Fishnwire

You can store batteries that aren't being charged in your basement with no real worries regarding safety. Make sure nothing conductive can come in contact with the terminals, and checking them every now and then to make sure they're not leaking/bulging (which is unlikely) isn't a bad idea. About the worst thing you can do (as far as the life of the battery goes) is to leave it in a state of discharge for any real length of time. Charge them up to 100% before you put them away. I also like to top mine off once or twice over the off season...but it's only really necessary with my older batteries that don't hold a charge as well. Doing that in an unventilated space is something to avoid.

The OP asked about sleeping in a portable hut. Has anyone done this? I'm inclined to think that without some kind of a floor to insulate from the cold of the ice, it would be pretty hard to get it warm enough in there to spend a comfortable night. I hope I'm wrong, because I'd like to try it. Can anyone shed any light on this?

No idea what that is. One time I had a bucket of gravel sitting in my basement for well over a year. Then I used it in a new tank I set up and when I did I noticed a live snail in there. Another time my buddy had a 90 gallon with about a half dozen large Africans. One day he notices a new fish, about two inches long, that he didn't put in there. Two adults must have thrown a clutch of eggs, and one hatched and managed to hide and to eat and not get eaten long enough to grow too big to be preyed upon. Weird stuff happens in fish tanks. It's cool when it does. Thanks for sharing.

My Father-in-law will often keep a pike from the last night of fishing at camp to bring home for he and my Mother-in-law. All he ever does is cut the head off and gut it, wrap it in newspaper and throw in the cooler. He says the wife just roasts it in the oven and they pick the meat away from the skin and bones. I've been invited, but have repeatedly declined. I like eating fish but it has to be boneless or it makes me gag. I had a bad experience as a kid that ended with my Dad plucking lake trout bones from the back of my throat by kerosine lamp light with a set of needle-nose pliers. I have a hard time imagining fish stuffed with onions and butter (maybe some 3/4 cooked crumbled bacon too!) and given the BBQ tinfoil treatment not tasting good, so I'd say give it a try and let us know how it turns out.

It might be too late...but your windows seem a little high. You're going to want to be able to look out of them from a seated position. That way you can monitor an outside tip-up while sitting inside and jigging. Having to stand up every time you want to check if you have a flagged popped is a major PITA. If the height of the hut is such that you can't land a fish by hand, but have to hoist it into the hut from the top of the water with it dangling in free air momentarily...that's eventually going to be a problem if you ever hook into anything with shoulders on light line. Some guys park their huts on sacrificial planks or even big pieces of stove wood. That way, they melt into the ice but keep the hut itself from doing so. If you move your hut frequently...you'll have fewer problems. The longer it stays in one place the harder it will be to move when the time comes. Some operators bring out a "jack-all" every morning and jack up each side of each hut just enough to break the "seal" with the ice. The beauty of a sleeper hut is that if you enjoy fishing first and last light, you can easily be right there at those times. I'm jealous...have fun.

I never used the words "Democrat" or "Republican", nor did I ever capitalize the word "conservative". Small "C" conservatives of whatever era they exist in (regardless of what they call themselves) stand in the way of the kind of social progress I mentioned. They don't do so successfully for very long, but that is what they're all about.

It's incorrect because it assumes conservatives are capable of evolving. By their very nature, they are not. They're too busy trying to "conserve" the way of life they enjoy, by opposing things like the abolition of human slavery, the full inclusion of 50% of our population into society, and segregation based on the colour of one's skin, ethnic background or religious beliefs. Maybe not today's conservatives...but yesterday's. The thing is...today's conservatives will one day look as backwards as yesterday's. The history of social conservatism is nothing but opposition to positive human evolution. If it wasn't for progressives (call them liberals if you wish) that came along and changed the way we think about those types of things, there would have been little point in bothering to evolve past the point of being simple hunter-gatherers.

Boardwalk Empire is amazing and just keeps getting better. There should be a six page thread talking about just that.

I've seen a few interviews and haven't heard anyone say, "I want what the 1% have"...so I guess you're paraphrasing, to put it lightly. Regardless, I suppose if a reporter was so inclined (say if he/she was mandated by their bosses to do so) it wouldn't be impossible for them to go down to one of these events and find an ill-informed participant or two to provide just the right sound bite. It would be no different than going to a "Tea Party" demonstration and finding an idiot that makes the rest look bad, except that would probably be a lot easier. I certainly haven't seen the wide range of hilarious spelling mistakes on placards from this bunch. Nor have I seen the kind of outrage towards them and their attempt to affect change through assembly.

The most curious aspect (to me) of this whole thing is just how much animosity some people have towards these protestors. If you don't agree with those protests, don't take part in them...problem solved. - I feel fairly indifferent about the whole thing. I don't see the point in personally participating, but at the same time, I also don't feel the need to hurl insults at them or question how they spend their free time. If their efforts are pointless and bound to fail, as seems to be the consensus, and they're not hurting anyone, which appears to be the case...why give them a moment of thought, let alone spend time focusing animosity?

That show is amazing. The guy in it is also nothing short of amazing. I can't believe how hard he worked. Forget about building that cabin by hand...I couldn't even cut all my firewood without a chainsaw. I thought it was really cool how he packed his tools in without handles and just made new ones when he got there. He had some mad saw/axe/chisel skills. It's a good thing an OFNer didn't attempt that. The fishing looked like it was pretty good, so no work would have got done and the first winter would be unsurvivable. I don't think there are any other shows like that, because I don't think there's any other men like that.

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Assuming your vehicle's tank is 60 litres and you put the unused gas in the next time you fill up...your looking at a 120:1 ratio of gas to oil. Unless you drive an Indy car or similarly high-tuned machine, that small amount of oil one time will make no difference short or long term. I'm not a professional but I've spoken on this very subject with several people who are. "It won't hurt nothin'" is what I've been told.

I hope you're exceeding proud of the results of your hard work. Those baits look amazing. The ones I attempted to paint last winter look like they were done by a child, in comparison. Really nice.

That's a heck of a gift! I wish I had a neigbour like yours. I'm sure you'll have some good times with it. "Tin roof...rusted!"

Talk to the guys at the Marina...they usually know the skinny on where the fat ones are being caught. This is my favorite time of year for open water at Hartley Bay. Before I started drop-shotting, we usually just jigged with leadheads and twistertails, tipped with a minnow or worm for walleye and usually did pretty well. If you're bored and have the time, throw a 4-6 inch minnow of the dock and sit back. There's a good chance something will take it. If the importance hasn't gotten through to you yet...watch out for rocks. I want bother telling you to have fun. I don't need to.

I used to drool over other fisherman's LX-5s...when I got one I thought I'd never suffer "ice-fishing-sonar-envy" again. I guess I was wrong.

Double uni here as well. I like a swivel for some applications too.

I have the Ice Armor Extreme...I love it. Had it shipped from Gagnon's in Oshawa as they had the best price in Ontario at the time.

Wow. I've been using a new MinKota I just bought for a couple of weeks now and never even thought of that. Considering I'm an electrician, that's a little embarrassing. I was on my way to Canadian tire anyway, I guess I'll put that on the list.

What a loss. It's hard to imagine about what he might have accomplished for this country had his time not been cut short. I feel sort of like we all got "ripped off". Talk about big shoes to fill.

How much is the Rubicon option now? About 9 grand I think, eh? Do you really need the Dana 44s and locking difs? Where are you planning on taking the thing? Ask yourself (and be honest) whether you really need, or just want that writing on the sides of your hood. Also ask yourself whether or not you'll actually be willing to take your brand new, shiny Jeep into areas that are hard on your paint job and rims. If you don't actually need a highly capable "out-of-the-box" 4X4 like a Rubi, and just want it...that's OK too. You probably work hard and almost certainly deserve it. Just understand that the more off-road capable a vehicle is, the less practical a daily driver it is. I use my wife's car a fair bit. I'd rather fill that tank and replace those tires. I've got an '04 with 6 inches of lift and 36 super-swampers. The guy who said those type of modifications are "unnecessary and just kill gas mileage and drive-ability" was probably right, but I couldn't hear him over the sound of so much butt being kicked! I take it in the bush 12 months a year to places I'd have a hard time getting without a similar vehicle. Also I'm a Jeep head and will admit I just love looking at it. For me, despite certain drawbacks, I have no regrets.

$175 ?!? No thanks.

I'm an electrician...so if I was there with my multimeter I could figure it out. Not being there and only having a "layman's" explanation of the problem and process that led to it, it's hard to troubleshoot. - Household wiring is not a hobby...you might consider contacting a licensed tradesman...it sounds like you're in over your head. There are times I need to defer to (pay) mechanics, carpenters, plumbers or whomever to do stuff I can't do. I think that's where you're at.