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There was no place to fish during the East Coast Deep Freeze of 2017/2018. It was bitterly cold and windy for weeks. I was informed that the most of creeks and marinas along the Atlantic Ocean, from VA to New England were frozen, and there were fish kills due to the cold water. So, I headed for Dike 3 (cold side) in Lake Anna on Jan 7, 2018. There is a power plant that feeds the warn water to the lake.
I found none was fishing on a frigid day. The water temp at Dike 3 was lower than average of this time of the year by about 20 F.
I sprayed the reels (spools) with “Reel Magic”. This helps when the reels get iced up (100% chance). I did not bring bait-casting reels. They aren’t quite for the cold days when spools get iced up immediately.
I had a large bottle of hot water in my cooler so I can keep drinks and food unfrozen for 8-10 hours.
2 GoPro cameras didn’t work before I launch and in the early morning few times during fishing due to the cold air temp even though batteries were new. I learned in the past that Gopro or other cameras didn’t work somewhere under 10 F. So I warmed up GoPro cameras using the hot air from the dashboard in my truck. And I used my smart phone for some video footage.
I was careful, but still dunked one reel in the water. So I had to come back to the truck for a new rod and reel combo. I again dunked the replacement reel. Once ice builds up inside the reels, reels don’t work properly.
I caught 5 striper (no hybrid), 4 at 18-19” and 1 at 22”.
Video Fishing Log:
Thanks
Joe
I found none was fishing on a frigid day. The water temp at Dike 3 was lower than average of this time of the year by about 20 F.
- Air Temp: 2 – 20 F
- Water Temp: 38-42 F (lower than average by 20 F)
- Wind: 2 – 10 MPH (Luckily, it was a calm day)
I sprayed the reels (spools) with “Reel Magic”. This helps when the reels get iced up (100% chance). I did not bring bait-casting reels. They aren’t quite for the cold days when spools get iced up immediately.
I had a large bottle of hot water in my cooler so I can keep drinks and food unfrozen for 8-10 hours.
2 GoPro cameras didn’t work before I launch and in the early morning few times during fishing due to the cold air temp even though batteries were new. I learned in the past that Gopro or other cameras didn’t work somewhere under 10 F. So I warmed up GoPro cameras using the hot air from the dashboard in my truck. And I used my smart phone for some video footage.
I was careful, but still dunked one reel in the water. So I had to come back to the truck for a new rod and reel combo. I again dunked the replacement reel. Once ice builds up inside the reels, reels don’t work properly.
I caught 5 striper (no hybrid), 4 at 18-19” and 1 at 22”.
Video Fishing Log:
Thanks
Joe
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