icefisherman

Well, what a difference having good fishing budy with a snowmobile makes Thanks for Cityfisher we've had one of those great days out there that more than make for my walking nightmares from week ago. Started early...wasted the first 3 hours with nothing to show for, not even a sniff....not giving up that easily moved to plan B...and it was "the plan" as we got them big time...both got limit quickly and decided to put up a small clinic for a 7 year old Russian boy and his father fishing close by...got to love the smiles and fire into the kids eyes every time I called him over to reel in the next moster from the deep He got quite good at it at the end... 75 fow today was the right dept Meegs was the killer lure today, almost all fish were caught on it.... Must have got 7-8 whities and probably missed that many more....fun all the way for sure... Here is Citifisher's first one: While he was all toasty inside the hut and paying his duties to the fishing Gods (left few lures under the ice;-) I was having fantastic time not far from him....getting the russin boy to run (and fall in the snow) and run again to come reel in yet another fish was priceless. Here is him at the end: His father was very happy...and I wish my boys were there,...oh well...did I say I am going to buy a new snow machine to make sure they do come for the whities show with me....yep....soon... Maybe this season that started not so well will finally get into more familiar tracks Anyhow...time to fillet them and there will be smoker time tomorrow Thanks again for the ride Citifisher, enjoined the day and we've got to do it again...and get ready for those summer kings on Lake O.....but make sure you change your line....your current one will not do it ha ha ha Cheers, Ice Fisherman

Looks great Rob. Hope you have left few for me ha ha ha... Left you a voice mail... Cheers, Ice Fisherman

Well Aaron, I may see you on Sunday then...not sure yet but it looks as the only day this week it could work out for me. Will keep my eyes open for your group. Who knows we may still bump into each other... Cheers, Ice Fisherman

I remember that trip Aaron...it was lots of fun. If not mistaken Don from Ice Guidez was there too...haven't seen him recently though he is almost a neighbor...taking my son to soccer on Saturdays...so that is out....trying to see if I can get out tomorrow or Friday but that depends if I manage to find find someone with a machine to go together....no much luck so far....and John hasn't replied yet...don't know if I can do second 15 km trip in 4 days As far as crazy ha ha ha I've seen a lot of your extreme reports so you are solid competition in the crazy department So I'll have to wait and see what happens between now and Saturday night before confirming for Sunday walk...one way or another we'll do some whitie hunting with you....just matter of when exactly ;-) To be continued.... Cheers, Ice FIsherman

Hahaha Love that challenge Lincoln....waiting on John to confirm ;-) Been trying to hook up with Aaron for while so here is the opportunity...and yes I too keep promissing myself to buy me a machine and then forget but it just might happen this year How about this Thursday or Friday? Cheers, Ice Fisherman

Hey John, how are you doing Bud? Sure remember you....how could I not....and all that Ling ha ha ha...got to get together some time for sure... Now if you in the meantime decide to sale that machine of yours....feel free to PM me Whities have been playing hard ball so far this season but with bit of extra work, not impossible to get into them... So yes, got to get together and compare notes Cheers, Ice Fisherman

Well...I was determined to get my limit today no matter what...since I couldn't find anyone to come with me in the last moment last night I went ...alone...Now if I knew what was expecting me on the ice I would never have done it...don't wish the punishment i took today to my biggest enemy. It was that super difficult conditions... Started at 6:45....with 2 stops on the way got my my final destination by 10:30....how do you spell COLD and MISERABLE? It was that and then some more....time to buy myself a snowmachine...too old for this walking game....15 km total in foot deep snow and slush and water and cracks and you name it,....back at the car at 5:15 pm......barely....had to sit and relax every 100m and then sat on the bucket by the car for 20 min just to pick up my breath and be able to open it and load my stuff....total exhaustion...have never had it so hard...every part of my body was hating me today and will be for the rest of the week...forgot my water bottle in the car...so sweating all wet and dehydrated...was about to drink from the hole...got to Sobeys and bought 10 x 1L orange juice and drunk 4 of them on the way home...had to drive only in my boxers since everything was soaking wet....heater on 32 degrees....good thing didn't get stopped by a cop as I would have had some explaining to do Anyhow...this is my last time doing this exercise....I promise it to myself... Now on to fishing....mission accomplished as I got my limit of whities in the couple hours I had to actually fish while getting ready for the return trip... Meegs and Williams both produced...other people were getting fish too...85 fow...fish was coming and going all day...not super hot bite but enough to keep you entertained and to get your limit. It was so cold fish froze so much that after an hour at home in the sink it was still so cold the kids didn't want to hold it for the picture....had to really negotiate with them...good thing I got couple chocolates from Sobbey just in case Any how.... I am out...laying down and breading deep....need some well deserved rest and a case of beer tomorrow night with whities on the menu P.S. I begged 3 people on the way back to help me and give me a ride back to shore if going in the same direction telling them I'll pay them,....but no luck...was given all kinds of excuses....was left with very bad taste in my mouth for sure... Cheers, Ice Fisherman

Good job walleyemaster! That is how it normally works...limit under 10 min...or searching for them all day I may try them myself on Sunday, in the big chill ha ha ha... I've got bunch of local buddies going daily and all are having difficulties zeroing on them so far this yer...so you are definitely ahead of the pack PM me if you out on Sunday...or next week...maybe we can hook up and compare notes ha ha ha. Cheers, Ice FIsherman

Sorry to read it Wayne...Dano is sure a great guy....still remember the BOQ cottage we shared with him and you... Wish him good luck fighting the bacterium and would love to see him fishing soon... Cheers, Ice Fisherman

Hahahaha guys, thanks for your kind comments....it sure was quite the excitement for all of us....kids are now hooked on skiing...I am hooked on moving up North one day...and possibly getting hunting license...and my wife loves the bear stew more than the beef one ha ha ha....winners all around... walleyemaster - Brian must have misplaced the invitation letter as he was handling them Now Mike.....what can I say Bud - you are right it is more than accidental...it only tells you, this is the year you make up some time and join me for those Simcoe whities...no more excuses please....now that you've sorted all about your new house too Rick, Just got fresh info on where we can still launch a boat (PM me if interested;-) I am afraid it'll be 20 days or more before we have enough ice for the whities...too long of a wait...don't you think...there has to be a better way to catch some ha ha ha And yes even I can't believe how fast kids are growing...sure are fun seeing them learning... Cheers, Ice Fisherman

Happy New Year Brian! Hey looks like our annual Simcoe trip this year maybe from the boat not from the ice.... Get ready! Cheers, Ice Fisherman

Yes Wayne, they sure are great....as soon as I mentioned "a good friend of mine Wayne who is also your neighbor, has recommended your restaurant to me" waoooooooo.......that sure made the woman smiling year to year...will sure stop by there again. She was saying ice on Temagami is getting a bit iffy with all the rain/high temps. Consider it done Steve....not the only question is....boat of walking?!!? Cheers, Ice Fisherman

Well after searching far and wide and not been able to organize anything for Abitibi I managed to do next best thing...made reservations and took the whole family a bit South of there - small Ontario town called Kearns, right on the border with Quoebec, right on Trans-Canada Hwy. Did few days of great family skiing at Mount Kanasuta in Quebec (first time on ski for my kids) and a day of ice fishing and loooooooooong snowmobile riding into Quebec (Le Barge Lac)....Was hard going for the snowmobiles as snow was soft and there was a lot of slush/water on the ice, but plenty of ice... Got my limit of eyes in my first ever Quebec/Northern ice fishing expedition.... Last night we were treated by our hosts to a New Year Evening party in the open with bunch of local families around what was the largest fire I've ever seen in my life....the structure must have been over 75 feet tall, very wide and nicely built....When in full force people were eating/drinking/partying in their short sleeve shirts well into the morning on January 1. Kids had super time, got all wet and tired.....tried bear stew again for the first time....very delicious... People up there were all fantastic...love their mentality and way of life....seriously thinking of moving up there one day.... Couldn't see one stressed/upset person...all smiling/happy/helping each other, sharing....relaxed....what a pleasant experience for all of us it was....were talking with my wife about it for 8 hours while driving back... Anyhow.... Great trip....will do it again for sure...fantastic place for fishermen and hunters alike.... Here are few pictures....but they sure don't do justice to all the great time we've all had. By the way on the way back today we've stopped in Wayne's favorite Chinese restaurant in Temagami. Nice lunch, hot soup and good service for sure....I knew I can trust you Wayne Happy New Year to everyone. Cheers, Ice Fisherman

Really enjoy your video reports Simon. Wish I was closer to you to come and join you once Cheers, Ice Fisherman

Got mine couple months ago and it is the best charger I've ever owed...amazing piece of equipment, small and light but packed with top notch electronics...and very SMART ...one of my battery is currently sitting connected to it for the past few weeks. I'll connect it to the other battery in few weeks or so... Highly recommended. Cheers, Ice Fisherman

Got the power auger and pretty much everything else but the snowmobile....I understand I can rent one from these guys: http://www.rentsnowmobile.com/rentals.htm But was warned not to attempt Abitibi by myself and without someone local who knows the area/ice well....so the search for a local guide is still ON Cheers, Ice Fisherman

Snow? What snow? Are you guys talking about couple years ago? Haven't seen much of the white stuff for years on the west side of the GTA...not a trace right now.... So may have to come visit you for a picture...with the snow that is Cheers, Ice Fisherman

No problem Mike. My understanding is (read it somewhere)those guys have been out of business for a while...looks at the last update on their web site is from 2007. Hope someone knows of a good guide in the area... I read how Abitibi is the hot spot for fishing eyes on the ice so there has to be people familiar with the area who do well there. Not much time left but hope I can get ahold of someone like that Cheers, Ice Fisherman

Will be heading to Abitibi area end of the month...will stay there Dec. 29 to Jan. 2 or 3. We'll do some skiing in QC and would love to try for some walleye on the Abitibi ice. Was counting on a guy to take me out but he needs to travel and will not be available at those dates. Does anyone know of good fishing guide I can talk to and see if we can work something out. Cheers, Ice Fisherman

Great and very informative post Dan. Appreciate the time you've put into it as I am sure it'll be good reading for many on the board. We'll be doing more testing with Brian using your instructions in the next few days to see what it'll add to what we already know. Using the original Lawrance wires/fuses/fuse holders etc. 520, 525 and the GPS antenna all come with the black rectangular rubber waterproof fuse holder with blade style fuses inside. Cheers, Ice Fisherman

12 gauge from battery to fuse panel 16/18 gauge from there to and from switch Then the Lawrance original cables are smaller gauge maybe 20 or so... Boat is Lund 1700 Pro Sport so total cable run should be 15 feet or so from battery to fishfinders. After 3 more hours of testing this morning I think I'll just connect the Switch 1 to my second battery (under the dash powering my downriggers and trolling motor and few smaller things) and power the fishfinders that way...tested it and voltage with both of them ON is about 12.2-12.3V This way the big motor will not be involved at all and no issues with shutting down my 525.

OK Guys, just charged overnight the battery fully ....with all cables connected but nothing ON - it read 12.75V Same range of reading after that but somewhat higher than yesterday as a result of charging the battery...proportions remain the same though and this is my main concern: 1) With just the switch 1 ON - 12.65V 2) With both fishfinders ON and both of them at full brightness - 11.5V 3) With both fishfinders ON and both of them at one level dimmer - 12V 4) With both fishfinders ON and both of them at two levels dimmer (hard to see much during the day)- 12.1V Again all reading measured at the prongs of Switch 1. As you can see despite battery been fully charged or not, the proportion of voltage loss remains about the same...basically loosing more than 1V the moment I turn the fishfinders ON. This is where the largest voltage drain is and I'd like to know how "normal" this is?!? Haven't tested the battery at CT yet but to eliminate the possibility of battery been bad, I've connected yet another brand new/fully charged battery - and got same readings....so it is NOT a battery issue - guaranteed!!!

I've changed my "old" battery with this brand new one couple days ago.... The new one "was" fully charged before my trip yesterday....I guess it is not now after the trip since it was only charging from the main motor on the way out and the way in (5 min each way) and was been drained for 5 hours of perch fishing.... So yes I'll fully charge it again...with the charger (just bought the CTEK one) (supposedly the best thing since sliced cheese;-) I doubt it is bad battery though...if it is I have another battery I can use for the test....so battery problems are the easiest to eliminate in this case. The significant voltage drop (which is my main problem) I am afraid will remain at the same level even with another battery.

Yes battery is brand new and fully charged. All cabling is the original Lund and Lawrance cables. Went fishing yesterday and after having the main motor off for 5 hours and using both 520 and 525 during that time, when it was time to go back and started the main motor....bammmm....the 525 shut off ....520 stayed on.... I was hoping it is a battery issue and with the new battery the 525 will not shut off but it did.... Not sure why it is doing it.... Today I tested the voltage at the switch 1 (controls both fishfinders and few other things) and switch 2 (controls Troll Master and few other things). 1) With the fishfinders off and the switch 1 in OFF position I measured 12.25 V at the switch prongs. 2) With the fishfinders off but switch 1 in ON position I measured 12.15 V at the switch prongs. 3) With both fishfinders ON and switch 1 in ON position I measured 11.1 V at the switch prongs. 4) Battery measured 12.3 V at the battery terminals while taking the above measurements All measurements taken with digital volt meter. Both switches are at the dash board so cables from switches to fishfinders are very short. Loosing 1 V the moment the fishfinders are switched ON. Switch 1 "eats" only about 0.1 V so I am not sure it is a switch problem...if it is I'd be glad as it'll be easy/cheap replacement. Cables from battery to switch (via the fuse panel) "eat" all together 0.05 V so they are not the problem. I guess logically it is either the cables between the switch 1 and fishfinfers or the 525 itself?!? Any comments?

Appreciate all the answers so far guys. No one from Quebec who can recommend specific ice fishing area/operator that is also close by to a ski hill? All those Quebec members must not be doing much ice fishing/skiing? \ Cheers, Ice Fisherman