Ice thickness below Long Island locks on the Rideau?

[68special]

Hi folks,

I'm trying to see if anyone tried going below the locks through the ice yet and if there is stable ice?

Thanks...

[Ragehunter]

Should be no issue with ice there.
Given there are folks on White Lake, at Shirley's Bay and at Petrie, Long Island should be more than safe.
I have fished there a lot over the past yrs, never an issue at this time.
If unsure, take a spud with you or drill a few test holes.
Cheers!

[68special]

Thanks Ragehunter. I'll be checking the thickness this week.

[Ragehunter]

Ice was 12 inches thick yesterday at the Locks (I measured it).
Water pooled by the shore so be sure to wear higher boots to get across it.
Managed a small walleye in 2 hrs of fishing.
Cheers!

[68special]

Yes.
There is plenty of ice. Was there today. Watch for thawed shoreline which has thin ice over main ice but as previously mentioned there is not much water so 8 inch boots would be fine. That shoeline will surely freeze solid this week.

[Piscivore]

Since the schools are having a one day strike on Wednesday and I have both kids, I'm going to take them out to Long Island for some panfish in the morning. Would someone care to share some advice on where to position myself to get the kids on fish faster. I'm not very familiar with icefishing that area and the kids (3 & 6) have very little patience for searching around.

Should I go above the locks to long reach or below them by Nichols Island? Any depths or sides I should target?

I'm not looking to steal anybodies spot, but some advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

[Lakerchaser]

I've only every fished the lower part there. Basically just behind the parking lot is where I go. In the past years I've managed a few 3-4 inch perch. Smallest fish competition kinda stuff. Only been there once this year, got one little tap and that's it. It can be pretty messy at that spot btw. If it snows a lot water can come up through the hole and you will have water on top of the ice. The shoreline can also be in rough shape sometimes. When I went this year there was about 6 inches of water above the ice at the shoreline. Maybe yesterdays and todays cold has frozen that over though.

Best of luck

[Piscivore]

Unfortunately, I think below the locks will be out of the question tomorrow. I drove by to check it out today and the shoreline has a thin crust of ice over a lot of water. I have the soaker to prove it.

So I guess I will try above the locks where the ice seems to be in better condition and shoreline access is easier. I measured about 8 Inches of ice. I don't mind if the perch are small as long as the kids can catch some. Maybe I should look for some nightcrawlers tonight to tip their jigs.

[Piscivore]

Well that didn't pan out. We were out for 5 hours with the kids and caught nothing! I drilled around 35 holes and couldn't find a bite. I've caught perch there in the summer, but I don't know where they are now. Also, there was a deep puddle around the shoreline in the afternoon. Unfortunately, my son slipped off the sled when we were crossing it. Quite a surprise for him and he was not impressed

The ice was about 16" thick near shore and reduced to about 7" over the channel in the middle. I would avoid the narrower parts upstream, it looked to be thinning too much for my comfort.

[68special]

Hi folks!
Has anyone tried this week at this location?

I'm bringing a bunch of kids over but not sure about ice conditions given the recent thaw then all this sticky snow. I'll be driving by today and drilling some holes to check it out.

Thanks...