As of 3/31/23, Wild Horse State Recreation Area reported ice thickness up to two feet with about a foot or so of slush on top. Angler visitation has dropped off within the last two weeks, but ice fishing season is still holding on.

Although thick ice conditions are continuing into April, please continue to exercise caution.  With most of Wild Horse Reservoir having snow or slush coverage over the ice, spotting soft ice can be very difficult. If you spot pockets of open water its very important to keep clear of those immediate areas. Ice depth around open water can vary and may not support much weight, causing a serious safety risk. Some open water and soft edges have been reported forming at the Hendricks Arm bridge. It is important to exercise extreme caution while ice fishing and accessing this area.

Trout fishing has been very good with abundant numbers of 18”-20” trout being landed, and ample opportunities at fish over 22”. Anglers are having the best luck targeting trout in 10 or less feet of water, fishing 3-to-4 feet under the ice. If the bite it slow, continually changing depths and location to find where the fish are at can be extremely effective. Try dead sticking various baits such as nightcrawlers, Power Bait, scented corn, and artificial salmon eggs.  For a more active approach, jigging various lures, soft plastics, jig heads, and tube jigs is also effective. The Yellow Perch bite remains slow due to the die off in spring of 2022. Some anglers have reported small isolated  pockets of Yellow Perch 3”- 7” in length. Anglers targeting Yellow Perch should fish in 20’ – 30’ of water, near the bottom. Jigs tipped with a small piece of bait is a popular method for enticing perch. Ice fishing holes must not exceed 10 inches in diameter (NAC 503.583). Limit of 5 trout, but no limit on perch.