# Rifle 12/6



## Reel Addiction (Mar 5, 2008)

Hit the Rifle for the first time today. Beautiful river. HOwever, i had to dodge icebergs all day, and couldnt keep the ice off the guides. there was ALOT of floating ice. then went to Huron shoreline, seemed to be perfect conditions, but again the ice on the guides was unbearable. The scenery on the river today made the trip worth it even though i was skunked. 

so whos got a surefire way of keeping the ice off the guides?


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## the rapids (Nov 17, 2005)

thats a good river, even when you are casting in between icebergs. great year-round brown trout fishery. at least it isnt completley locked up yet, i have made a few 180 mile trips up there just to find it frozen over.

i cant recommend a solution to the iced up guides issue, i just use a short rod (7'6") that has less guides to clean out, as its usually only the smaller guides toward the tip that ice up enough to affect casting.


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

The Rifle can be a frustrating river at times, as the fish are usually scattered pretty good. But hit it right, and you can have some surprising days.....


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## Riverkeeper (Mar 27, 2006)

the rapids said:


> thats a good river, even when you are casting in between icebergs. great year-round brown trout fishery. at least it isnt completley locked up yet, i have made a few 180 mile trips up there just to find it frozen over.
> 
> i cant recommend a solution to the iced up guides issue, i just use a short rod (7'6") that has less guides to clean out, as its usually only the smaller guides toward the tip that ice up enough to affect casting.


Use the USGS website to check for iceflows by watching the graph for spikes.


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## Reel Addiction (Mar 5, 2008)

Riverkeeper said:


> Use the USGS website to check for iceflows by watching the graph for spikes.


yeah i have unfortunately: 
*USGS 04142000 RIFLE RIVER NEAR STERLING, MI*

*PROVISIONAL DATA SUBJECT TO REVISION*

[SIZE=-1]* Available data for this site *[/SIZE][SIZE=-1] SUMMARY OF ALL AVAILABLE DATA Site map Time-series: Real-time data Time-series: Daily data Time-series: Daily statistics Time-series: Monthly statistics Time-series: Annual statistics Surface-water: Peak streamflow Surface-water: Field measurements Water-Quality: Field/Lab samples Offsite: Instantaneous data archive Offsite: Annual data report(s) Offsite: EPA Surf your Watershed [/SIZE][SIZE=-1] [/SIZE] 

*Attention Data Users: to view additional data available on this page, toggle the down-arrow in the "Available data for this site" blue bar.*
*A TUTORIAL for retrieving Surface Water Data is available here.*
*DUE TO BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION, DATA FOR THIS SITE WILL BE AVAILABLE INTERMITTENTLY FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.*


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## the rapids (Nov 17, 2005)

riverkeeper-thanks for pointing that out, but i have found that station is not useful for where i fish nor does it reflect the conditions of the upper stretches. additionally it has been down for quite some time due to bridge construction. i wish they had one farther upstream, above the west branch.


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## stinger63 (Nov 25, 2003)

use pam cooking spray or wd-40.


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## Reel Addiction (Mar 5, 2008)

stinger63 said:


> use pam cooking spray or wd-40.


 
You know, i thought about WD-40. Thanks i will try it out tomorrow.


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## maak (Aug 15, 2006)

It helps a little to keep your rod tip high, and shake it a bit when you're reeling in. That way, most of the water on your line falls off before it hits the guides.


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## Frogfish101 (Apr 5, 2007)

Nice report Judd. If you are flyfishing though, I would reccomend against WD-40 on the guides. It can screw with the lines, especially if the line is self-lubricating (i.e. it blocks the pores)


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## benchwarrant (Jan 28, 2006)

I don't have a sure fire way to keep ice out of the guides. I use Loon Outdoor Products Stanleys Ice Off paste. ($5.00 at Franks Great Outdoors). It is a greasy paste like Crisco that is supposed to keep the ice off your guides. What I have found that while my guides will still ice up, it is easier to chip the ice out of the guides. Other techniques I have noticed on the river is to:
1. Suck on each guide with your mouth
2. Put the rod in the water and swish it back & forth. 
**The last two suggestions I don't suggest but they do work.**
Good Luck! Thanks for the report


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## MDNRFD (Nov 18, 2008)

No need for the fancy stuff just some wd-40 or some vaseline.


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