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Step 1
Park right next to the pond in the small area provided-- a mere few yards from the water’s edge. There is room enough for probably seven or eight vehicles. Jurovaty Pond is lightly fished in the winter, as ice fisherman go to nearby Columbia Lake or Mansfield Hollow Lake, which is stocked with pike.
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Step 2
Don’t worry about having to find the deepest spots. Jurovaty Pond is pretty much a uniform depth all around the lake. It is a lily pad pond, meaning that in the summer months, the place is socked in with the weedy plants that cover the surface. It is no more than 7 feet deep and is about 5 to 6 feet deep in most areas.
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Step 3
Stay away from the fringes of the pond. Most of the ice fishing action in Jurovaty Pond is concentrated in the middle of the lake. The edges, though tempting, are very shallow and don’t usually yield much. Try to stay from 60 to 70 yards from the shore, and if you are able to, set up right in the middle of the pond.
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Step 4
Keep your shiners just 1 to 2 feet under the ice. Medium shiners are big enough to get the job done. There is no need to plumb the bottom and then adjust your tip-ups at Jurovaty. Simply set your shiners just under the ice and wait for the bass and pickerel to find them, which they will.
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Step 5
Have a plan when you hook into one of the monster pickerel at Jurovaty. There are several pickerel in Jurovaty Pond in the range of 20 inches plus. When those toothy creatures are coming up through the hole, you don’t want to be sticking your fingers anywhere near their mouths to get a hold of them. A Lip Grip tool is a good idea, or at least a very thick pair of old gloves. Letting them go to fight another day is up to you but is always smiled upon.
