2/10/17 Cold weather has helped tighten the lakes back up for the weekend. Anglers were out on Hamilton, Hills Creek, and Beechwood Lakes today. Unfortunately, the warm up damaged Hammond too much, and the lake will remain unfishable. The same is true for most of Tioga and Cowanesque, but anglers did find a few spots with fishable ice. Keep in mind, these lakes freeze and thaw differently and areas like the west end of Cowanesque have opened up and refroze a number of times this winter. Wherever you go, use a spud bar and check the ice constantly as you venture out!
The trout have been biting well on Beechwood! Fly jigs tipped with waxworms have been a winning combination this week. Also, fatheads on tipups have produced fish. Anglers reported 6-7 inches of ice and solid edges.
The bite was tough at Hills Creek these past few days, but anglers were catching some nice bluegills and sunfish early in the morning, plus a few crappies before daybreak and around sunset. Pickerel are still being caught in good numbers throughout the day using live shiners and fatheads. One angler caught this beauty of a walleye yesterday fishing the stumps end in 4 feet of water.