[Cutthroat]

Find a phone listing for one of the businesses on Dowdy Lake road by West Lake (the little convenience store, or the Sportsman's Cafe. Last year, I used to call the Cafe in the morning to find out what the ice and winds were like up there before leaving home. You can also gauge the winds by visiting this site http://users.nunntelwb.com/niedenzu/weather.htm, which has weather from a private weather recording station in Red Feather Highlands.

 

[Cutthroat]

Green or brown Bekeley Micro Nymphs on 1/8 to 1/16 oz. jig heads work great at Dowdy, too - no additional bait necessary with these things, but a small tipper for extra scent/flavor doesn't hurt. Jig them near the bottom, or within 5 feet under the ice, and you can usually clean up on stockers and a few browns, there.

 

[Cutthroat]

Some of the biggest suckers I've seen anyone catch came out of Dowdy Lake on crawlers through the ice! If I knew where to find them consistently, I'd fish there for all my laker bait.

 

[Cutthroat]

try just a piece on a small jig head or a hook and sinker. Big suckers pull like crazy.

 

[Cutthroat]

I'm still thinking about Parvin for Saturday morning, but might go to Dowdy instead. Look for the blaze orange handwarmer tube on my waste.

 

[Cutthroat]

I actually do mean waste - I go on the lake, and stash my handwarmer nearby.

OF COURSE I MEAN "W-A-I-S-T" !

 

[Cutthroat]

I'm gettin' the itch so bad I might sneak up to Parvin tomorrow morning.

 

[Cutthroat]

I hear you.  I think I've re-organized my stuff three times.  I've even put on all my clothes just to make sure it all still fits.  Can't wait till dowdy sat morning!

I just finished patching all the slices I made in my cheap snowpants by brushing them against my auger blade last year. I would think I had been careful and avoided the slices, but my wife kept finding them. I've had all my ice gear in the car for over a week now, since hitting Chambers after Turkeyday. I want more.

 

[Cutthroat]

....  But I can't say for sure my arm has been making vertical jigging motions on it's own for about a day now.

The pile of clothes is looking mighty comfy about now think I'll take a break.

Dude, you'll go blind!

 

[Cutthroat]

I drove up to Red Feather this afternoon and found Parvin and West Lakes are solid and fishable. Dowdy is probably 85-90% iced, with some open water near the islands and near the Eastern side of the dam. I fished for an hour in the Northwest corner in one of my favorite spots. Apparently someone else favorite spot, too - used their holes. I estimate the ice in that area was about 3-4" thick, solid and unmoving. Weather was windy and snow starting around 2:30. I'll post in reports on what I caught