Lack of Ice is Nice: Some Area Fishermen Are Hooked By Mild Temperatures

By Tom Venesky, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Times Leader

Jan. 7–ne after another, Red Keener reeled in crappie at Frances Slocum Lake last Thursday. Every cast produced a fish, all of which Keener released back into the lake.

The Luzerne resident knew that crappie inhabited the area of the lake along Carverton Road and he expected the fishing to be good. What Keener didn’t expect was to be able to fish the open water in January.

“I can’t remember being able to fish open water this late in the winter like I’ve been able to the last few years,” Keener said. “I don’t ice fish so this is beautiful. It can stay like this for the rest of the winter.”

Mild temperatures and rain prevented ice from forming on area lakes and ponds. Anglers have no choice but to leave their tip-ups and jigging rods at home and fish the open water if they want to get out.

“The ice fishing season is definitely behind schedule and it’s not looking good for the end of January,” said Walt Dietz, aquatic resources program specialist with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s Northeast Region office. “I was planning on scheduling some family ice fishing clinics for February, but I’m hesitant. In past years we at least had ice forming on lakes by now.”

Dietz said anglers have been taking advantage of the open water. He has had reports of nice bass being caught in some local private ponds and anglers doing well on the Susquehanna River for walleye and Harveys Lake for brown trout.

“I tell anglers don’t put your equipment away just yet. Take advantage of the open water and get out there,” he said.

Typically, ponds and lakes in the northern part of the region see ice first. Mallia Evans, co-owner of Brady & Cavany Sporting Goods in Tunkhannock, said there was some ice a month ago on Lake Jean. Even though it was only 3 inches thick, Evans said there were people fishing. The PFBC says anything less than 3 inches is unsafe, and the agency recommends at least 4 inches of ice to support one angler, or 200 pounds.

The ice on Lake Jean disappeared quickly, Evans said, and anglers have been catching a lot of walleye on the Susquehanna River while they wait for cold weather.

“Things are upside down right now. I’m selling a lot of bait and we had to order more jigheads, just like it is in October,” she said.

Despite the influx of anglers to the open water, Evans said the business isn’t making up for the lost revenue generated by ice anglers.

“I’m afraid it’s (ice fishing season) going to be a bust this year,” she said. “We could still get a good month or more of the season if the temperatures fall just right, but I watch the weather forecast and it makes me sick.”

Ice fishing opportunities have been sparse for the last few years. Last winter, cold weather allowed anglers to fish through the ice in December, but the conditions faded when things warmed up in the first week of January. As a result, the Nanticoke Conservation Club had to cancel its annual ice fishing tournament on Moon Lake for the first time in years.

During the winter of 2004-2005, safe ice didn’t form until late January.

“One can attribute it to global warming or this could just be a short-term trend,” Dietz said. “We need more than just a few days of cold weather. We need bitter nights and days where it doesn’t get above freezing. It takes a while just to build up a base on the lakes.

“It’s not looking good for the immediate future, but anglers should stay optimistic. Maybe things will change drastically and we’ll get ice by the end of January or the beginning of February.”

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Copyright (c) 2007, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Times Leader

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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