Ice fishing finally kicks in

By Dan Ladd, Chronicle Outdoors Editor

Saturday’s sunrise on Glen Lake sure was a pretty sight. More than 180 ice anglers turned out for the Glen Lake ice fishing derby, and conditions couldn’t have been better. Six-plus inches of ice allowed anglers to fish just about anywhere on the lake, and more fish were caught this year than at any of the previous derbies.

The rainbow trout were certainly the star of the show. Ron “Cubby Buttons” Nadler, one of my hunting buddies from the Iron Sight Gang, handles the official measuring. This is a length-first tournament. Cubby kept a tally of this year’s creel, and also had last year’s results in his notebook.

It’s become apparent that the stocking efforts by both the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and especially the Warren County Fish Hatchery have resulted in an excellent winter rainbow trout fishery, which we certainly hope will last.

I’ve been involved with this tournament for all seven years that Christine Mozal of the Docksider has organized it as a fundraiser. I was also involved in three similar tournaments held previously by the Dunhams Bay Fish and Game Club. Early on, few, if any rainbow trout were brought to the scales. That’s changed dramatically.

Weeks before last year’s tournament we ran a photo of a huge rainbow trout weighing over six pounds that was caught by young Gabe Smith. The e-mail I received said the fish was over 28 inches, but I later heard it was 26. Still, that’s a lunker and the biggest that I’ve heard of coming out of Glen Lake.

Last year Cubby measured nine rainbow trout, a jump from previous tournaments. The biggest was just under 20 inches.

Saturday morning’s fishing weather was beyond comfortable. We were hanging out on the deck at the Docksider when we heard a commotion on the ice. Our initial reaction was that someone was in trouble, but it soon became obvious that an angler was having a real good time.

About 15 minutes later I was inside when Cubby slid open the back door and said, “You might wanna come and take a look at this one.” Dominic Latulip, an angler from Ballston Spa, looked like a hunter who just bagged a 12-point buck. “This is the biggest rainbow I’ve ever caught,” he said excitedly. “It’s going on the wall.”

I looked on as Cubby measured the fish — 21 3/16 inches long; 3 pounds, 6 ounces. It was a tremendous fish and before the day was over 18 rainbow trout were measured. I spoke to a number of anglers who got their limit of five.

We’ll publish the full results in our ice fishing wrap-up later this season. Let’s hope the rainbow trout fishing at Glen Lake remains this viable, especially into the spring when everyone has trout fever. For now, it’s all about the ice.

Big Northern caught on Sacandaga

Last week’s cool-down was certainly beneficial for Lake George. Anglers have been finding fishable ice off Million Dollar Beach and in Bolton Landing. Perch fishing is all the rage but anglers have iced some lake trout as well as landlocked Atlantic salmon. Ice depth varies around the lake from up to five inches to as little as one. So, be careful out there and pay attention to the thermometer.

Meanwhile, a story of a monster northern pike has come in, caught by Bob Hatch of Fort Edward at Great Sacandaga Lake. He and three friends, including licensed guide Logan Ostrander, had been fishing for over six hours without seeing a flag when finally one flipped Hatch’s tip-up.

The rig was in 20 feet of water with a five-inch sucker on for bait. Hatch said the reel was “spinning like mad” and that when they got to the tip-up it had spooled out about 100 feet of line. When they finally saw the fish, they knew it was a good one.

They finally tuckered it out enough to get it through the hole. It barely fit. The big female northern pike measured 43 inches. They didn’t have a scale, but they estimated it to be 25 pounds. To their credit, they put the big breeder back in the lake.

“I’ve fished since I was 15, but I am by no means an expert,” said Hatch. “I was very fortunate and am very grateful the guys were there to talk me through it and share the experience. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life and I will never forget the water wolf.”

Great Sacandaga Lake, of course, holds the state record for northern pike, which dates back to Peter Dubuc’s 46-pounder, caught in 1940. That one measured 52.5-inches. Maybe Hatch could tack a few more pounds on this one?

Ice safety – self rescue

A number of news outlets, including local TV stations, have had recent segments regarding ice safety, and with good reason. But the best one I’ve seen was The Weather Channel’s survival expert Creek Stewart demonstrating a self-rescue.

Stewart submerged himself in icy water and then got himself out of it and back on the ice, and eventually on his feet. He said the first thing you need to do is calm yourself down, which is not easy due to the shock of the cold water. But you have to be thinking clearly, and not panicking.

He said the ice around the hole you just fell through will be soft and that you likely will not be able to just climb back out and walk away. The ice won’t be able support your weight, which is the reason you fell through in the first place.

You need to spread your weight out over the ice as you emerge from the water. Stewart placed his arms as far out and widespread in front of him as he could. He then began kicking his feet, just as if he were swimming. This positioned his body parallel to the ice and helped propel him up onto it, on his belly. He did put some weight on his hands but mostly used his arms to pull himself along the ice as he kicked in the water with his feet.

Also, and very important, he stayed on his belly and basically did a belly crawl until he was 15 or 20 feet away from the hole. Again, this dispersed his weight. Eventually he stood up. I thought the segment was brilliant and have been looking for it online, but haven’t found it yet.

The technique could also work if help is available, primarily if someone tossed the submerged person a rope. Again, it’s all about kicking and weight dispersement.

One thing I’d add is use of ice picks. Most anglers carry them. They are a must on the ice, especially in years like this one. The other item to have is rope so you can help someone else in this kind of trouble.

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