First time out on Hick's Lake for about 4 years. Despite the constant rain and cold wind there were a number of boats out (probably 5 or 6 at any given time) plus a handful of shore fishermen. Nice to not have to pay to park (especially given the costs of gas). The jetty that used to be there is gone now all that is left is the very end piece. This is a shame as it made getting in and out of the water much easier when it is busy.
Caught 4 fish, all cutties. 3 small (around 8 inches) and one decent one of just under 12 inches. All caught trolling a leech pattern on the shoals between 8 and 15ft depth. Missed a number of bites and another couple got off before the boat but I think this in part was due to the size of the fish.
Was very surprised at the lack of fish showing up on the depthfinder, a few years back you could find spots with 20 or 30 fish quite frequently. I think the fishing pressure on this lake plus the lack of stocking is taking its toll (at least I can't find any mention of Hicks being stocked there past few years). It's a pretty big lake so I may have missed them but all the usual spots that I had built up from fishing this for many years seemed to be largely empty. That said 4 fish isn't a bad days work so it's probably worth another trip at some point.