ccmtcanada

Just wanted to wish you a very happy birthday. You are a true gentleman and a great member of this board!!! Looking forward to seeing you at Lakair again this year...hopefully bly and I can stop by the family business as well to get the tour. Have a great day Bernie. Cliff and Carole

Hey Mike!!! I was wondering where you went! Congrats on your first....he looks like he'll be a natural fishing partner for you. This is great news...and thanks for coming back to share it!

Here's a follow up interview...still being....well...him.... <BR><BR> <embed src="http://www.liveleak.com/player.swf" width="320" height="240" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" flashvars="autostart=false&token=07c_1200396053" scale="showall" name="index"></embed>

This is a classic...saw it a while ago and it still makes me laugh.

I didn't receive my email to activate either.

Welcome to the board...I have no idea on spots for you, but hopefully someone will chime in here.

SWEET RIDE!!! Congrats!

Good to hear from you again 007! That's one jumbo perch for sure!!! Will be interesting to see if it will qualify for the record or not.

Wayne...I thought of that at first too...until I went back and read it again. The incident happened Sunday....that's when he saw the water and people walking on planks to get out there. He walked out there today so I'm assuming it's cold enough last night where he is that the runoff all froze overnight.

So you didn't find your hut? Wow...that's gotta suck! At least you got to wet the line and catch a few fish.

Wow...those are some pretty powerful pictures you have there. I hope everyone uses common sense and plays it safe, no matter where they are ice fishing. Thanks for the pics!

Great stuff! Gotta love hunting chrome...even on skunk days I always enjoy being out there. Looking forward to the pics.

Wow! Great setting and even better fish! I waited for the updated pics before commenting. There's something about catching these guys in the rivers on a cold winters day. Hooking them, and the adrenaline that follows keeps you warm even on the coldest days. Great job out there guys.

Great report! There's nothing like the anticipation...watching your float drift by a spot you think holds a fish....then seeing it drop! You set the hook....and then you feel the resistance at the end. Then the fight ensues. At that point it doesn't really matter if you land the fish or not...the adrenaline is already pumping! Man...I gotta get out and fish more often....LOL. Great pics and Happy Birthday!

ACK! I missed this one! Hope you had a great birthday...and I'll assume I'll see you at the Tyler event.

Since this was my first time trying to set one up, I learned quite a bit from it. Next year I'll abandon the pre-fab kit and make my own border with 2x6's and 2x4s, reuse the liner (if it makes it thru this winter) and put it back on the lawn so it can be larger. There's nothing like a backyard rink...the maintenance will be tough, but I'm willing to give it a go if my kids enjoy it. Thanks for your reply!

Thanks for the tips Wayne. I already knew about the light layers....and right now the water is about 2 inches...the minimum they suggest. I'll bring it up to maybe 2.5 inches.

So, has anyone ever made a backyard rink? My little one isn't comfortable with regular public skating (she's still learning) and pond skating can be a real pain in the butt...esp since kids are notable for having to go to the bathroom at inopportune times....LOL. Anyhow, we investigated a few different types...one being a Jiffy rink...basically a big plastic bag you fill and when it freezes you peel off the plastic. You join them together with snow packed down and then use water to fill the gap. We'd need 2 of these...for a cost of 60 bucks. They are 10 feet by 20 feet. We also saw this re-useable one...that is at maximum 15 feet by 20 feet...so a little smaller, but you can use it again for next year. This one was 100 bucks at Canadian Tire. It has a plastic frame and a liner that is attached to the main frame with tubing. We opted for this one. The hard part with any of these rinks is making it level....and my backyard is NOT level. LOL. After setting it up and filling with water and making adjustments to the height of the frame, the weight of the water caused it to collapse 2 times, so I looked over at our 15 x 20 foot deck....the thing that is level...LOL. Bly and I set it up on there and filled it with water...a MUCH easier job. Our neighbour built this deck and it's plenty stong to support the weight of the water. He put extra support beams underneath in case we ever wanted to put a small pool on there. Anyhow, here are the pics....I hope this works...my little one will just love it! This is the first layer of water...once it freezes I'll be out there every night adding a bit more and hopefully we'll be skating on it next weekend.

I'm praying to the weather god as well...only I want night time temps of +1, rain, and daytime highs of at least 5C...LOL. I dont icefish, but love trib fishing.

My hockey playing days are over...my back just cant handle the abuse anymore, but I just started skating again last year with my youngest daughter. Went to Play it Again Sports and got a few pairs of used skates and taught my little one how to skate on the same pond my dad took me to when I was her age. Now we try to get her out once a week and she's learning quickly. Last week she asked if girls play hockey (she watches hockey with me on TV)....so maybe in a year or two I'll get her into a league. Here's a pic from that same pond I learned to skate on....

Bly got ummm...none...cause I made her go to the grocery store so that I could have a nice hot meal ready on the table for me once I got in. Uh....please dont tell her I said that...LOL.

Yeah...I was busy this morning and got your PM saying you had to be in TO this afternoon. Oh well....Let's hope for another warm weekend! Good luck tomorrow.

Wow...very sorry to hear this news. You did the right thing though.

LOL...you guys just kill me. Always looks like you have fun out there. Congrats on all the fish too!

WTG Kemper!! Looks like the big fish were biting in the morning. When I got out at 2 they were all on the small size. Congrats on the PB....it's truly a great looking fish. Awesome chrome on them!!