Ice fishing on Oregon reservoir can yield large trout

The ominous sound of the ice expanding and contracting beneath our feet came every few minutes or so, at random. It was hard to ignore because it sounded distinctly like cracking.

The three experienced ice fishermen with me did not give the sound a second thought, but they could sense my unease.

"When it cracks right between your legs in the spring, it's even more nerve-racking," said Herb Ekstrom.

The 72-year-old Ekstrom, along with Jack Ensworth, 83, and Bob Butcher, 82, have been ice fishing on Chickahominy Reservoir for nearly 50 years.

The trio from Bend seemed content in their camping chairs positioned next to holes the anglers had drilled in the ice, so I figured all was safe.

Remote Chickahominy, in Harney County about 100 miles southeast of Bend and 30 miles west of Burns just north of U.S. Highway 20, offers Northwest anglers a unique opportunity in the winter. Each year, typically from about mid-December to mid-February, the 500-acre reservoir is transformed from a fly-fishing hot spot to an ice-fishing … well, hot spot.

The same thing that brings fly anglers to Chickahominy in the summer draws ice anglers in the winter: healthy rainbow trout ranging in length from 16 to 18 inches.

On a cold, sunny Saturday, dozens of anglers could be found drilling holes with their ice augers and waiting for a bite on Chickahominy.

Tim Walters, a fisheries biologist at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife office in nearby Hines, said he will never tell anglers the ice is safe because ice conditions can vary across the reservoir and from day to day.

But Walters was fishing on this day.

"I'm not worried about the ice at all," he said, after drilling a hole with his ice auger, a long tool with blades on the end that is turned manually to cut through the ice.

Walters took a measuring stick and set it against the inside of the hole. (For safety, ice-fishing holes can be no longer than 12 inches in diameter, according to Walters.) He noted a total of 7 inches of ice — 5 inches of strong, clear ice, and 2 inches of more slushy, weaker ice on top.

According to www.survive-outdoors.com, 7 inches of solid ice is enough to drive a single-passenger automobile safely on the lake — but nobody was driving a car onto Chickahominy.

"You're never going to get me out there in my truck," Walters said.

Two inches of solid ice can safely support one person on foot, according to the Web site.

With a few days of unseasonably warm weather, the ice at Chickahominy can get sketchy, Walters explained. Ice loses strength when temperatures are above freezing for more than 24 hours, he said.

Most ice fishermen use their regular fishing rods, though short rods of about 4 feet in length are made specifically for ice fishing. Ice anglers normally keep their bait close to the bottom of the lake.

Typical bait on Chickahominy includes worms, Power Bait, shrimp, corn, salmon eggs and marshmallows. Or, as Ensworth said, "Whatever your mother has left over in the kitchen, we take it."

Some ice anglers jig flies and lures, but most use bait.

"The beauty of ice fishing is you don't have to cast," Walters said. "If you don't like your spot, go drill another hole."

On Saturday, fishermen were drilling to find deeper water, about 5 to 6 feet deep, which indicates a channel where fish are more likely to congregate. The 500-acre reservoir is low this year, averaging just a few feet deep in most places, Walters said.

After two hours without any bites, Ekstrom, Ensworth and Butcher were getting a little impatient. But Chickahominy — or "Chicky," as they affectionately call it — still got positive reviews from the longtime ice fishermen.

"It's probably the best fishing in Central Oregon, as far as I'm concerned," Ekstrom said. "It's got some great rainbow trout that other reservoirs closer to Bend don't seem to have. We like the peace and tranquility here, and today is an ideal day. Sometimes, the wind is really ripping."

Ensworth said he likes ice fishing mostly for the camaraderie with his buddies. But occasionally on Saturday their exchanges were more like scenes from "Grumpy Old Men," the early 1990s movie in which two fictional ice fishermen feud relentlessly. After Butcher drilled his hole just a few feet from his friend, Ensworth asked, "Why would you drill a hole so close?"

"If you're a friend it's OK to drill close by, but maybe not if you're an enemy," Butcher responded.

Replied Ensworth: "When I'm fishing, everybody is my enemy."

And on and on the banter continued.

Butcher was the only one among the trio to catch a fish before I left, a shiny 17-incher that he set on the ice. I got a bite, but apparently I was too slow to set the hook.

One angler from Hines had two beautiful rainbow trout lying on the ice next to him. But he would not give me his name, for fear he would "get in trouble" with his fishing buddies for talking to a reporter about Chickahominy. The locals, it seems, would prefer to keep the ice to themselves.

But there's plenty of room on the reservoir in the winter, and anglers do not need a boat to find their spot.

"This is the one time," Ens-worth said, "we can walk on water."

Mark Morical can be reached at 541-383-0318 or at mmorical@bendbulletin.com.