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This is a typical setup for the regular pier fishing group that I fish with, the ring and screws are hard to find around here, there aren't a lot of hardware stores around the beach and Wall-mart doesn't carry them so when you do get them you hang on to them for dear life. My first one was given to me by Al last year, I brought a couple with me from home this time. A close up of the ring, the big advantage of this is that you can easily see the slightest bite because you are using the full length of the rod. Sitting in the sun drinking sweet ice tea, and no, I don't miss the ice and cold up North LOL This is one of my fishing buddies Al, even though the days have been beautiful and warm, first thing in the morning out on the pier can be cool, the water temperature is only 54°F. Al was a NY State trouper until he retired, really nice guy and boy does he have some stories to tell. Not a lot of new fish pictures to add, we are catching a lot of whitings but one whiting looks the same as the next, I'll try to get a few pictures of some of the other fish we catch and add them. Fishing the pier is very different than anything else I've ever done, yesterday I did my usual 7:00 am at the pier, we caught some whitings and a few really nice ones but it was slow by normal standards. We usually fish for a few hours then come in and do our whatever things. Yesterday I had a bit of time to kill in the afternoon so about 2:00 I decided to take a walk out on the pier with my rods. Middle of the afternoon, sun high in the sky I cast my first line in and didn't get a chance to pick up my second rod, the biggest whiting I have ever caught and it was non stop. I had to come back in at 3:30 but I hated to leave, it was some of the best catching I've had since I've been here, oh well lots more days to go! We've got a bit of cold weather coming in for a few days, I'm not sure how that will affect the catching but fishing on the pier is always an adventure and I've hooked up with some really nice guys. I finally found someone that wants to go clam and oyster digging with me so we are going to give it a shot next week. I'm really looking forward to it, I love fresh shell fish and free is even better, a non resident license is only $35.00 for the year and you are allowed 1/2 a bushel of clams per day and about the same in oysters. I'll try to do a more detailed report on that when it happens. Tight lines and stay safe!

Lake Erie is usually 40% covered by ice this time of year; so far in 2020, there is none Open water fishing! if you don't get blown away!

$ 130 .......$ 200 for a bottle of whiskey....and they say fishing is an expensive habit🤔🤔🤔

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Or puck board is used in Frozen hockey rinks between the ice and the boards so when frozen pucks hit it 100 miles an hour it doesn’t break anything. it is made for cold conditions and should work great for him

Go out and buy some large "KEY" rings and some of those screws feed them through and you have it. you look pretty in the sun,

Took my neighbour to try and get him his first Lake Trout through the ice. He got A nice one, job done! We lost a few more fish and I got some whitefish. The pike were everywhere on my spot that day, got some nice ones in the mid 30”s. We have been planning to go fishing for 3 years, lol, finally made it. Jared had a nice trout supper with his family, and my crew got whitefish soup.

When I ice fished I used snowmobile “mitts” never had a problem. Gloves were cold.

You want toasty hands get a pair of seal skin mitts!!!! My friend just transferred to Sachs Harbor NWT and I'm going to get her to source me a pair. Down here they are pretty expensive, up in the communities you can get them cheaper.

Akrisoner, I don't often open ice fishing posts but came across this and read your OP. Man, glad to have you back, safe and sound. It read like a Tom Clancy novel. Complete with the Hero living to tell about it thank God. Close one eh kid? Just the other night I was watching one of those reality Cop shows and a dog went through the ice when on a walk with his buddy and was nearly dead from scratching on the ice around a 4' hole. You could see the blood from the Pups paws clawing on the edge of the ice., he had been in there for only about 10 minutes when the water rescue crew got to him. Only 5' of water yet both rescuers donned their dry dive suits before they went in. Anyone could have jumped in a pond only 5' deep. If someone did that within a minute someone else would need to now rescue both a Dog and a Man. Just the look on that pups face wanted me to well up, OK I did. A job without a plan is a plan for disaster. I hope all the folks here that venture out onto our ice in our beautiful lakes and rivers take something away from your experience. There is no such thing as too much preparation. If only one of the guys here do something better to help prepare themselves for a bad day because of your post and it saves someone else's or their own life you have done what you were put here on Earth for. Simple as that. I don't know if you do the social media thing out there but if you do or someone else here does please pass on this post, please. I have a saying. " Experience is a lifetime of mistakes. Wisdom is knowing how not to make them again." You now have some wisdom Akrisoner and now you can pass it on. Johnny D edit: The Golden Retriever was warmed up in the Cop car given 02 and spent the night in the vets, he was out walking with his buddy the next afternoon.

Hey Akrisoner Nice if u to post ur experience... I also have gone for a few polar dips with good outcomes and being prepared is the key as Josh mentioned .. as for ch312 he’s a know it all ... in his own mind cheers ..

I definitely admitted I put my dog at risk. I put that out clear as day that I made the mistake and definitely learned from it. I 100% put myself at risk, just like anyone does any time they leave the house. I also backcountry snowboard where the risk of being in an aavalanche is extremely high in comparison to just staying on the resort. once again, just like going on the ice, you do what you can to mitigate risks. Wearing appropriate gear and carrying a beacon, probe and shovel. finally you said that I was putting my friend at risk? I am not in control of him. In fact as funny as it is, it was his idea to try and fish a different area in the first place. My responsibility to him is as simple as his is to me. We both take the right precautions and we both agree to help eachother should anything bad happen. I’m not certain where I’m responsible for his respective choices? He’s an experienced fisherman wearing the appropriate gear too. finally your reference to first responders...I can assure you right now that if I was needing first responders just like anyone else that ventures into the wilderness...I’d be dead long before they would ever be able to save me. There was 0 chance the cops were going to save my life if I was stuck in that water for an hour. they might go look for my body, but my survival suit, picks and rope were going to get me out of that water long before they ever showed up. Roelefson has a point, people should go in and see what it’s like. You’ll be more confident and comfortable when it happens unexpectedly. also the comments about cracking ice, there isn’t almost anything more true than that. The sketchiest ice is quite. Soft ice doesn’t make noise!

I taught him that you know. The boys in high school used to call me house league Jeff for a reason.

We hope you catch a big 'un today !

Cod cakes101 I know many like to boil their salt cod,but I like the texture of the salted fish, so I soak it for 2 days ( change water 2 x ) drain and let sit for another day. Started on friday, Oh along with a few tails of salmon a co worker asked me to smoke. I agreed since the temps were warm. LOL Prep Up Saturday to a pouring rainy morning and get the smoker fired up. Drain bowl of cod and replenish. Salmon done and turned out very nice. Wake up to a winterfest Sunday morning. Need to get some yeller taters and a large onion for the cakes. Off to No frills and back I get to start chopping. 1 large purple onion diced,5lb taters and 2lb salt cod. Perfect cakes with just the right amount of salt taste and the fish texture is perfect.

Have fun out there. We've got rain ice and snow all mixed together. I'll just go back to my melting pot anf make more tackle.