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Date: February 22, 2019 Body of Water: McEwen Lake Boat: None, Ice Fishing With: KS Target: Pike and Panfish Time: 3:15 PM - 6:45 PM Conditions: 30 - 35 degrees F, clear, pretty calm. Ice was covered with just a dusting of snow, slushy in certain areas, and about 10 inches thick. I had convinced KS to meet me at McEwen for a rare weekday evening session. My goal was to come home with a single crappie for gyotaku (representing a better class; say, 12 inches), as well as to contribute to a nice panfish meal for him. McEwen Lake has generally offered a predictable bite for suspended crappies, with additional action on tip-ups for pike. The moderate weather boded well, and I was looking forward to ending a couple of long work weeks with a pleasant outdoor experience. And, it was! But the fishing was not what I'd expected. KS was already on the ice when I arrived; he'd already set his pike traps in about 15 feet of water. I scouted a couple of open holes in the basin; the first two, in 30 - 31 feet of water revealed nothing, but the third, in 36 feet and closer to my accustomed area, showed considerable life in the bottom third of the water column. Nothing responded to my jig or Swedish Pimple, but I knew that it was early and that this area would likely come to life as the evening evolved. I set my tip-ups in 20 - 26 feet of water off an adjacent point, theoretically targeting larger pike. Traps set, KS and I proceeded to wander around the basin enclosed by the semi-circle of our traps. We opened a dozen or more holes, in depths from 22 feet to 42 feet. I tended to roam quickly amongst our spots; a quick scan and drop was usually enough to convince me to move on. KS tended to hover over particular spots in deeper water, where life was more consistently evident. My first clue that conditions were not "normal", at least as defined by my previous experience, was that my first panfish bite (4 PM) came in our shallowest hole (22 feet deep), and less than 10 feet down. After teasing my mark for several minutes, it finally bit my waxworm-tipped Pimple, and I slid a bluegill (7 - 8 inches) through the ice. Not exactly what I wanted or expected; but Something! I made a round through our tip-ups to wake up our baits and then continued to explore for panfish. I convinced myself that the "life" that was so evident in the deeper holes was planktonic; a waxworm tore off my bait and revealed a much brighter target on my sonar as it descended through the depths. I started to focus on targets higher in the water column. After several refusals, I downsized to the point where I was only presenting a single waxie on a tungsten teardrop jig. At about 6 PM, in 28 feet of water, I teased a mark from about 11 feet down up to about 7 feet; it finally ate, and I was super pleased to slide a nice, 11-but-not-quite-12 inch crappie onto the ice. My screen still had a couple of marks; I dropped back down and immediately scored a solid but smaller crappie. This fish ate 9 or 10 feet down. Meanwhile, KS landed a bluegill from the top of the column in 37 feet of water. Things were looking up; but, things were over, too! We stayed until almost 7 PM, but the rate of targets showing themselves diminished; and their corresponding rate of refusal increased. What do I have to say about this? This was my second consecutive trip to McEwen with disappointing crappie fishing. My first concern was about crappie population cycles; perhaps the fish I expected were simply not available. My continuing concern is seasonal oxygen availability; I saw little fish activity below 15 feet, and all of our bites came from the top 11 (or so) feet. With not much time on the water recently and a limited scope of experience on this lake, I simply did not react to the conditions (or my interpretation of them) quickly enough. I'll consider this trip a simple, pleasant investment. Maybe it will provide dividends on a future trip when I am confronted with a similar bite. And, I did modestly achieve the goals for the trip, while enjoying some comfortable outdoor conditions with a good friend. I could take such a Friday afternoon on a weekly basis! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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