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Anyone? i mean we have a sourdough thread....
I always wanted to try it and wound up taking my 6 yo daughter out to near Wachuset because of thicker ice than near me in Wilmington
No bites but it was a ton of fun. It was a slow day for everyone it seems on the pond. I dropped some coin on a couple of rods, 4 tips ups, sled, a tent and a heater. It was worth it.
I was going to do a guide in VT for 8 hrs for 500. little costly.. all this gear was about 300?
Might head out this weekend again. maybe a little closer in Chelmsford or Groton.
Being outside in the sun all day warmly dressed certainly scratched the itch of doing nothing this winter.
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hmmmm......
I haven't been out yet this year. I have a half dozen tip ups, and an ice rod. A spud & strainer, and bait bucket. No auger, if more than 6" I bring my chain saw along, less than 6", I just chip out with the ice spud. I don't have any enclosure, I have thought about building a bob house, but now days a fabric pop-up is probably more convenient, and cheaper, when I do, I have a Coleman white gas heater & mantle lantern for night fishing
Ice fishing is fond memory from my youth, growing up in VT, is was the Saturday morning family activity, my dad built a 6 hole bob house, little wood stove, a grain bag of hardwood cabinet shop scraps would return full of fish, usually yellow perch, but occasionally smelts when they were running. We always setup off Thompson's Point in Lake Champlain (Charlotte) water is deeeeeeeeep there, 350 feet. we used hand lines. smelts would run just under the ice, perch were deep, an occasional Northern Pike or walleye
RandyO
IBA#9560
A man with a gun is a citizen
A man without a gun is a subject
350 ft of handspooling I cant imagine....lol
We were skunked this wknd will try again. Didn't realize it was late in the season as well.
I'll have to get out earlier next year probably and then further west. seems it doesn't ice up very well out by me. nd with a kid don't want to take a chance.
Great way to kill a saturday. even better to catch a ton o perch and fry them up later.
If only we had walleye around here, those are great eating.
hmmmm......
I've always wanted to try it, but never have. My wife is now all excited to try it too, so it might happen someday. I just didn't want to drop the coin on something we only did once. We also looked into some of those guided options, which seem like a good way to try it out.
we had tangled lines more than once with 6 lines from the bob house, didn't take much when retreving for the fish to wind itself around another line or 2
we fished a steep underwater dropoff, some years we were in only 250 feet of water, in the group of bobhouses that were within a 100 ft circle, there was 100ft change in depth, but it was an awesome spot to catch perch, averaging a pound/12-13" long, we put a lot in our freezer
RandyO
IBA#9560
A man with a gun is a citizen
A man without a gun is a subject
Saw this today and was absolutely mortified to see what goes on under the surface.
https://reddit.com/r/ANormalDayInRus...any_fish_left/
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This is the first year in many I HAVEN'T been out ice fishing. In years past and I'm sure for many years to come, it's an important part of our winter ritual and something we did almost every weekend. I'd go on & list everything I've amassed over the years, but I'm far to lazy to run that through my head right now. I have friends that regularly camp for the weekend on the big lake, and they do so in pop-up bobhouses. Up until last year, I had a hard side bobhouse. Big Shirl & the kids bought me a 6-man pop-up ice shelter and I never looked back. SO much more convenient, and if secured properly they'll stay out all winter if you're vigilant about cleaning off snow. Couple Mister Buddy heaters at either end of the shelter and you're walking in a couple inches of water in no time.
While for some reason I've had zero desire to fish this winter, it's certainly not something I've given up on all together. We'll get back into it next winter no doubt. And again, I'll drive Big Shirl fuckin' nuts because I'll be out there every weekend again!
Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?
the reason I haven't bought a pop up yet, I kinda like a wood floor, I recal my dad's having 2x8 oak runners with steel ice blade, homosote siding & roof, 2x2 framing, it would be heavy.. but no big deal with a 14' trailer, a 6'x6' bobhouse, + my UTV to tow it, I could use the 14' trailer for other things...... yes, I'm trying to justify a trailer actually, a 16' tandem axle aluminum, from the guys over in Milton
RandyO
IBA#9560
A man with a gun is a citizen
A man without a gun is a subject
Going to head out this saturday with the kid, maybe wife and the 11 month old out on Silver lake if anyone wants to join.
shelter, stove heat. making breakfast and lunch out there. Fishing for perch, bluegills , bass and pike.
barometer should drop after the storm on Th/Fri.. Either way I'll only be 5 min from my house
hmmmm......
Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?
I've seen them (online), Shappell makes em with Jet Sleds, and Otter makes em too, they even make one for the sled that I have
and the price of lumber today, probably cheaper than building one, I bought a 10ft 5/4x12 pine board for a shelf a few weeks ago, cost me $38, not that I'd build it out of 5/4,
RandyO
IBA#9560
A man with a gun is a citizen
A man without a gun is a subject