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I'm away for work but was wondering if anybody is on the ice yet ??

ND, or Minn.

I went and punched a couple holes to check the ice thickness yesterday and it was about 8 to 9 inches here so tommorrow im going to head out and do alittle spearing

In MN,, pretty much from LOW to the cities.. I got a buddy going to LOW on weds can give a report if you want....

My wife does the icefishing in this family!

What is "ice fishing"?

Sounds like nonsense.

It is nonsense ND, this warm weather has me so very sad.... Need to make some solid ice, before we get hit with a big snowstorm....

Went out last Sat. Watched the lunar eclipse but had a slow day. Caught a couple ling and the guy I was with caught a couple ling as well and a big perch. No walleye though. 7-8 in. of ice.

reports of up to 10" on lake of the woods.

so, that means 6 to 7


I had an invite to go tomorrow, not going, but i'll file a report, which will be based on second hand bullshit.... but I'll report anyways

Got a buddy up there right now.. He says 9 inches at twin island.. Limited out 2/3 days..

I love LOW, especially the NW Angle...

Those houses look familiar......


We go up to the angle every March.....

It is now January, and the lakes in my neck of the woods aren't even skimmed over....

Wifey said that she saw pics in the paper of a couple of houses going through the ice. I'm not sure where.

I read a few day back that some ice shacks were going through at Wadnea Mn.

Zero degrees here this morning, trucks are allowed on certain areas of LOW now but we are definately behind a few weeks.

I wish it would get cold here too!!!

I want ice!

Thermometer is Reading 4 degrees I believe winter has finally arrived.

Ice fishing is a way of life in Canada

Finally!

Yep.

Ok I'm finally getting to a fishing report.

Here's an interesting lake rig se spotted on our way out to our fishing spot.



Here's a friend of ours pulling a big skid house behind a thiokol stryte.





Here we are dragging the trailer out from under our skid house. I drilled a hole through the 2 feet of ice behind the house and rigged an anchor with a chain and a bar under the ice, tied the anchor chain to the house and pulled the trailer out from under it.







[img]http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e364/northerndave/fishing%20stuff/IMG_3779.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e364/northerndave/fishing%20stuff/IMG_3781.jpg[/img]

Late saturday morning we finally have lines in the water and begin fishing.

My appologies for so many pictures of ... me. Pam was running the camera this weekend and I guess I must have been an interesting photo subject.





This is a fun photo set. The little guy hooks into a slot fish (we have a "slot" from 19.5" to 28" walleye that must be released. they sure are fun to catch though.

He did it all by himself too, all I did was grab the fish when it came up the hole.



you can pretty much sense the excitement here lol!
Y



His face is actually turning red from screaming and laughing.



The famous "power grin"

[img]http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e364/northerndave/fishing%20stuff/joeandslotfishD.jpg[/img]

Your basic "eater fish"



RWS caught this one, I was just helping with the hook.



photo bombers... so annoying...





The old auger out for another season.



The kitchen.

They aren't always keepers.



Action photo..



Me and my friend Wally posing with minnows in our mouth, Wally looks ridiculous.



Sleeping through the action??



Another monster.



Nice pail of fish for half of a Saturday.



We cleaned 19 counting perch Saturday night.

[img]http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e364/northerndave/fishing%20stuff/IMG_3868.jpg[/img]

We went out for a bit again yesterday too.





Doesn't this fish look huge when I hold it out like this?



We kept and cleaned 13 yesterday, it was a little slower than Saturday.

Out fillet bowl for the 2 days combined with a 2 liter bottle for scale.



At least half our catch was jumbo perch yesterday so that's why you see all them smaller fillets on top. Even the biggest perch don't give you as much meat as an average/smallish walleye.

But they all taste good.


That's all I got.


And sorry for double posting, I put this all in another thread but it belongs in "ice fishing"

Nice pics Dave.

I need to follow your example and get my chillins out on the ice for some fishing!

We went out Saturday but the perch fishing was too damned slow.

When kiddos need action, findeth thee trout... hit the trout Sunday



The female:


Sometimes I find women drunk enough to hang out with me...



Travis

trout through the ice, way cool!

Can I share a story only ice fishermen will appreciate please? Good. Grab a chair...

About 13 years ago my dad gave me a Leatherman. This Leatherman has been everywhere with me and has the scars and pitting to prove it. I don't know how many checked bags it's ridden in, how many duties it has performed, how many jams it has saved me from, countless amounts of times.

So yesterday, while ice fishing, I was using said Leatherman as I always do for it's blades and pliers. I set it in my lap and continued fishing and baiting hooks and unhooking fish just like a good, slightly abusive, mildly alcoholic, father is supposed to do. My little female was having a hard time with the zipper on the door (I'm not fancy like Dave, I have a portable) so I, being the good father, stood to assist her.

You know what happened next don't you? That's right... "KERPLOONK!" There in my sonar I viewed one of my most cherished inanimate objects plummet 50' to the bottom of the icy lake.

Not to be a glass is half empty type of guy, I finished up the day and took everyone out to lunch when we got back to town.

But after lunch, I went to Big R. And I bought the biggest [bleep] magnet I could find. I got home and went to the shop, there I found an entire spool of paracord that I undoubtedly stole at some point in time.

Gentlemen, I returned to that lake with a woman, (in case I got bored or frustrated) a 12 pack of beer (in case I got bored or frustrated) and my auger. I carefully marked the exact location the Leatherman was last seen before departing the lake so I knew exactly where to begin.

I drilled 6 holes and went to work....



Travis

Boom...







Travis

Great story and I'm glad it had a happy ending!

Like the pics of the kids fishing, too. Neat thing about kids and fishing. If you see a fish on one end of the rod, you'll see a smile at the other end of it.

I done the same thing with a buck knife a couple years ago.

Same kind of magnet and everything lol!

Yeah, kids and fishing is always fun. The secret is don't fish if they are!


Travis

TFF. When I was driving back down there I was wondering how many ice fishing seasons have kept that magnet company in business...


Travis

I use them magnets for some welding at home.

I try to keep one in my fish house all the time.

I had my leatherman in my lap a few times over the weekend and caught myself with the vision of standing up and dumping it straight down the hole just like you said.

Just like I've done with countless items over the years too lol!!

Cell phones?

I did the zipper house thing for decades too and yes I'm also a professional line untangler like you must be.

Yeah, I think in another couple years I might even be able to fish again myself.


Travis

Sometimes you just have to hang up your rods and man the knots.

"dad I'm tangled."

"dad can you put a new minnow on for me?"

"dad can you get this hook out for me?"

"dad can you hold this fish for me while we take the picture?"

"dad....?"

LMAO!!

Yeah, I like to watch rookies that aren't used to having kids around when I camp and fish. Schit ain't so relaxing now is it? I love it though, obviously you do as well.

Hey, quick question for you if I may. That girl in the pic above? She's from MN also.

I was just wondering if you could tell me if everybody in MN puts a can of cream of mushroom soup in every [bleep] thing they eat? Thanks Dave.


Travis

Is that how you figured out she was from MN?

LOL!!

Cream of celery and cream of chicken work too if she runs out of cream-o-shroom.

Obviously you have taken no small number of kids fishin'. Good stuff, Travis!

Ted

I knew it!

Ok, now for some serious stuff. Perch... How does one find them routinely?

And in an area like yours, how do you decide on just one spot on an entire lake? Just experience?

I've done a bit of ice fishing, but not like what you guys do out there.


Travis

Thank you sir. Somebody has to!


Travis

Just part of the job description!

On lake of the woods I target walleye, saugers are a bonus as well as the jumbo perch because it just adds to your legal limit.

It's mostly a depth and structure game and you time it by experience.

I learned many moons ago, you can either take a kid fishing, or you can go fishing...can't do both....

I'm gonna use that one.


Travis

How long and how many cans of beer did it take..?

After I got the holes drilled? Two beers and fifteen minutes. More or less.


Travis

so... is that 3 beers in 15 minutes or do we combine these items for a measurement of time?

Like say, 15 minutes per beer plus a beerless 15 minutes?



an hour total?

this is so confusing...

Excellent question Dave and allow me to clarify.

I average approximately two beers in 15 minutes for the first hour. So when discussing casual projects, I'm talking 8 beers in an hour give or take.

Example: "Taking the speed bump out of that barrel channel is a four beer operation."

Example 2: "We don't have enough beer to tackle that project right now."

Example 3" Ths prject takees more tyme than u i sayed it cood..."

Travis

So beers is like old store keep talk for $...

Flashback from lil ND childhood at the county store:

"How much for that candy bar ole man?"

"Two bits"

"How bout I give you these returnable soda bottles I got here in my wagon and call it close enuff?"

"That'll do, but no charlston chew on a trade deal, zagnut only."

"Awe shucks..... deal."

TFF. Just threw a meatloaf together. Cost me three beers of my life.

Travis

How beers to drift a rear sight?

Given your typing, I'd say you're ready to drift buddy!


Travis

hammeer smak prass bunch... oops i drop' beer tyme break for.

Just checked out eh76's LINK ...you are the SUCK MASTER! Great pics Dave you'll have fond memories when your're an old gezzer!

BGG and I got that Glock shooting nice and straight.


Travis

Jeezus, I laughed hard at this line.....

As the father of two teenage girls, I appreciate your effort to get those kids outdoors doing stuff.

And as a master untangler-extraordinaire, I can appreciate your, and ND's, patience.

Lots of beer required!

I'll miss them when they're gone. Maybe...


Travis