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Holy Krapp ND!!! that WAS quite a weekend!!!
Excellent!!!


Ingwe

Thanks Ingwe, that little 29 incher was delicious.

Yowsa Dave--we gotta talk...grin

I spect you let those big boys swim away to be caught another day right?

Also, how much water are you in, how much ice is there and what kind of bait rigging are you using?

Thx
Dober

Dober, LOW has a return slot rule. from 30 inches on through 40 inches in length you must release them. limit is 3 fish per person and you may keep one over 40".

All of those 37's & the 38 incher were released immediately. We kept the 29 incher that one was supper last night (lemon pepper is the seasoning you see Pam sprinkling on the fillet in the photo) We baked the fillets with the little bit of butter you see in the photos, then the lemon pepper & a few cap fulls of lemon juice. We had fresh asparagus & baked taters as a side dish, really good supper.

Dusty brought the 42 incher home.

It will soon be occupying many, many glass pickle jars

As far as depth & rigging, ice thickness was about 3�, depth from the top of the ice to the lake bottom was 8�. So we has about 5� of water under the ice. We use a couple of different types of rigs on the tip ups. I use mostly braided nylon or Dacron line, heavy stuff like 50lb or better. Dusty likes fly fishing line on his rigs & actually I really like that too.

For the rigs, we use a quick strike type. I say quick strike type because we make our own. We use good quality leader line with a pair of hooks. Most of my rigs use a pair of trebles, must of Dusty�s use those single barbed hooks with the backside spur hook to sink into the bait. Then we�ll put a spinner blade further up the leader rig to give a little flash & help draw attention to the bait. For the bait we use mostly live sucker minnows. We�ll use frozen cisco and smelt too though.


This is a picture I found while googling "quick strike rig" this is pretty much what I use. The end trebble goes in the sucker's nose, the mid trebble is a slider & I stick it in the sucker's back. That way the bait hangs straight & balanced.

Dave what keeps them in the livewell.

gravity?

ok, ok, seriously now, I'll try again

The ice is about 3' thick, I drilled 18 holes all around 15 to 16 inches deep, so there is a floor in that livewell. Drilled all them holes really close together with a 10" drill head on the power auger then I busted out the webbing that remained with an ice chissle. Then we scooped out all the ice & slush & it filled with water. The snow pack on top of the ice is waterlogged so the water filled in from the top side.

It's a little bit of work making one of those wells but the kids love it, it's kinda fun.

Cool Thanks Dave.Really good pics too. I agree it's all about the kids.

great pics dave- thanks for sharing. I've never experienced pike fishing like that.

Dave, back when the concept of quick-strike rigs first came along, the small spinner was necessary in Minnesota to make the rig a lure so that it was legal to have more than one hook on it. Is that regulation still in effect in Minnesota? Best, John

I believe it is John.

At least that's why we put them on, I know it was in the regs at one time. We just keep doing it just in case it's still a law, besides I think it helps.

Hey Dave, to fish for crappie in Minne is there actually a season opener like walleye or are they just open year around?

Thx
Dober

year round

I'd have to rely on noduck for that one, I have no clue. I do believe that you can legally fish northern year round by utilizing border waters/rivers etc.

You might have to change where you are fishing but if you do it right you can fish em all year.

I wish I had some decent crappie fishing close by.

I am glad to see you set the "Natty Ice" down before it was your turn!!

Nice pictures and post.


ddj

Now...if he could just say "No" to the Natty ice...

Ingwe

i don't drink the ice beer.

Oh, shure...you say that now .......




ingwe

not a fan of any "ice" beer

IT might have been Natty Light?


I should recognize the can.


ddj