It's ice fishing season!!

[Tomhusker]

Really? I don't know where I'd begin a defense of ice fishing!

And this.

 

[NEhomer]

We mostly chase big Pike and Bass. We've discovered the secret to success for us is to have all type in the water while it's still dark. Right at first light it's...flag...flag...flag. If you go out onto the ice at 8 or 9, you've missed the party. It has the added benefit of always being able to choose any area you care to cut holes too.

1) The serenity of a frozen lake.
2) Good friends along...and all the laughs that ensue.
3) Food tastes better outdoors.
4) Whiskey too.
5) Having the elements beat with ice house, heater, wood fire when possible.
6) Using quality gear...a good auger, strong type and large bait.
7) The mystery of the flag......6 inch perch or 40 inch pike?!
8) When do you strike? First run, second run? at the pause of a run? Whichever way you go, each miss will be filled with regret!
9) Pulling out a lunker from the depths.
10) The tired but satisfied feel of the end of the day.

 

[Red_Alert]

Finally getting some cold temps around here. Checked the lake a few days ago and there was still an open area. We've been in the single digits for a day now so I assume it's closed up. Won't be long to get to 5" or so.

 

[whywork2]

I haven't lived in the cold-cold-cold in 14 years roughly but I recall as a kid (Wisco) going out on the lakes and enjoing time in the ice shack. We would drill holes and relax in there but also go put out some flag (can't remember what they are called) fishing hooks.

The one thing I remember was how clear I could see down the drilled holes, I watched fish swim right by my hook, could see the bottom!

I need to get up north more... just need to buy a few new sets of clothes to be able to visit though! haha.

-DUB-

Tip ups are what they are called. The ones made in Beaver Dam are really handy since they fold inside themselves and take seconds to set up. It's a fun way to pass the time on a cold winter day especially if the fish are biting. I think a lot of folks just get all baked out, turn their little heater on in their ice tent and enjoy. If the fish are biting it's a bonus.

 

[whywork2]

Right now all the snow is melted and it's cold as the Dickens. I remember walking along the clear ice and watching the fish and snapping turtles in this condition where there is solid clear ice and no snow.

 

[whywork2]

I've never been ice fishing but am going to pop my cherry this year. I have $100 to spend on ice fishing gear. What are the essentials I need? (starting from ground zero). Any advice is much appreciated.

tip ups and jigging poles, if you get some money saved up get a gas auger unless you really want a workout turning one of those muscle propelled ice augers, later you'll want a ice tent.

 

[NEhomer]

The twist hand augers are ok and if you use two guys on opposite sides, it helps a lot. The spoon style ones are shit as the slightest nick keeps 'em from cutting. A power auger is pretty much a necessity.

Here's a great story. We had entered our Rod and Gun club's inaugural ice fishing tourney back over twenty years ago....don't remember exactly. Five of us agreed to pool our type and split any winnings. The tourney had a 2:00 weigh-in and a release hole cut. Releasing your catch live added an once per pound to your score. Well all day we caught shit....a few perch and one small bass. About noon, I saw the same flag go up that we'd caught the perch on so I didn't rush to it. When I got there though, the reel was singing pretty good. Put the breaks on and holy shit! Hey guys, this ain't no perch. Up through the hole comes this huge assed bass:

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Tossed it into a pail of water and ran for the scales. When we got there some poor bastard had just weighed a bass in at 5lbs 8oz. He released it and got to 5/13. Ours weighed 5lbs 10oz!!! We released ours and took the lead at 5/15.

Right at closing...another dude comes across the ice with a pickerel half folded out of a spackle pail. The fucking thing was the biggest pickerel I'd ever seen and it weighed 5lbs 10oz to tie us....BUT...it was dead and they couldn't release it so we won first place. It was the first year and the money was only about $400.00 but it was a sweet memory. We were drinking in the parking lot afterward and this wonderful old fellow out for a walk stopped and told us how much we reminded him of a time he and his buddies pulled a lunker out of that same lake back in the 50s and they had a bunch of beer and drank it up in celebration just like we were. Said they got all hammered and fell down and sech. It was cool to think of how the years go by.

 

[whywork2]

I hear ya.

Soon!

what kind of fish is that?

 

[NEhomer]

It was just some random image. It said rainbow.

 

[Red_Alert]

That's a rainbow trout

 

[Tomhusker]

Ugh. Just got home from Minnesota. Fishing was terrible. Figure what we spent vs what we caught and it comes to about $200 per fish.
Nice time away tho.

 

[NEhomer]

Shit....sorry to hear that.

 

[Skerpokes]

Ugh. Just got home from Minnesota. Fishing was terrible. Figure what we spent vs what we caught and it comes to about $200 per fish.
Nice time away tho.

That sucks. But if it were easy then it would be called "catching" instead of fishing

 

[Skerpokes]

It ain't glamorous, but it's just right

 

[Tomhusker]

Yer killing me Smalls

 

[packerzrule]

The Sturgeon Spearing season recently opened in the land of cheese.

Already reports of some monster fish taken

 

[Skerpokes]

 

[Skerpokes]

Anybody have any ice yet? Besides Minnesota? My guess is it will be late December at the earliest before we'll have enough

 

[powerchord86]

I'm heading out to an ice fishing tourney this weekend. Got myself a brand new ice fishing pole ready to go. Anyone have any suggestions on good lures, bait, etc.. ?

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

It's been a crazy winter up here. Super warm, almost no snow. Heck, most of our lakes have barely been frozen over most of the winter. Not great conditions for any ice fishing. I'm just hoping that they open up early and I can get back to regular fishing early.