Spring at the Berry means an empty ice sheet

The sky appeared cold and stark, but the air below didn't match the frigid appearance of the ice clouds above. Sterile white was beginning to give way to rough browns and greens as the sun was taking its toll on winter.

My Vexilar also showed green at my lure's depth, but quickly turned red as a hungry trout circled. I moved my hand ever so slowly toward the butt of my pole, as I was fearful the fish would spook otherwise. The tip dipped quickly down, and I lifted solidly. After a thumping-hard fight, a purple-clad cutthroat measuring 23 inches was slowly slid back down into the near-freezing water.

In spite of the warming temps in the Wasatch Front valleys, two words still mean excellent ice fishing. Those words would be "Spring" and "Strawberry."

We start licking our chops and prepping for sunburn in late winter, but many anglers begin to pull out boats, patch their tubes, and get out the fly rod for a close-up preventive maintenance. And that's a good thing, because we all seem to enjoy the summer months of our favorite pastime. However, when you can be alone on the 'Berry and the fishing is hot, that's my kind of weekend getaway.

There's a feeling of soaking in everything in late-season ice fishing. You just don't know when it might be your last time looking down an 8-inch hole for another 10 months. The roar of a power auger sounds so nice, and the cooling breeze feels good against an otherwise hot sun. And slot-plus cutts are a great battle on the short poles.

A couple of things need closer scrutiny during late ice, with some of those being a more specific concern for leader lengths, size of attractors and lures, and fresh bait. While the fish are generally aggressive as they anticipate ice-off as well, lighter fluorocarbon lines are beneficial. A slightly longer leader in 4-pound test, a minimum of 18 inches, also helps with not spooking fish as you work to jig them in for a closer look. Smaller spoons, jigs and ice flies also seem to add to our fish count in the spring. And I can't insist enough on the freshest bait you can find; no one likes a stale meal.

Jon hooked up, with his second-pole's bells ringing out across the barren lake as far as Haws Point. After two nice runs, an out-of-the-slot cutthroat trout was slid onto the ice and quickly unhooked. I had caught most of the battle on video and would continue to do so for most of the morning. In addition, some recorded Aqua-Vu action also made for new perspectives on the hookup, battle, and venture up the ice hole that would spice up our home movie.

The full body gyrations and flexes of an angry trout are beautiful to see, and it's obvious what those broad tails are for: power. That we land as many trout as we do is almost amazing after seeing some of that footage.

We changed lures multiple times during the day, whenever the previously used lure begins to only draw looks but no bites from curious fish. A flasher fish finder is invaluable and can tell you many secrets to fish behaviors, too. The direction of attack and the speed by which a fish approaches are all important information in regards to catch rates.

The second time I went back to a white/pink twister tail grub was the last time I had to change that day. My final dozen fish or so all came on that same jig, with only a slight change in jigging technique; to nothing. A dead stick approach became hot as the sun climbed, and all I gave my jig was the occasional action of the "buzzer" option on the pole. This amounts to little more than a slight quiver, according to the underwater camera.

I love the way you slowly begin to lift the pole, as the wire bobber makes a slight but quick dip, and feel the weight of the fish just before driving the hook home. Then to listen to the drag sing out is one of the sweetest sounds an ice angler can hear. No running up and down the bank to chase that guy, or kicking on the trolling motor to close the gap he's created on you, just standing over that hole doing all you can to get that fish in hand.

Several spurts of fast catches came as small schools of trout moved through our area. These fish were hot, and multiple doubles caused a lot of confusion with getting lines back into the water. In situations like this, we've found that a Second Pole Permit is almost a hazard, rather than a boon to success.

Now that's a nice problem to have paid for.

When Brad Kerr isn't fishing he can be reached at bradkfisherman@msn.com