trapshooter

Great vids Roy. Quite the muskie fishing outfit on Thorpe in the first one! Definitely an area I'd love to fish someday.

tough one. still beats riding the couch all day.

The only time brad will work is if you're in a heated hut all day. Can be good for feeling hits when fishing deep. Always use fluoro leader though!!

I've tried a couple ice lines and wasn't sold. I use regular Trilene, 8lb XL for walleye and 10lb XT for trout. Works for me.

Here's a good trailer for a muskie video.

A lot of it was shot on Lac Seul. The very start of the video, where they're launching a boat, is at the lodge where I guide for.

no. I don't even think Jos has an email address. lol

Here's my winter vehicle and living quarters...

There's not a fish that swims that won't eat a rattle spoon tipped with a minnow. Definitely a staple in my hardwater arsenal.

cool video... literally. Elliot Brood is by far the best band I've discovered in a looong time!

wow... just awesome!!

I use my sled almost exclusively for ice fishing and always wear a survival suit. Warm and safe. In my opinion a 2pc survival suit is the best of both worlds.

dawn and dusk are definitely peak times but I'd be fishing all day. Especially if you're out there anyhow. Bottom line, you definitely won't catch anything if you're not fishing!!

Rule # 1 is that there are no right or wrong answers... some things just seem to work better then others. I'm surprised year after year with what I see guys catch fish with. Experimentation is key and what worked one day may not work the next. As you try different things, you'll gain confidence in certain presentations and confidence is everything. Having said that, here's my preferred methods.

On my dead-stick (aka set line) I either run a small 1/8th oz jig head or a hook & split shot tipped with a live minnow. Hooked through the lips or behind the dorsal fin. In my opinion, airplane jigs and jigging raps are meant to be jigged so I use these types of bait on the rod I have in my hand.

I usually tip the treble of such baits... jigging raps, buckshot rattle spoons etc. with a whole minnow hooked through the head with one point of the treble. I don't hook through the lips because the minnow comes off too easily. I go right into the hardest part of its head. You can go in through the top of its head or up from the bottom. both work. I always start with a whole minnow and then downsize to a half or just the head if the whole minnow isn't getting bit.

I did see a guy do well before on Nipissing hooking his minnows on 2 points of a treble in a way that presented his minnow horizontal, rather then vertical.

Good luck and have fun.

I have a HJC for winter as well. The visor is wired so it never fogs and the helmet is very warm and keeps the wind out.

They had the same promotion this time last year and I got mine surprisingly fast.

I make a lot of oven jerkey too. Same as Andy, I like a sweet n' hot marinade better then the soy based ones. I use half franks wing sauce mixed with either maple syrup or honey. I marinade for 24hrs though. Just google overn jerkey recipes and you'll find hundreds of ideas for marinade ingredients. There's no wrong way to do it, just depends what flavours you like.

Wow! Gotta be the biggest eye I've ever seen through the ice. Thanks for the video.

Your entire experience will depend on the lodge you work for. Send me a PM, I can help you out.

more like 90% not 50% Ben and that access is private property and has had some issues the past 2 years.

Oh, too bad. Thanks for the update. It's been 3 years since I lived in North Bay.

Off the beach in Callander, you can park and walk out. Pretty decent action at Opener. You'll see people out there.

Deep water point is a bit of a drive but that's where I had the best action when I lived in North Bay for a winter. There is a small access road beside one of the camps that goes out on the ice. Once you're out there, there will be no question where the 'hot-spot' is. Huts galore!! 30' with a 1/8oz glow jig tipped with a minnow was my confidence bait. Don't forget your measuring device.... half of the walleye will be protected by the slot.

Not2baaaaaad!!!

Great story, thanks for sharing. Nice to see someone leading by example and cleaning up the mess that others leave behind.

Not sure where you're located, buckster, but when I was at BassPro, I found the Lindy Darter...looks very similar to a salmo, but a nicer paint job and better looking hooks...I picked it up because it was cheaper than the Salmo.

Just my $0.02...I know they're at BPS...not sure about other spots.

I'm looking forward to trying the Lindy Darter this winter myself. Hope to pick some up in Thunder Bay when I head down there over the holidays.

I'm happy for you Lew. Congratulations on realizing your dreams to move to the country and getting the H out of T.O.! Great house and property... the garage is the icing on the cake!!

Solid outing in those conditions. I can understand why you weren't moving around much!! I'm surprised your auger even wanted to start!!

mad skilz Cliff!!