The 2022/2023 ice fishing season was another great one. I was able to get out a few times with some kids, many times with my ice buddies and squeezed in a few over night trips too. We covered a lot of lakes throughout the season and hit the Mississippi River a few days also. As I write this, there is still ice available to fish in the Okoboji area, but with the waters thawed and the rivers flowing it is time to shift to the boats. We didn't try too many new locations this winter, but one that we did try will see us again next winter. 5 Island lake, known for its large population of Yellow Bass was a great trip. Yellows are a favorite of mine to chase, and this lake seems to be full of them. We had a group of six of us there for a couple of days and we will certainly be visiting there again next season. The yellow bass are not the large size like found in Clear Lake, but most of them are of cleaning size and they have that yellow bass attitude, which I love. Clear Lake continues to put out some great fish during late ice times. Walleyes, crappies and BIG Yellow Bass make the trip worth it every time. The smaller lakes that dot Eastern Iowa still perform for short trips, and I keep trying a few new ones each year. As this closes out the ice season, I have already booked our annual early ice trip to the Okoboji Lake system, perhaps the best fishery in the state. Time to get the gear all charged up and safely put away until November.
