Rich

Sure beats Guitar Hero!

Sounds like a cheap horror movie plot waiting to happen! LOL

Hand augers work just fine provided the blades are nice and sharp each season. Unless you're drilling 5,000,000 holes or through 4 feet of ice a hand auger has worked fine for me for the last couple of years. I don't even desire owning a power auger. However I bought an 8" auger and wish I had bought the 6". I've fit up to a 12lb brown through the 6 inch hole before and 42 inch pike so I don't think the 8" is necessary for what I do.

Under and around the Christmas tree this morning among luggage and t-shirts were two large boxes with my name on them. Inside the first box which was as tall as me was a big black box labelled "Cabelas". I was unsure what this behemoth was until I opened it up and found a Cabelas Excursion 3 man ice shelter! Apparently there were reviews on this thing saying it was like setting up a tent, so we tested it in the backyard (well parking lot) and found it was much, much simpler than a tent. Simply pop out the four sides, anchor it and you're good to go. Very roomy inside, a little escape flap for the FilthBQ smoke to go through and four removable/zippable windows. The stitching is the only part that made us uneasy but we decided if we're going out in any more hurricanes this season we'll be renting a hut rather than wrestle with a portable anyway. The second box which was marked "fragile" and Sugarpacket wouldn't let me touch was much smaller than the first. But it's not the size that counts, as she told me a few months into dating. Inside the box was a bright label "FISH TV PLUS" and I was like "awww, a season of that local cable fishing show" but it turns out it was in fact an underwater camera. Played around with it in the basement (already used Red Devil's last season) and I really like it. Comes with the sun shield and hookups for 12V power (which means I can hook it to my battery pack). If not it runs on 5 billion C batteries. lol The camera looks like a chrome bluegill from Nanticoke, so my first modification will be installing musky hooks on it. lol It's got red LED lights that you can adjust the brightness with, which will make night ice action a whole new world of awesome. Now if anybody tries to say their wife/girlfriend is better than Sugarpacket I'd like to see the proof! I hope everybody else had as great a Christmas as our family did, presents or not time with family can't be replaced. I enjoyed getting some sweet @ss fishing gear but enjoyed seeing Splenda with his new toys a lot more. The ice hut couple with my new footy flannel long underwear should make this a comfortable ice season.. if the ice lasts! *fingers crossed* Merry Christmas to all members of OFC and thank you for your support in 2008!

That really sucks. Hope the idiots get mistaken for deer by a local hunter.

Jeeze, I thought the Filth Hound was well suited to it's name, that one takes the Filth cake. lol Interesting pike there.

Headed out on the ice for the first (well second but first time with fishing rods) time today after long debate of whether or not to go out. Safe ice was not the issue, we tested in Thursday night and found 3 - 4 inches in most areas under some gray crap ice. However, there were 50kph winds forecasted today which we were not looking forward to. Ended up saying let's get out there anyway and off Sugarpacket, our friend Mark and I went in hopes of pike & panfish. Hit the pond and were just blasted with wind immediately. We stuck it out in this spot for about a half hour and finally decided we'd look for some shelter on the other side of the pond. Packed up and headed to the other side, drilled a test hole.. it was a bit thinner here but still safe close in. Dropped our lines and I rigged up the sonar which I just put fresh batteries in this morning. Flipped it on and... it showed 574 feet of water. WOW I never thought this pond was that deep. LOL But that's okay, the fish were sitting about 360 feet down. Obviously the finder is finally pooched after 12 years of abuse. After a couple minutes it gave no reading at all. The transducer is finally worn out. Anywho, we fished blindly and got into a few panfish. Bites were few and far between, especially for Mark who never landed a fish today. He was happy to get out though. Had a great time on the ice despite the brutal weather, looking forward to a (hopefully) long ice season!

Gotta say, I had some German guests down one summer and they cooked me some fresh pike I caught, best fish I ever had. I've never been able to cook it that way for myself since then though. 'Course the guy being a chef over there probably helps his odds, lol

First time on the ice this season, she made 4 - 6 inches and I'm ready to rock! The pond is mostly gravel, some weedbeds on the west side in about 6 fow. Goes to 16ft with deep weeds as well. Nailed hammerhandles all over the place but big ones usually evade me. Where's a good starting point for a big pike through first ice? Just makin' conversation.. too excited to sleep!

Who the heck nominated me into the running? I don't deserve to be on the board with the likes of Justin, Cliff, Solopaddler & Moosebunk. Their reports are above and beyond!

Oh I forgot to put fresh musky steaks on the grill, MMMMM

Hate to say I eat prime rib so often it's nothin' special anymore. I'll be having the classic turkey & fixin's. Though I've always been a bigger fan of Christmas ham.

Nothin' wrong with seeing some old fish porn make a comeback!

Fried: 1. Perch 2. Bluegill 3. Smallmouth Bass BBQ 1. Channel Cat 2. Steelhead 3. Brown Trout Baked 1. Brook Trout 2. Brown Trout 3. Salmon

Don't know first hand about either truck but before you go used look into brand new ones. Sure it might be a couple more bucks but they are going cheap right now and 0% financing for everyone!

Let's see, I don't own a house, don't own a vehicle, have no outstanding loans and a full time job in an industry that I don't see dying in the next 60 years. Add to that I have a healthy family and I'd say I'm a very lucky guy and trust me I count my blessings every day! The biggest of the blessings is that my wife loves to fish!!

Praise cabbage.

Let ya know tonight Iceslayer..

lol.. Great help! Bass and muskie through the ice in sanctuaries. Never thought of that!

Long Point Bay on Lake Erie usually freezes over and is not push ice. If you put your time in, the perchin' is tremendous. Pike can be pretty good through the ice there too.

I won a Daiwa combo in a local bass derby, and hated it to death.. though I'm pretty sure it was their lowest end model. Rod broke quickly and the reel didn't last long either. Don't remember what it was called but it really blew. Like I said though, it was like a $20 combo. My dad still runs some of the higher end Daiwas from 10 years ago, no maintenance and they still work great.

He's from Port Dover. He owns a music shop there called the Hobo Shop and a place right on the pier.

Damn dude!

I only went on one musky trip this year, it took 3 days of effort and finally after almost giving up I was tossing topwater and nailed not only my first and only legal musky of the season but my first ever topwater musky. I've never experienced anything more exciting. 2nd place would be my favourite type of fishing - channel cats. Neither of these were the biggest of the season, half the time I don't even take pictures of my own cats but almost every fish is this size or bigger.

That's what happens when you're fishing 300 days out of the year for 30 years