Fishnwire

Thanks guys. I hear everything you're saying about enjoying (savoring) the time while I can. I'm doing just that. As an added bonus...the Aircard I got from Bell a couple weeks back gets decent reception out here on the ice! I'm in the shack right now typing on my laptop. I wish I was too busy catching fish to log on to OFC...but so far it's a little slow. Maybe when the sun starts to dip we'll get a flurry of action. Hope springs eternal.. If I get anything worth taking the camera out for, I'll post some pics.

I haven't ice fished very much this season. A handful of times is all. Most years by now I would have 30 or 40 days on the ice and maybe 20 nights in the hut. I've been preoccupied with; 1) Reconciling with my wife after almost a year of being separated. 2) Making her, and then finding out she's pregnant. Then sweating through the first trimester, going to doctors and baby shops the whole time, and telling family and "dealing" with the help/advice. 3) Buying a house...anyone who's done so knows what that involves...it's seemingly endless. I've been working nights so I've been available for all the meetings with the real estate agent/bank/mortgage broker/home inspector/insurance agent...etc....but I was dragging my butt at work a few nights, that's for sure. Now I'm off work for the next 14 days. She's got stuff to do with her Mom, there's no future-daddy stuff scheduled, and everything with the house purchase is taken care of. The weather is supposed to be great and some good buddies of mine are going to be at their place on the river for the weekend. I'm looking forward to this weekend and doing some fishing more than I have in a long time. Not getting to fish as much as I'd like (something I'll have to get used to with the whole Dad/attentive husband/homeowner thing) isn't great...but the anticipation and excitement is on a level I haven't felt in a while. Sorry to go on and on...like I say, I'm excited.

I just leave a 1x1 (or whatever...a stick works) across the middle of the hole, perpendicular to the rod and placed so that if a fish pulls the rod down it hits the stick. I have yet to lose a rod protected this way. Sometimes the rod will be down and the tip of it bent over into the water but the stick keeps the rod from going over.

I wouldn't count on there being enough ice. There's not enough now and the forecast doesn't have a lot of cold weather coming between now and X-mas. I hope I'm wrong.

I think he's referring to the circumference of the hole...therefore the maximum girth of the fish you can pull through it. I wouldn't buy an 8 inch manual auger. Drilling 8 inch holes is a ton of work compared to 6 inch ones. Plus, a six inch hole is big enough for just about anything you are likely to hook into. I have a 4 1/2 inch one and I get 12 inch crappies through those holes no problem. Buy a scoop to clean out and keep the hole clear. You should start with one tip-up and one jigging rod. You can get them at CT or Walmart for around $15 for the tip-up and $25 for the rod. There's a big selection of rods of different weights...just pick them up and bend them, you'll be able to tell what ones would be good for pike. Either buy a combo or just the rod and slap one of your summer reels on there. I'd put 12 lb test whatever (I use Fireline) on the rod and 20 lb black braided Dacron on the tip-up. I use flouro or mono leaders on both my tip-ups and jigging rods. The advice another offered about tagging along with someone with some experience is good. Have fun.

If you want to pick up minnows from the bait store and keep them overnight the easiest/best thing to do is leave them in the sealed and oxygen filled bag. Keep them cool...the garage if it's cold but not freezing, the fridge otherwise. They'll be fine for a day or two. If you plan on keeping them longer than that (or once you've opened the bag) you'll need a larger volume of water and some form of aeration (air pump) or agitation (water circulator). A five gallon bucket is OK but one of those blue "Roughneck" totes by Rubbermaid is better. The surface area of water exposed to the air is more important than the actual volume. Once the water gets cloudy, do a 50% change with water of the same temperature. Depending on the particulars of your municipality's water (pH and chlorine/chloramine levels) you might need a neutralizing agent such a "Prime"...it's available from pet stores. One capful treats 50 gallons so it's very cheap. Prime provides other benefits (detoxification of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) too. Otherwise fill a bucket/tub with city water and let it sit for 24 hours...most of the chlorine/chloramine will evaporate. Keep them as cool as possible. It's OK if the water begins to freeze as long as it doesn't freeze solid. I forgot my minnows outside of the hut one night and by morning around 90% of the water in the bucket was frozen. I brought it in, put it close (not too close) to the stove and ended up not losing a single minnow. Keeping minnows alive in the winter is not nearly as hard as doing so in the summer. The warmer the water the faster they respire and the sooner they deplete the available oxygen.

I stayed at a lodge near the watershed and was told by the operator to not release any SMB bass, but to either keep them or throw them on shore to die. They consider them "garbage fish" and would be happy to see the entire population destroyed in the belief it would improve the (already good) walleye fishery. I haven't given that establishment any return business.

Hopefully these two will be punished in this world and the next. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/more-trouble-salvation-army-2m-toys-disappear-155110707.html

How many feet down is my bait is not crucial information...how high off the bottom and in how many FOW is what I need to know. This doesn't tell me that. I've never once said, "I wish I knew exactly how much line this fish has taken,"...I look at how much is left on the spool and have a pretty good idea. Unless you leave your tip-ups unattended for any real length of time, you don't need to know how long ago one has been tripped. I look at them every few minutes...therefore I know a raised flag has been so for no longer than since the last time I looked at it and it wasn't tripped...5 or 10 minutes at the very most. I've fallen asleep in my hut with a tip up set inside and woke to find it tripped...but I'd rather have a buzzer that ends my nap as opposed to a timer that tells me for how long I've ignored a strike. $44? Not worth it to me.

I caught the same 18" SMB with a small, distinctive growth on the side of it's mouth 5 times this summer...7 times if you include the times guests of mine tied into her. One time I considered keeping a walleye I'd just caught because one of the trebles on the stick bait I was using got deep in its eye and gouged it out. I figured it might die of infection or starvation. I threw it back and caught it the next two years in a row. Absolutely C&R works.

The Marcum LX-5 is the nicest sonar I've used on the ice. I don't know why people say that circular display flashers are "hard to read". The return is displayed in a curved line instead of a straight one...what about that is hard to read? Any half decent sonar you get will change the way you ice fish.

Basically, I just don't want one enough to get one. I actually really like the idea of a smartphone...but I don't like the idea of a contract and another bill every month. I know it's not a lot of money, but I'd rather spend it elsewhere. Plus, I'd probably lose the thing...assuming I even remember to bring it with my when I leave the house...which I rarely would. Also, there's no service at my camp. I'll probably get one some day soon.

I appreciate the info...regardless of where it came from. I guess I could have looked it up too...I'm also interested to find out how weird it is that I'm a cell phone virgin. Thanks jose.

I'm 40 years old and don't own a cell phone. I never have. Everyone I know (under the age of 80) does own one. I'm curious how many other people are the same as me in that regard. That's the first question. Having never had a cell phone, I've never sent a text message. I'd like to be able to do so, because I have friends who tell me the easiest way to get a hold of them is by texting. Is there some way I can send a text to a phone number over the internet from my computer? That's the other question. Thanks.

The really good walleye fishing on the French doesn't really start until November. My buddy (who lives there) doesn't even begin fishing until a week or two from now. I have vivid memories of slamming tons a nice fish while being very, VERY cold. I'm not a muskie guy but a dock worker at my chum's marina is. By the time he starts fishing hard he's finished work for the year. He knows his fishing season is over the morning he tries to launch his boat but can't because the bay is frozen solid.

There's no legal limit to the amount of fish one can catch and release, whereas there is a legal limit to how many of certain species of fish you can keep. I might "take a chance [of] injuring" the fish I catch and release...but I'm fairly certain they have a significantly better chance of survival than the ones (legal or otherwise) that you take home. I always laugh when a meat fisherman tries to suggest that catch and release is as harmful to the fishery as limiting out. Your assertion that C&R is not beneficial over ignoring limits though is downright hilarious. At least it would be if it wasn't kind of sad. Have fun and good luck walleye fishing this weekend. Hopefully not too many people with the attitude that they are "owed" fish over their limit due to previous less-than-limit outings have fished there before you...otherwise you may very well get skunked.

There's lots of people who consider a day on the water that doesn't end in taking one's limit home a waste of time. All of us know someone like this. All of us also know that these types would never count a fish caught yesterday against today's limit. Let's be realistic here. I've never once heard someone say something like, "I wish I could keep this otherwise legal fish...but I checked before I left the house and I've got a limit in the freezer already." I have heard a few individuals proudly brag about having a "freezer full" though. The likelihood of having your home searched and being charged for breaking the regs over a zippy or two of fillets is practically zero...this fact is not lost on those who ignore the law.

Either of those machines would be a good choice. They hold their value well for a reason. I'd be leaning towards the Yamaha but the Honda seems like a really good deal at $7G. I've never heard anyone say they regretted buying "too big" a quad...although I have heard people say they wished they'd gone ahead and bought a bigger one. You'll probably use it for doing work around the cottage and the extra power comes in handy. Have fun.

The price is pretty good.

You can tow just about whatever you want with a 4.0 litre Wrangler, it's the also the original SUV, and it's great in the city. I've never spoken with anyone who has ever owned a CJ, YJ, TJ, or XJ that regrets it. Nor do they regret the subsequent Wranglers they purchase.

Roy's post was only the second of the thread, but I read no further...and neither do you. It's the original, and still the greatest off-road vehicle ever made.

Fraying would be a problem if it broke...but it doesn't. Wrap it around your hands with a section of frayed line in the middle and pull...with anything 8 lb test or greater, you're more likely to cut your hands before you break that line. Fireline is awesome stuff that has changed the way I fish. I'll often employ a flouro leader, but in a lot of instances it is somewhat superfluous. I've only used Fireline on spinning reels, and Powerpro on baitreels. Buying (you may have to order it) a 1500 yard spool of Fireline will save you a ton of money. It's between $100 and $150, as apposed to $20-$25 for a measly 125 yards.

If you were as poor a fisherman as I, you'd probably better (comparatively) at what you do for a living too. Since it's meant as kind of a self-deprecating joke, I'm not able (nor obligated) to prove it. Thanks for noticing though.

Yeah. I think it's funny and thought a few others might too. Obviously you don't...so you decided to post a response about it.

Check out this add... http://sudbury.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-sporting-goods-exercise-fishing-camping-outdoors-Heddon-Dying-Flutter-W0QQAdIdZ323511450 It has to be a joke, right? That lure is worth about $10 new...with all the prongs on all the hooks. If it is meant as a joke, it's somewhat funny. If it isn't meant as a joke, it's downright hilarious. I'm tempted to make him a low-ball offer ($12) just to see how it pans out. If the guy is legit, I'd pay the $12 just to met him.