crappieperchhunter

Perch for supper tomorrow night Beauty day out there. Friends and fishing on the ice for the start of this ice season. It doesn't get any better

Gonna head for my typical first ice spot to try for a feed of perch. I probably won't make a report later so as not to offend those concerned with other peoples safety. Just gotta throw the last of my gear in the car. Debbe did a basement cleanup awhile back and I'm having a heck of a time locating my first ice bubble wrap that ALWAYS goes with me on these trips. If I'm not heard from again Happy New Years to everyone :thumbsup_anim:

Not sure how many I have. My son works at a bank now so I gave him some he liked cause he wears one pretty much everyday. The last time I wore one myself was about 10 years ago.

You won't be disappointed. I'm so happy my son got me one as a gift. It took me about 20 perch to really get the hang of it. Then I was gold. I was concerned that it would butcher up the fish wasting alot of meat...but it doesn't. It is actually better at smaller perch then a hand knife if you can believe that. It's faster and cleaner. Good luck with your new toy

You sound like me before I got an Electric as a Xmas gift from my son. Gave it a go only because it was a gift. I always enjoyed cleaning fish so it was never a priority to go electric. But I gotta tell you Bob...it is the way to go for panfish and perch. I got 3 rapalas like yours collecting dust now. As far as the extra $$$$. If you consider the time you spend caring for the blade on your knife I'd gladly pay a little more. I'm on my 4th year with my electric. Give it a wipe and put it away until next time. All I know is if my electric died I'd have it replaced immediately with another.

Finally some cold weather to get us in full ice fishing mode. And it got me thinking about the Fishing for Tyler get together and was wondering if it is a go this year?

I'm curious to see what responses you get. I have the rapala that is NOT cordless and love it. I personally have steered clear of the cordless because I figure it is just one more thing to go wrong. I clean hundreds and hundreds of fish every year and I have always been concerned that the cordless battery would give up the ghost long before the knife blades.

Thx for the report Michael. Glad to see someone is enjoying the ice. I made a last ice report ONCE on another fishing board and got attacked by quit a few members as well. Seems I was sending the uneducated to there death beds if they read my report and tried anything as foolish as fishing on 14-18 inches of ice the first week of April I understand peoples concern. I however have never ever even got a soaker in 30 years on the ice. I'm probably as cautious and safety minded on the ice as anyone you could possibly meet. That is the problem with a one paragraph report on an open forum. The readers where not there and don't know the current conditions or the level of caution the poster uses when they are out. I see both sides of the story here. An ice fisherman thrilled with finally getting out and sharing his day and a few readers worried about the safety of others. A mix that always ends with a bad taste in everyone's mouth. Sorry if they took the wind out of your sails Michael...but again congrats at getting on some ice Don't bother with anymore first/last ice reports. Just enjoy your day and save the memories for your own scrapbook.

Ewwwww it looks like it's touching the fish too You got out Brian...that's the main thing. Thx for sharing.

Sorry to hear the news Doc.. especially this time of year. My heart and well wishes go out to friends and family. I fully understand the children part of your story though and I can take it one step further. My kids are 25 and 22. The Christmas spirit has not been much to write home about for a number of years now. HOWEVER my 3 1/2 year old grandson just gave grandpa and grandma a full helping of that again this year :thumbsup_anim: Little kids, and family at Christmas will pretty much cure anything.

Another vote for FinS minnows here. Can't go wrong with Arkansas shiner for a color choice. I however use the FinS shad bodies...1.5 inch size through the ice for perch & crappie. The larger sizes will probably work just as well for larger fish.

She'll come around soon enough Bruce. I know you have the gentle patience to take her fears away. However if I where YOU....instead of the stick fetching...I'd be teaching her to retrieve fishing rods thrown in the water

Merry Christmas to you ands yours Phil. BTW do you sell them perch Santa Hats in your photo? There are the bomb :thumbsup_anim:

So happy to see this my friend. Happy Holidays. Molly looks like a fine family Christmas gift to me :thumbsup_anim:

Happy Holidays Cliff. Take care of each other and give Sue a big holiday hug for me. I'm hoping Santa brings us some ice...I need a feed of fresh perch.

In a word...NO. I really love the ice...so this prolonged unseasonal weather is very frustrating Glad all you others are enjoying extended seasons on the fishing you enjoy...but man I just want to get on some solid ice.

Congrats on the new purchase Julian :thumbsup_anim: I don't own a power auger so I can't help with your maintenance concerns...but if we ever get any ice...I'd be more then happy to drill some fishing holes with it to see how it works

I have had the pleasure of meeting the world's greatest fishing dog many times and even had Peanut in my boat this fall. I have always said when I retire one of the first things I wanna get is a "fishing dog" to join me whenever I head out to fish. Peanut was the perfect fishing partner and full of happy excited energy that couldn't help but put a smile on your face. My thoughts are with you Bruce, you have lost a good pet and a great friend. Take care of yourself my friend and remember the many good times you 2 shared together.

I think your onto something there Rizzo

Not sure the bite force of my better half. But that's not even the scary part....the scary part is the bark Sorry peanuts ordeal has hit a speed bump Bruce. That little fella is full of piss & vinegar though so I'm sure things will be OK.

I posted up farther on this thread and I have a Garmin Etrex. It seems my findings last year when I finally started using my handheld are the same as what you have experienced. Being new to this technology I didn't know if my unit was working at 100%. I now am certain it was. Thx for taking the time on your detailed reply. It has helped me to understand this technology better.

I have a Garmin...lower end model. Just started really using it last year. I would say within 30-50 feet is pretty much average of how close it gets you. I got no problem with that.

I'm no help Lew...but I'm sure others will chime in. I can tell you Pay Pal is 100% legit. Guys at work use it all the time with no issues.

Glad Peanut is home safe and sound Bruce. That's a nasty looking picture right there...couldn't imagine the before photo. Did you save some of the brandy for Peanut.

meh....bet he couldn't do it on a windy day