Nepa, North Jersey Ice Out Predictions! 2024
Sun Fish reply :
This is always fun. I'm going to guess last week of March around the 26th!
Dogmatic reply :
Just in time for fireworks, July 4th!
(In reality, March 31st)
Sun Fish reply :
I was on the water March 9th in 2013 
These brutal Februarys need to stop!
PAGreg reply :
I was on the susquehanna on March 13 of last year. It wasn't until the second week of April until the lakes opened. I'm thinking it's going to be later for the river this year but about the same for the lakes. I hope so, we have a tournament scheduled for April 11!
Sun Fish reply :
I'm really hoping its late March. I have a tourney on the 5th and the 11th also in North Jersey. Last year we had one the first weekend of April and we made ice out by literally one day and it worked out. This year is going to be another nail biter but the long range looks promising.
PAGreg reply :
Extended forecast is showing 50s and above freezing lows for 5 straight days beginning the 11th! Just what we need. Once we get rid of the snow pack on the ground, things will start to happen quickly.
tomustang reply :
This weather needs to warm up real soon, how many times must I reconfigure my tackle?
tomustang reply :
8-12in projected for thurs...
Dyna7329 reply :
Over the weekend, Coplay News Agency posted that there is 17" of ice on Leaser Lake. I'm imagining it's similar or more on Beltzville, Nock, etc. I hope this forecasted warm up comes to fruition.
Dylcook91 reply :
Today its going to snow, tomorrow is gonna be 50 degrees, then Thursday snow again.
I'm hoping late March /early April the waters will be fishable. I remember two years
ago catching bass in late January. No matter how long it is, its gonna seem like forever.
PAGreg reply :
Dylcook91 said:No matter how long it is, its gonna seem like forever.
Absolutely. In this case a little hope is worse than no hope.
jdl2425 reply :
My buddy and I will be fishing Lake Norman near the end of March. I hope the ice has melted here by the time we get back, because I won't be able to stand coming from an area with fishable water to an area with hard water.
everythingthatswims reply :
On 3/3/2015 at 9:12 PM, PAGreg said:Extended forecast is showing 50s and above freezing lows for 5 straight days beginning the 11th! Just what we need. Once we get rid of the snow pack on the ground, things will start to happen quickly.
That's what I have seen in extended forecasts for the past three weeks. Then it turns to highs in the 20s and 30s with snow
tomustang reply :
Will have to buy more tackle then 
Dyna7329 reply :
On 3/4/2015 at 6:02 AM, tomustang said:Will have to buy more tackle then
Word is because of the bad weather, Wacky Worm extended its Spring Sale through March 15. 20% off all rods & reels, 30% off all Quantum rods & reels, 10% off pretty much everything else. I've made the trip twice in two weeks, a third may be in order. 
tomustang reply :
On 3/4/2015 at 9:35 AM, Dyna7329 said:Word is because of the bad weather, Wacky Worm extended its Spring Sale through March 15. 20% off all rods & reels, 30% off all Quantum rods & reels, 10% off pretty much everything else. I've made the trip twice in two weeks, a third may be in order.
First days are the best though, free food 
Dogmatic reply :
On 3/4/2015 at 5:32 AM, jdl2425 said:My buddy and I will be fishing Lake Norman near the end of March. I hope the ice has melted here by the time we get back, because I won't be able to stand coming from an area with fishable water to an area with hard water.
Hear that! Just got back from NC, Lake Willey & Norman, weather sucked and so did the fishing, but at least we were on OPEN WATER! It's depressing coming home to this crap weather and hard water.
Sun Fish reply :
On 3/4/2015 at 6:02 AM, tomustang said:Will have to buy more tackle then
And more rod upgrades! 
FishheadNJ reply :
Feels like never! I hope first week of April though.
PAGreg reply :
I'm still waiting for all of the backordered stuff I ordered from tw to come. Just got an email this morning that stuff I ordered in December shipped. At this point I don't even remember everything I ordered!
tomustang reply :
On brighter news, my new boots for rain/snow fishing work
tomustang reply :
On 3/4/2015 at 11:50 AM, Sun Fish said:And more rod upgrades!
Too funny, this will never end! The drive to find better and more comfortable gear for conditions shouldn't be put down or envied over, I hope we don't run into bad seeds again like that this season.
Woke up to a soggy snow 
Sun Fish reply :
The long range is looking awesome if it holds true.... .First week of April should be no problem!
chrisdm4 reply :
i'm going with the 21st of march. with this warm weather coming up will melt all this snow and blow out the rivers, hopefully taking the ice with it. Till the beginning of this month i was still catching trout. once the water is open the fly rod will be on the water!
Sun Fish reply :
It would be to long now boys!! First week of April is looking real good if not sooner 
PAGreg reply :
The best part is that its a slow enough melt off that the rivers aren't flooding. Might be able to fish for smallies before the lakes open!
chrisdm4 reply :
On 3/10/2015 at 8:55 PM, PAGreg said:The best part is that its a slow enough melt off that the rivers aren't flooding. Might be able to fish for smallies before the lakes open!
Every true! I hope the streams and rivers do not got blown out like they did last spring. Its bound to happen though at some point.
slainempire reply :
yeah it will be really soon that we can hit rivers. the mighty susquehanna is calling my name. them smallies better watch out.
ColdSVT reply :
Melting pretty quick in tioga county...creeks are pretty high but not too bad
PAGreg reply :
Drove over to the Susquehanna about 5 miles from my house and it's 75% open. Where I launch is open for a good half mile in either direction, but there's an ice jam right in front of the launch, with no path to clear water. The best part is the water is moving pretty good, but it's not very high and is pretty clear. I'm planning my first outing for next weekend unless we get a lot of rain before then and it comes up fast.
PAGreg reply :
Pulled the boat out of storage yesterday. Going to fire it up tonight and clean the fogger out and clean the carbs. I'm hitting the river on Saturday!
thomas15 reply :
On 3/4/2015 at 12:20 AM, Dyna7329 said:Over the weekend, Coplay News Agency posted that there is 17" of ice on Leaser Lake. I'm imagining it's similar or more on Beltzville, Nock, etc. I hope this forecasted warm up comes to fruition.
This is Beltzville last evening (3/17/15) at around 6:15PM. About a foot of water showing at the ramp. The shoreline is frozen to the edge. The Ice was recorded in some places as deep as 23".
The good news is that the water level is back to normal.
On Edit:
It might be a little early to take the cover off the SS Minnow.
Friday's weather forcast (3/20/15..Hey, that's the first day of Spring...)
Another storm system will affect the area on Friday with snow arriving during the morning and lasting into the evening hours.
Snow probabilities for Friday:
Chances for 1-3": 60%
Chances for 3-5": 30%
Chances for <1": 10%
Dyna7329 reply :
On 3/18/2015 at 7:55 PM, thomas15 said:This is Beltzville last evening (3/17/15) at around 6:15PM. About a foot of water showing at the ramp. The shoreline is frozen to the edge. The Ice was recorded in some places as deep as 23".
The good news is that the water level is back to normal.
On Edit:
It might be a little early to take the cover off the SS Minnow.
Friday's weather forcast (3/20/15..Hey, that's the first day of Spring...)
Another storm system will affect the area on Friday with snow arriving during the morning and lasting into the evening hours.
Snow probabilities for Friday:
Chances for 1-3": 60%
Chances for 3-5": 30%
Chances for <1": 10%
Thank you so much for this post! (Other than the snow forecast)... I'm hoping to get out by the first weekend in April, looks like that should be in the cards. It's good to hear that the water level is back to normal as well... My buddy and I fished Beltzville in October and it was a completely different lake, never saw it that low. But, with that lake you never know what's good for fishing and what's bad. I've been fishing there regularly for years and still can't figure it out.
thomas15 reply :
On 3/19/2015 at 8:42 AM, Dyna7329 said:Thank you so much for this post! (Other than the snow forecast)... I'm hoping to get out by the first weekend in April, looks like that should be in the cards. It's good to hear that the water level is back to normal as well... My buddy and I fished Beltzville in October and it was a completely different lake, never saw it that low. But, with that lake you never know what's good for fishing and what's bad. I've been fishing there regularly for years and still can't figure it out.
I was talking to an individual who is knowledgable on the winter conditions with respect to fishing through the ice and he said the winter season was very good.
And I have to say I'm very happy that the water level is back up. I live literally right around the corner from the Pine Run Boat ramp and seeing it every day soo low was quite depressing. At one point there was less than 30 feet of ramp left. Now the level is at the full mark, 120 feet of ramp.
Dyna, how well do you know Beltzville? I've lived in Franklin Twp for 11 years but never fished it until last year. I guess I'm asking if you would be willing to give me some direction?
Sun Fish reply :
I fish Beltz pretty frequently, at least a few times a month. I don't know it all that well but it's a tough lake no doubt. Some days go suprisingly well other days just leave you scratching your head.
thomas15 reply :
On 3/19/2015 at 12:52 PM, Sun Fish said:I fish Beltz pretty frequently, at least a few times a month. I don't know it all that well but it's a tough lake no doubt. Some days go suprisingly well other days just leave you scratching your head.
Question: Do you look for bass on structure in the main body of the lake or way up in the shallows in the arms and the coves? Should I focus on deep holding fish?
Sun Fish reply :
On 3/19/2015 at 8:02 PM, thomas15 said:Question: Do you look for bass on structure in the main body of the lake or way up in the shallows in the arms and the coves? Should I focus on deep holding fish?
It depends on the time of year and the conditions on any given day. I've had success in the main lakes coves, as well as the main lake shoreline where you find grass patches. They can also be found on the cover in the creeks but like I said some days can be great and others will just leave you scratching your head no matter what you try. Top water on the main lake can also be great when you see surface activity. My best advice would be for that lake is keep moving until you hopefully find the active ones
Some summer main lake action
Some fall top water action
thomas15 reply :
Thanks Sun Fish. Very good information and the video is great. I think I know that exact spot you are fishing. I've tried it a few times but closer to shore and not on top waters. I probably fished that area the Friday before you made that video. Thanks again. I have much to learn.
Sun Fish reply :
On 3/19/2015 at 10:31 PM, thomas15 said:Thanks Sun Fish. Very good information and the video is great. I think I know that exact spot you are fishing. I've tried it a few times but closer to shore and not on top waters. I probably fished that area the Friday before you made that video. Thanks again. I have much to learn.
No problem man, I added another video. It's a tough lake any bites feel quite rewarding
PAGreg reply :
Took the family to Baltimore this weekend. Skirted the Susquehanna from the confluence of west & north branches in Sunbury to Harrisburg and its now ice free. Still some ice chunks flowing out of the north branch right at Sunbury, but nothing downstream. Saw a lot of empty trailers at the launches.
thomas15 reply :
I went over to Beltzville on Friday 4/3/15 to test out an old pair of hip boots (for Trout opening day in Lehigh county). There was enough open water to test the boots but that was it. No where near enough open water to launch a boat. Ice did seem to be getting thin though. Hopefully with temps in the 50s and 60s this week, perhaps it will be boatable next weekend. I took the cover off the SS Minnow and woke up the outboard. It lives!
Dyna7329 reply :
On 3/19/2015 at 10:51 AM, thomas15 said:I was talking to an individual who is knowledgable on the winter conditions with respect to fishing through the ice and he said the winter season was very good.
And I have to say I'm very happy that the water level is back up. I live literally right around the corner from the Pine Run Boat ramp and seeing it every day soo low was quite depressing. At one point there was less than 30 feet of ramp left. Now the level is at the full mark, 120 feet of ramp.
Dyna, how well do you know Beltzville? I've lived in Franklin Twp for 11 years but never fished it until last year. I guess I'm asking if you would be willing to give me some direction?
My apologies for not responding sooner... I'd be happy to share some insight...
Beltzville can definitely be a challenge and more times than not, lives up to its reputation as "The Dead Sea." That being said, I've also had great days there. I like fishing the dam, a few select coves, up the no wake zone and finding structure along the shoreline of the main lake. The power line stretch is very popular and shallow. There's also some nice stumps across from the Pine Run launch, Personally, I haven't done great at either spot.
Over the past three years, I've been most successful with a dropshot. Have done decent on cranks and jerkbaits in the Spring. My buddy likes to throw Texas-rigged Paca Craws and has done well with a Bama Rig too. We both started getting into Jigs last year and both caught a few... this will be my primary focus this year.
I hope this helps. Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know.
I'm still holding out hope that it'll be open by Friday, though that seems to a little too optimistic at this point.
thomas15 reply :
On 4/7/2015 at 3:43 AM, Dyna7329 said:My apologies for not responding sooner... I'd be happy to share some insight...
.......
I hope this helps. Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know.
I'm still holding out hope that it'll be open by Friday, though that seems to a little too optimistic at this point.
Thanks for the information. You may be hearing from me.
I stopped over there and it is possible that it will be open by the weekend. Lots of open water now.
Sun Fish reply :
Spring has arrived!!
Dyna7329 reply :
Beltzville is open and docks are in! I just saw a Facebook post by the Hawghunters of Allentown. FINALLY!
thomas15 reply :
Dyna7329,
They must have place the docks in today as they were not in last evening. Plus, there was still a lot of ice looking in the direction of the dam. I don't see any in you pic!
Dyna7329 reply :
On 4/9/2015 at 3:24 AM, thomas15 said:Dyna7329,
They must have place the docks in today as they were not in last evening. Plus, there was still a lot of ice looking in the direction of the dam. I don't see any in you pic!
Yeah, I was really surprised (and excited) to see the photos. The club has been posting pics on Facebook almost every day and it wasn't looking too good as of Sunday. My buddy and I were hoping to get out on Friday but the forecast is calling for 90% chance of rain and thunderstorms... Mother Nature is relentless!
thomas15 reply :
On 4/9/2015 at 5:05 AM, Dyna7329 said:Yeah, I was really surprised (and excited) to see the photos. The club has been posting pics on Facebook almost every day and it wasn't looking too good as of Sunday. My buddy and I were hoping to get out on Friday but the forecast is calling for 90% chance of rain and thunderstorms... Mother Nature is relentless!
Looks good for the weekend. I'm going to try to get out one of those two days but I have a lot on the agenda and a few items that need to be taken care of on the boat.
I had to go over to see the docks In place for myself last night. They are in, the pictures don't lie!
ThePackMan reply :
The Pack is open at the Ledgedale ramp and up the river a bit. Fished it a few times this week.
thomas15 reply :
On 4/7/2015 at 3:43 AM, Dyna7329 said:snip.....
I'm still holding out hope that it'll be open by Friday, though that seems to a little too optimistic at this point.
I put the SS Minnow in the Beltz for about an hour Sunday Evening. Got a tad chilly but everything went well. Didn't do any fishing though.
The A town Hawghunters had their tourney earlier in the day. I guess the fishing wasn't too good.
Dyna7329 reply :
On 4/13/2015 at 9:42 PM, thomas15 said:I put the SS Minnow in the Beltz for about an hour Sunday Evening. Got a tad chilly but everything went well. Didn't do any fishing though.
The A town Hawghunters had their tourney earlier in the day. I guess the fishing wasn't too good.
Good to hear. I was out with my buddy on his boat on Friday morning for a few hours. Water temp was 41 - 43. No bites, but was just out checking and tuning gear. I actually joined A town Hawghunters this year. I stopped down at the Nockamixon tourney on Saturday. Two fish over 6lbs were caught. I heard Beltzville was a much tougher day, I think only two boats weighed fish. HH is a great club with great guys, I'm looking forward to fishing my first tourney next Sunday.
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