duber

If I'm in my big hut the sky is the limit.I have a wood stove in it so cooking is not a problem.Last weekend it was a big pot o chille,the weekend before it was venison sausages.Nothing beats a mid-morning pike that happened to be in the wrong place at the worng time!If I'm in the portable I like to keep it simple a sandwich or two or soup or a pepperete etc.

A "crappy" pic for sure!I still have not caught one of them there little fellows threw the ice yet.Maybe this year.Thanks for the short report.

Glad you had some action.Enjoy the eater!

Congrates to you both.

Just goes to show you that fishing partners are forever!

My wife and I were married on valentines day.Its a great time of year to get married , no sweating in a tux and the need to keep warm for the first couple months of marrage gets it off to a good start .

For the latest info on were the bite is stop at Skeys or Carra's.The hot spot seems to move on a daily basis.If I tell you to go were I caught fish last weekend I would be missguiding you as no place seems to be good day after day.Ron and Sam have guys reporting to them every day so you get better info from them. Champs ,pimples,cleos,sidewinders are the most commonly used lures and green seems to be the favorite colour.Tip any of them with a minnow and jig just off bottom in 12-22 feet of water and your doing what everybody else does to catch them BoQ walleye.But sometimes different is better so don't be afraid to try something else if that stuff is not producing.Good luck and be safe.

If you guys are heading to Desoronto please be carefull of the ice.There is alot of current by the bridge and the ice can be 8 inches in one spot and 3 in another.Good luck to all.I might have to see if I can make it down there Saturday.

I have a 2001 honda 350 4x4 and love it.It is light and nimble in the bush but still can work with the best of them.

You are NEVER 100% safe on any ice.We had a reminder of that on the last weekend of the hardwater season last year.A local from here on the Bay of Quinte who had fished the bay for 20 years went walking out to go fishing in a area were there was 14 inches of ice.There were trucks on the bay that weekend.He never came home.They found his minnow bucket in a snow drift close to a pressure crack.The divers came in and found him under that crack in 6 feet of water.I drove my 4 wheeler over top of were he was found 4 times that weekend.It is thought that the crack had opened up a little and the blowing snow coverd it over and he step in the snow not knowing the crack was there but we will never really know what happened.

I always prided myself in the fact that I didn't need a floater suit cause I didn't go out till the ice was "safe".Well I bought a floater suit this year.

If you can't aford a suit than atleast were some kind of floatation.

I'm not happy with the heat output of my blackcat.TSC stores sell the buddy heaters as well.

Good just to get out there isn't it.Thanks for the report Joey.

Looks like fun.Thanks for the report.

Nice pics.Thanks for the report Dan.

Thanks for the replies.She was ugly but very tasty.

With the cold weather thats forcast , the bay should be a go this weeend but the high current areas will still be a bit scary.The current in the bay this year is real bad.Anybody coming to the bay should use caution and stay away from those areas.I'm sure Ron and Sam will have some up to date reports for everyone.

Good luck to all who go out on the hardwater this weekend.I'll be out on the bay Saturday and Sunday.

TTFN

Wes

Well I finally got out.I couldn't get out till I booted the kids on the bus (9:00 am) and I had to be heading to work by 3:00 pm so I wasn't expecting much in the way of action , I just wanted to get out there.Hit the ice just before 11:00 am drilled the first hole out about 50 yards , 5 inches , drilled the next hole out 100 yards , 6 inches ,drilled the next holes were I was going to fish , 5 inches.Ice was cracking like crazy but was pretty safe were I was.Got the vex out and marked 19 feet of water and soft bottom.Stuck the camera down the hole and to my suprise there was no perch .I have fished this spot alot and there is always perch there but not yesterday.Fished for a hour and saw nothing but did mark a couple suspended fish but that was it.So I moved in to 17 feet of water and still nothing.Then I moved in to 14 feet of water and still no perch.I was runing out of time so that was my last move.I was just going to pack it in when I noticed the camera move.Then I saw her come in and miss my spoon then she was gone.I started to make my spoon dance and she came back and just inhaled my spoon.She was 6 pounds 31 inches and the spoon was right down in her gills so its pike for lunch today .

Heres a couple pics

She sure weren't pretty.Been hooked before for sure.

Sure was good to get out.

Thanks for clearing that up for me Rick.

Guess I better see if I can find the ol minnow trap!

I was told by a guy that sells minnows that it was a $650 fine if you were caught with a trap in the water.He is on this board so hopefully he will read this post as well.Hate to think he would tell people that just to sell more minnows.

I have noticed a few referances to harvesting your own baitfish.Now maybe I have been misinformed but I thought no one could harvest baitfish in the infected zone period.I find it doesn't clearly explain this in the mnr press release.Can anyone educate me on this.

I realy see no reason that you can't catch bait in the bay to use in the bay other than enforcement of not transporting the bait north.But with no enforcement from our underfunded mnr for any of the rules I'm afraid that people that don't care about other rules won't care about this one.

Thanks for the report.

That is a nice catch!

Looks tasty to!

I just took a little stroll out on the ice.There is about 2 inches of realy bad ice on Big Bay close to shore.I don't think there would be that much further out.The ice formed when the wind was blowing so it is a real mess out there.Ice was cracking with every foot step.Definently a no-go for this weekend!Maybe next weekend.

I will keep you up to date about the ice conditions.I won't tell anyone its safe in a spot untill I have actually been out there.I wouldn't want someone to go threw the ice in a spot that I "thought" was safe.Personally I like 4 inches for walking and 6 inches for the 4wheeler and hut.When I see the first guys out there I'll start checking the ice.I know one of the first guys out there is ok with 2 inches of ice so its usally a couple cold nights after I see him out there.The first safe ice is close to my house so I will be watching daily.

I want to head to a small lake north of here for some bluegill action.

Well the bay finally skimmed over last night.A few pockets are still open but they will freeze in today.If the temps stay cold we might be out next weekend in the non-current areas.There is so much current in the bay this year it will take some real cold weather to make some of the "hot-spots" safe.

Maybe the year is not lost!!!!!!!

I'll fish for anything anytime anywere!

Nice fish.Makes me want to go for a drive!!!!!!!!!

I like my scout.It is fun to play with.I have 2 things I would like improved.

1-better visablity in low light , can't see much during "prime time" at dusk for walleyes.Its real bad if there is heavy snow cover on the ice.

2-Longer battery life, it lasts 4 hrs on its own battery but I fish for 12 hours so I have to have a back up power sorce.

But overall I would buy another.It sure is fun to watch how fish like pike hunt their prey.Those perch can be down right funny to watch as well.I also can't seem to catch bluegill without it.