dluster
New Poster
Posts:3
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| 17 Jul 2010 04:26 PM |
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I love ice fishing. It's a shame so many fellow club members are not interested ,as the recent online poll suggests. there's nothing like the feeling of pulling in a 10 lb. walleye or northern pike through the ice on such light tackle. The panfishing is excellent too. I understand why to some the risks are not worth the rewards, but for northern anglers who pay attention to weather and ice conditions it's well worth a try. I myself cannot stand being indoors all winter, and do not ski or ice skate.Trust me fellow fisherman, extend your season and give this side of our sport a try. |
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slipperybob
Veteran Poster
Posts:1240
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| 17 Jul 2010 05:28 PM |
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Ice fishing sport is still fairly new. Popularized by Dave Genz. I myself prefer ice fishing more than open water fishing. There are some species of fish that pretty much are only caught by anglers through the ice. Tullibees and Burbot are what comes to my mind. |
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mr bill
Veteran Poster
Posts:1903
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| 18 Jul 2010 04:29 PM |
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yep i love ice fishing more than i do regular fishing........as old slippery said there are a few species that are only chased during the winter and then theirs the fact that fish taste that much better through the ice.
but i think now days there are less people fishing than when i was a kid. most of the lakes around were i grew up at, would have cities of ice shanties all over the lakes. but now days there are very few shanties on the lakes. |
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slipperybob
Veteran Poster
Posts:1240
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| 20 Jul 2010 01:08 PM |
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It's a little bit more opposite for me, when it comes to ice shanty villages. I guess even when I attempt to go to a middle of nowwhere spot on a lake and settle on a spot, there will become a campsite shortly when daylight comes around. Actually I don't mind people fishing next to me. It's the people who are just driving back and forth at high speeds. Then there are those that seem to take forever to drill through the ice with a gas auger that a hand auger will probably do faster. People say the noise doesn't bother the fish, but the first half of the season, I've seen fish go into shut down behavior for the hour following excessive noise. I know that catfish loves noise. I can usually catch fish within 10-15 minutes of drilling a new ice hole and then go back to fish an adjacent hole. |
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Kurt Beckstrom
Advanced Poster
Posts:233
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| 20 Jul 2010 04:20 PM |
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Hey Dluster:
You have to remember that, compared to the whole angling world, relatively few fishermen really get the chance to fish on the ice. So, it's not that so few fishermen are interested, it's more that few fishermen are actually faced with hard water for six months at a time. But you can bet those diehard anglers in Texas, Florida and elsewhere would be drilling holes if they had to. In fact, some of them even travel north for the experience. |
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mr bill
Veteran Poster
Posts:1903
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| 20 Jul 2010 08:52 PM |
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hey bob, i've found that there are times when the perch will turn on when the ice boats go racing by. but when the snowmobiles go by they shut down.
i to don't mind they people that show up and fish around ya....it's those that try and spud ya in because they can't catch any fish and you are. |
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dluster
New Poster
Posts:3
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| 21 Jul 2010 12:31 PM |
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Thanks K.Beckstom. Great point. Folks down in the south get to fish open water all year round as well. I also think the dangers involved in ice fishing scare a lot of northern anglers off. But if I lived in florida or Texas, when I wasn't fishing for bass and crappie, I'd be gunning for anything I could pull out of the salty water. |
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DrBubba
New Poster
Posts:43
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| 22 Jul 2010 10:39 AM |
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Hi people, I agree with the preference for ice fishing over open water fishing. Of course, I live in Northern Maine, so we have plenty of ice each year. As global warming occurs though, even we have shorter seasons now. This past winter, the thaws were a month early and the state opened the open water season early. I can't remember that happening before. |
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| Steve, Trophy Life Member, Member Since: 9/10/2002 |
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DrBubba
New Poster
Posts:43
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| 22 Jul 2010 10:40 AM |
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Hi people, I agree with the preference for ice fishing over open water fishing. Of course, I live in Northern Maine, so we have plenty of ice each year. As global warming occurs though, even we have shorter seasons now. This past winter, the thaws were a month early and the state opened the open water season early. I can't remember that happening before. |
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| Steve, Trophy Life Member, Member Since: 9/10/2002 |
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YOD57
New Poster
Posts:15
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| 22 Jul 2010 03:44 PM |
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Hi all I'll be out on the ice again this year.I would say I can't wait but that would be a lie.I'm having to much fun fishing in the sun.The only thing I don't like is the wait between seasons.seems like it takes forever to freeze and thaw......Life Member.........Ray.....from NW Ohio........ |
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mr bill
Veteran Poster
Posts:1903
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| 22 Jul 2010 08:08 PM |
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when ya have ta wait fer the ice to be safe enough for ya and ya can't get on the lakes because there is ice---- i hit the rivers for steelies or for salmon depending on if it's spring er fall |
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jbrown35
New Poster
Posts:1
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| 11 Aug 2010 05:18 PM |
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I've been icefishing since 1956, only went through 1 time, learned a lot that day. Use your head when out and you'll keep going back. I advanced from a bucket to s tent, to a hard shack, to a portable, all have their do's and don't, all have their place, and on some lakes or certail days, you may find yourself using acombination. The cold water firms all your fish us, allows you to fish any depth and almost any type of fish, and some are not available in open water. Here is Wisconsin, by January and February, you may be at the end of your auger, I have had to add extensions so I could reach water. Luight tackel is a must, try 1/2 lb line for gills, it's a riot. Use you noodle, you can be safe and enjoy an additional 4 to 5 months of Great fishing. |
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mr bill
Veteran Poster
Posts:1903
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| 12 Aug 2010 05:27 PM |
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hey jbrown, ya been ice fish'n fer as long as i been alive......and i was told i was going out on the ice with my dad almost as long as i been walking.
yep over the yrs. you can learn how to read ice and get to know what ice to avoid and what is safe.......i've only fallen through the ice once...but i have gotten a foot wet a time or 2 thou. |
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hoosierbuddy?
New Poster
Posts:62
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| 12 Aug 2010 08:03 PM |
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I only been ice fishing once with my dad a long time ago. Is it expensive to get all the stuff you need? I remember that day we were pulling perch the size of beer bottles up through the hole. Yep I might have to get into that a bit. I got a buddy who is a diehard ice fisherman and he's a pretty big boy too probably go 275 or so and he said he always carries some pole nails just in case. LOL not the kinda confidence builder I was hoping for... he said if you fall through you can see the hole but theres nothing to grab onto to navigate towards the hole... hence the pole nails, sheesh! |
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| My lovely wife says: " give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day
but teach a man to fish and you'll get rid of him on the weekends"
Jeff> fisherman, father, and friend! Semper Fidelis! |
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Kurt Beckstrom
Advanced Poster
Posts:233
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| 13 Aug 2010 12:15 PM |
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Your friend is just being safe, and smart. You can purchase ice claws, but I've made them from dowels and nails--much like those at this DNR link: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/i...claws.html Never had to use them, but I'd rather have them and not need them than the other way around. |
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mr bill
Veteran Poster
Posts:1903
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| 13 Aug 2010 09:03 PM |
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amen, kurt
i have the dowel rod and nails also......i also have a boat cushion with 30ft of rope tied to it, just in case. so far i've only used that 1 time. thank goodness it was to help pull my sled and gear across open water between me and shore when it open up when i was out on the ice. |
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rlvbb
New Poster
Posts:21
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slipperybob
Veteran Poster
Posts:1240
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| 16 Aug 2010 12:50 PM |
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The dowel rod and nails just got me thinking about the old dowel rod with pegs and piece of fiberglass for rod tip.  |
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mr bill
Veteran Poster
Posts:1903
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| 16 Aug 2010 08:30 PM |
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lmao...bob......ya i can remember using 1 of those |
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jstratton3
New Poster
Posts:55
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| 30 Sep 2010 08:27 PM |
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I admire everyone of you guys that ever got to ice fish. I aways wanted to try it, but here in PA the Poconos is the only place that gets cold enough that you can ice fish. I did give it a try at a very young age and the bait froze before I could get it on the hook and then the hole closed before I could drop any kind of jig. There's a lot to learn about ice fishing, and as you can see, I am in serious need of a teacher. For those of you who know what you're doing - congratulations - it must be great to pull a fish out thru a hole in the middle of nothing. Hats off to you! JStratton3 |
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| John Stratton. |
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