Rock Creek Double Header

The past two weekends I have spent two days and about 10 hours ice fishing at Rock Creek Lake.  I have literally seen the lake start to change into open water.  This past Sunday, David Bowles and I ventured to "The Rock" for a Sunday morning trip.  We fished the deep basin area, a place that I have done well in all year long down there.  It was no different, schools of fish swimming by, and we were there to intercept them and bring them up to the ice.  This past Sunday, we caught dozens of bluegills and crappies, probably about 80% of them were bluegills.  David was bound and determined to "Take some meat home", and he did, about 35 panfish for a large family meal or two. 

A typical Rock Creek Lake bluegill

The fishing this day was typical late season ice fishing, deep basin fishing.  To my knowledge, these fish at Rock Creek, although the lake was about 20% open water, have NOT gone to their ice-out areas.  These ice-out areas are typically up shallower than they have been in the late ice fishing season.  The panfish at Rock Creek are the best they have been since I moved to the area in 1999.  The bluegills have length, and the crappies are nothing to shy away from.  I love Rock Creek Lake, and my ice fishing friends and I have had some awesome days fishing that lake through the ice.  Perhaps Mother Nature will allow me a few more hours on the lake before that beautiful ice melts.