Fishing Report for December 12, 2006

Ice buildup on lakes has picked up after our late season start.

Most roadside lakes in the area have about 18 to 22 inches of ice, 100 ft offshore. Very little snow lies on top of the ice. Lakes freeze from the shoreline out and ice is thinner in the middle of lakes, as well as over the deeper basins. There may also be pockets of thin ice over shallower water. Ice around inlet and outlet streams will be thinner than other shoreline areas. Also remember that ice over the swampy, boggy areas along the shorelines of lakes may be thin.

The following ice thickness measurements were taken around November 15, 2006:

Date	Lake	Snow Cover	Ice Thickness	Distance from Shore
11/17/06	Lost Lake	2”	13”	75’ (AB, RQ)
11/17/06	Lost Lake	2”	13”	150’ (AB, RQ)
11/17/06	Birch Lake	2”	13.5”	100’ (AB, RQ)
11/17/06	Birch Lake	2”	13.5”	200’ (AB, RQ)
11/17/06	Chena Lake	2”	11.5”	75’ (AB, RQ)
11/17/06	Chena Lake	2”	11.5”	100’ (AB, RQ)
11/12/06	Harding Lake	-	9”	center of boat ramp (MD)
11/12/06	Harding Lake	-	7”	outer end of excavated channel (MD)
11/12/06	Harding Lake	-	7”	100’ out from channel (MD)
11/12/06	Harding Lake	-	10”	200’ out from channel (MD)
11/11/06	Quartz Lake	-	6”	300’ out from shore (FP)
11/17/06	Quartz Lake	-	10-11”	Fronty’s estimate

Ice thickness may vary from measured thickness. Always use extreme caution.

Overflow is likely to be present under areas of heavy snow

For the most part, rivers have many open leads. Ice in some areas is still likely very unsafe for travel. Thinnest ice is found over the most dangerous areas where the water is deep and swift.

Minimum lake ice thickness for one person on foot is two inches Minimum thickness for an automobile is eight inches. Keep in mind, however, that ice thickness on any given lake is variable. It is recommended that 4 to 5 inches be added to the minimum thicknesses for safety's sake and to account for the variability.

If you plan to set up an ice house and leave it overnight, you must register your house with fish and game. Just stop by the offices at 1300 College RD. and bring your fishing license. There is no fee, just a simple form to fill out. You will be issued a number to paint on your house and a winter's worth of fishing will be yours for the taking.

Fishing for stocked rainbow trout, landlocked salmon and Arctic char is usually good from freeze-up to mid-February. At least two of these species are stocked together in many lakes, so if one species isn't biting the other often is. Grayling can occasionally be taken through the ice in some stocked lakes. Birch, Quartz, and Chena Lakes are good bets for combinations of these species.

Please clean-up your ice fishing area when you leave. Garbage that is strewn around on the ice ends up polluting the water when the ice melts. No one wants to go out fishing and see evidence that someone has been there before them.

Ice fishing regulations allow each fisher a maximum of two hooks on one line or two set-ups with one hook on each. So, two poles or pole tip-up combinations can be used. The poles must be closely attended.

Burbot fishing should be picking up in the Tanana drainage. As noted above, however, river ice is extremely unsafe at this time. Setlines are permitted when fishing for burbot. Fishers wishing to target burbot should read the special regulations on the right side of page 9 in the Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary. Setlining is prohibited in some lakes, so check the regulations. The best bait for burbot is fresh whitefish, smelt or herring. The head, fins, and viscera of sport caught fish can also be used for bait. The meat of sport fish species cannot be used as bait.

Remember that your fishing license expires at the end of the year. Be sure to get your new fishing license before sport fishing in 2007.

This report will be updated as conditions warrant and new ice thickness data is obtained.

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