Location | Rockport State Park
Reservoir Level | 51%
Ice Thickness | 14 inches, plus or minus in spots.
Ice Stability | Very slick but stable. Glare ice with a skiff of snow. Traction aids are advised.
Edges| The reservoir is rising and and the edges are buckling. Beware! the first linear 4-6 feet off the shore are melting and in our view inconsistent at best. Warm afternoons will make for open edges. Any vehicles or track sleds should be using a ramp or plank to access the ice.
Species | Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Yellow Perch
Fishing | Good, but not as easy as it was – Trout and Yellow Perch bite has been sporadic and has demanded some patience. The Perch have modified their behavior and are very transitory. They are moving around. We see large groups of fish swim through a zone and then they disappear. Trout fishing has been all about location and depth. Shallow water presentations have been effective as well as suspended jig patterns in the top 15 feet of the water column.
Time of Day | All Hours
Lures/Bait | Small tungsten jigs and assorted baits (Yellow Perch) | Soft plastics and jig heads with spikes and crawlers (Trout)
We are hopeful that the season can last through the end of the month. It will all depend on the weather conditions. If we continue in a warming direction, the reservoir will continue to rise at a rate that will make it very difficult to access the ice sheet. It’s a bummer because the ice sheet is as thick as we have ever seen it. Get out there and enjoy it while we have it. Be careful on the edges!
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