a digitial camera for christmas so lets see if these pics work.

Not the best pics of the fish but I'm glad I can post pics now. I got the yellow bibs from my dad, they are for sailing but they worked great. I met elvis out there and talked with him. I hope you did well out there and got your camera working. All in all it was a great day!

 

[3109elvis]

It was nice talking to you too,Hatchmaster and yes it was a great,great,day.Nice pics.got the cam. working more or less got some imag.on the monitor, but not very sharp,gotta kepp plaing with it somemore.
I cought a total of six trouts about the same sices as yours,not bad for the first time Icefishing by myself I say, I got some of the Icefishing videos from In-Fisherman ,Part 1,part2,and one about jiggin at Sportsman Warehouse and I watched them all yesterday alltogheter they where three hrs. long;it helped a lot,love them.
Wore my dog out pretty much,she was so tierd,by the time I got into the drivers seat ,she was alrady asleep, all the way home,sound asleep,she loves to go fishing with me,I go again tomorrow and she would too;but no.
I loved my "ESKIMO BARRACUDA HANDAUGER" that thing went through 12-15" of ice in no less than three minutes,drilled four holes all together in about 18.min.I watched out not to fall on the ice ,but my luck run out six feet of the soft shore when we where leaving,hurt my left knee a bid and my left wrist,that martial arts training for the last ten years paid off,again for me,we learnd how to fall and how to protect as from falling it could have been worest.
All in all it was a great,great day and man it was warm too.

 

[Cutthroat]

Elvis, 3 minutes seems like a long time to go through 14" of ice with a new hand auger. Was it difficult to crank?

Anyway, glad you had a good time.

Hatchmaster: Dowdy is crowded like that on Holidays and weekends for most of the winter once the ice gets to be 12" or so, especially in the Northwester corner, and all along the west shore. It's a favorite place for many folks to bring their kids. I fish up there while my wife ice skates around the lake, sometimes (when she's not fishing).

 

[hatchmaster]

That does seem like a little longer than it should take. My new 6" mora is great. I think I was beating the guys with the power augers through the ice.

 

[Cutthroat]

I always beat the gas augers through on 12-18" of ice by hand with my Mora. I think the gas auger guys just don't maintain their blades as much as I do.

 

[kokaneeking]

i can drill threw 18 inches of ice in about 30 seconds with my new blades, power augers are good, but i have seen some people drill threw the ice pretty quick with hand augers

 

[Cutthroat]

New blades on a good hand auger are a great thing.

 

[JohnnyO19]

We got my little nephew for a couple of days, think I'll head up to Dowdy tommorrow with the kids. Hope the weather holds up. PM me if anyone else is going to be up there on WED.

 

[JohnnyO19]

Also, has anyone fished West Lake this year yet?

 

[Cutthroat]

lotsa small browns - squirting egg all over the place. Good source of bait.

 

[3109elvis]

Elvis, 3 minutes seems like a long time to go through 14" of ice with a new hand auger.  Was it difficult to crank? 

Anyway, glad you had a good time.

Hatchmaster:  Dowdy is crowded like that on Holidays and weekends for most of the winter once the ice gets to be 12" or so, especially in the Northwester corner, and all along the west shore.  It's a favorite place for many folks to bring their kids.  I fish up there while my wife ice skates around the lake, sometimes (when she's not fishing).

No it wasn't to hard to crank at all,just need more practice that's all
went to Chambers today 18.5"of ice up there and it took me about ,maybe 5 to 8 minutes for one hole to drill.Caught tree Macs. in two hrs. no wind but it snowed nicely,man it was so quiet just loved it.

 

[Cutthroat]

That's what I like about Chambers, too.  Five minutes seems very long for 18.5" of ice, but maybe you really do just need to do some more training!  Afterall, the ice this year is clear and black, and some hand augers don't really handle that kind of ice as well as others.

 

[epic]

That's what I like about Chambers, too. Five minutes seems very long for 18.5" of ice, but maybe you really do just need to do some more training! Afterall, the ice this year is clear and black, and some hand augers don't really handle that kind of ice as well as others.

Maybe thats an average like me takes 2 mins for the first hole and 7 mins for the 2nd... yeah about 5 mins per hole.

 

[idratherbfishing]

Takes about a minute or so for every hole with my power auger! ;D

Dan

 

[Cutthroat]

That's what it takes with MY hand auger - troublemaker!

 

[epic]

Takes about a minute or so for every hole with my power auger! ;D

Dan

Takes you 45 mins to get it started though.



Ok Ok I'm jealous.

 

[Cutthroat]

I'm not jealous, my power drill setup puts a hand auger through the ice faster than most gas augers I've seen, and it's lighter, less expensive, and has zero emissions. A fact is a fact.

 

[JohnnyO19]

Hey bottom line; Elvis, I'm so glad you got back out there, and enjoyed the great sport of ice fishing! It really is a great time being out in the middle of nowhere, with not alot of people(hopefully) and catching fish! look forward to fishing with ya again soon!

 

[razorsedge31]

Hey Does anyone know wwhere westlake is or how to get to it. I know where dowdy is just not sure where westlake is. Thanks!

 

[Cutthroat]

Drive up highway 287 toward Laramie and hang a left at County Rd. 74E (The Forks/Livermore turnoff).  Drive another 22 or so miles. You will have passed one good-sized lake on the right (Parvin), and then some signs for the West Lake Campground (closed now, I think).  The next road you come to on the right will have a small convenience/grocery store first thing on the left, and first thing on the right is a parking area with a pit toilet.  Pull in there, and you are right at the West Lake Dam and the lake is within feet of you (can't see it from the road - the dam is alittle above road level). It's a small lake, but there are a few big brown trout in there, if you get lucky, and the DOW stocks a few big trout in one or more of the Red Feather Lakes each fall for the ice fishing season, so you might be able to pick up a lunker.