DRIFTER_016

I don't think I would be going any where near a mountain after this.

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I had one walk across the end of my driveway last winter.

If both parties have good fast inet you can video call too.

Drifter ordered steak! And got free chicken!

Actually I ordered chicken and ribs.

My ribs were about 1/3 gristle so I left them.

The waitress asked me what was wrong at the end of the meal.

She asked if I wanted another order and I said no thankyou.

She went and had a word with the manager.

End result was free dinner.

What was the temp today?

16C colder than yesterday!!!

Probably had a lot to do with my lack of success today.

At least that's what I'm telling myself.

A couple of weeks ago I ordered up some Duracast to try on the ice.

It was waiting at the PO for me on Friday and I got to check it out this weekend.

I spooled up a couple of reels with it and used it yesterday and today.

Yesterdays temp topped out at about -3C with no wind and sunny skies.

Today it was a bunch colder -19C with 25kmh winds and more sun.

This line is nice and slick and doesn't absorb water at all. Unlike regular braids.

Power Pro Ice Braid is a good ice line and it doesn't ice up nearly as much as the regular Power Pro. Having said that, this Tuff Line is better!!

I noticed that it is a little wirey and has some memory in the cold but not really any worse than most mono lines. It candles like any other line but unlike regular braid you can strip off the candle ice just as easily as mono.

What I really like about the line is that because it doesn't hold water like regular braid it doesn't ice up on the spool or the line roller on my spinning reels. This is a huge bonus as when reeling in a fish regular braid intstantly freezes as soon as you stop reeling and you need to pull line off by hand in order to free it up and continue reeling.

I didn't notice the line get any more wirey today with the big drop in temp since yesterday.

The only small issue I found was when tying heavy flouro to it with a back to back uni when tightening up the flouro and sliding the knot together it would strip the coating off if you were not carefull.

So far after 2 outings Duracast braid is getting from me.

I'll try and remember to give an update at the end of the season on how it performs over the long term. But for now it is my new favorite ice line.

I'll let the pics speak for themselves.

On a side note...take a look at where Montreal is in the standings. Yikes, Habs fans will be jumping off roofs soon!

Had a similar experience at the Swiss Chalet in Orangeville back in October.

Great report, Dave. My guess is 44".

That was my guess too Roy.

Navionics

Ifish

Been stuck in the house the past couple of weekends due to a nasty flu bug, but finally got out on the ice again today.

Headed out to my favourite pikin' hole at first light this morn and reached my spot a little after sunrise. It was perfect!!! Not a soul around, zero wind, sunshine and a tropical -3C!!

A far cry from the cold air that was around for the last couple of weeks (good thing I was sick)

Got set up and had a dead stick with a quick strike rig and either a large Peamouth or a Cisco. And had my first fish before the bait got to the bottom!!!

Released a small pike, reset and went to my hut to jig. Over the first hour or so I managed about 10 fish with the majority being wee babies under 24". Not good. You don't generally get the big girls when the little guys are around.

Had a decent fish on the dead stick that was about 36". Things are looking up.

A little later I iced one that reached 41". That's more like it.

Then it died off. No bigun's, no babies, nuthin'. About an hour passed before I started catching babies again.

About an hour before I decided to leave I got another hit on the dead stick, on my last big bait. Run over, set hook and do battle with my PB ice pike!!!

A super fat 44 incher!!!

Now on to the pics.

My first 40+ of the day.

And my second big fatty AKA Pikasaurus Rex!!!

It sucks trying to get a decent pic when you're alone.

Back at 'er in the morn. Hitting a different lake in the hopes of icing a big laker.

Still plenty of room to get away from it all once you leave the center of the universe that is Ontario. :tease:

I am often out on the land and do not see another soul.

Even in the far North you can't completely get away from civilization though.

I have been 100's of kms from the nearest town and you can't get away from plane traffic.

All you need to do is look up and you can see the contrails of jets and sometimes you can hear them even though they are flying at 35,000 feet.

THANKS........then I should be good to go with this from Cabela's....12V 8ah...

 

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Rechargeable-12-Volt-Battery/700551.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch%2F%3FN%3D1000002949%26Ne%3D1000002949%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dbatteries%26Ntx%3Dmode%252Bmatchallpartial%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26WTz_st%3DSearchRefinements%26form_state%3DsearchForm%26search%3Dbatteries%26searchTypeByFilter%3DAllProducts%26x%3D18%26y%3D1&Ntt=batteries&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

Yup.

Did you just replace the bulbs into an older fixture?

If so you might want to think about replacing the ballasts as they are different from the T12 ballasts.

Sounds good.......what does that use for a power source ? ? ?

7ah 12V gel battery the same kind as Vexilar and Marcum.

Good choice on the Ice 55, I'm sure you will love it!!!

I have a Marcum LX-5 and couldn't fish without it now.

Those things look creepy!!!

Alaskan spot shrimp are decent sized and actually look like shrimp.

http://www.cabelas.com/custserv/custserv.jsp?pageName=Shipping&WT.tsrc=EML&WT.mc_id=email-nl&eid=39774&cmp=I120203A&seg=FI2&cnt=7923&ctb=custserv

But not to Canuckistan!!

They never have free shipping here.

Ya just double checked can't use smelt.

Salted shiners will work as a substitute.

Fish one line with dead bait suspended 1 to 2 feet off bottom and jig with your other line.

Run either an airplane jig or Lindy darter tipped with a shiner or small smelt.

If using the darter hook the bait so it hangs horizontal on the 2 trebles so it looks like a fish under a fish.

Bullocks Bistro in old town Yellowknife NWT. :thumbsup_anim:

They are the only place that serves a beer battered fish that compares to mine.

Better get rid of Grabo quick before he accumulates any more points.

My nephew stated the U.S.A. Air Force Satellite picked up a strange slow moving object across a open ice field near Sudbury, Ontario around high noon on January 31st.....because of low cloud conditions no pics were available from above....but it was said to look like a small Canadian Resort with one single chimney and no communication hook ups at the time observation...nothing further has been reported since....

There was however a report from a Russian nuclear sub in the area that reported a similar object at the 42' level.

Seems the ice was unable to support the transport vehicle and 128,000 pound structure it was towing.

Mkiio's in Hearst Ontario. Best burger I've ever had in my life by far.

 

#2 on my top burger spot is Gilligans in southwest Ontario (its a chain).

 

Apache burger is right near my place but I've never been.... maybe I'll take the girlfriend this weekend.

There's a really good restaurant in Meaford that makes a killer home made burger too.

I can't remember the name though.

Little place on the left side of the road when heading through town on your way towards Owen Sound.

It's right in the heart of town seveal blocks West of the river.

Fast Eddies in Tok Alaska.

Toad River Lodge in Toad River BC

Almost forgot one of my favorite burger joints.

Apache Burger at Dundas and Kipling.

When I'm back in Ontario I go out of my way to chow down there.