Submitted by cowde012 on Tue, 2016-03-08 11:55 Waybinahbe - 650 Gitche Gumee - 663 Vote Up Down +20 + DSCN3710.JPG With this winter's ice fishing season quickly coming to a close, I thought I'd share a few highlights from this year. After a couple days of painfully slow brook trout fishing I got to ring in the New Year with some of the best fishing I'd had in a long time. The action lasted all day long and I released several 8-12 inchers. Out of the lot I kept these three-- DSCN3660.JPG That day was followed by a dry spell, though not for a lack of trying! On other troutings a few small brookies and splake were caught and released, but none of the action was as remarkable as that day. Poor weather and home improvement projects interrupted the hunt for brookies and it wasn't until the begining of March that I realized I had been wasting time. With the weather forecast predicting mid 40s and even 50s I decided I had better take some time off work and get out while the snow conditions were still good. The pay off was excellent and the fishing was worth every mile I put on. DSCN3677.JPG A few hours of jigging produced two beautiful 17 inchers and sightings of several more decent fish. Having never fished the lake I was on before this year I considered it a great success! DSCN3697.JPG While these two were quite the catch I had seen a larger female that same day and couldn't stand that I had not been able to entice her to strike. All weekend I thought about that fish and when Monday rolled around I was determined to try again. Despite the warm weather I ventured out and spent the day jigging a bit shallower than I had been before (about 8 or 9 feet instead of 12) and man was a stoked when it paid off! Had I been close to anyone else they may have thought I went mad when, after a long fight, I was able to scoop this baby out of the hole and onto the ice! DSCN3704.JPG All of 21 inches it made my winter season--though with only a few weeks left I will be out every chance I get to see what else lurks beneath the ice.