adolson

Epic! I knew Shawn was Canadian, but didn't expect this thread to pop up here!

The first, and only time so far, I got to see Megadeth, Shawn and Glen were both in the band (I forget which bassist it was though, they've gone through a few since David left and has now returned). They're one of my favorite bands, my wife's also. They surpassed Metallica in overall quality at least as far back as the Black Album / Countdown to Extinction days.

"ya, i was hanging out with the drummer for Megadeath yesterday. No big deal."

 

Wish i couldve said that when i was your boys age! Coooool!!!

I wish i could say that NOW!

I gotta tell you, Dave Mustaine (the lead singer and founder of Megadeth...and one of the original members of Metallica) is one weird dude! lol

... Now you know I need details. lol

He seems, at least in recent years, to have gotten his head screwed on straight. And even back when he was on Celebrity Jeopardy, seemed like a pretty smart dude.

So, uh, wanna go fishing sometime? I'm looking for a friend.. Hey! Maybe you could invite along the band... Uhh.. Buddy ol' pal?

I use the Turtle Beach DPX21 with my PS3. It's a bundle that comes with the EarForce DSS, which takes an optical audio input and converts Dolby 5.1 to virtual surround on any stereo headphones (I obviously use it with the headset included in the bundle). The effect is more noticeable in certain games. I don't have a set of Trittons to compare, but the choice to go with Turtle Beach was made for a few reasons - 1) EarForce DSS works with other headsets, 2) doesn't require a power supply (powered by USB). A friend of mine has Trittons and loves them.

I've heard great things about the Astro gear, and I'd love to at least try a MixAmp some day, and see how it compares and if it would work with my Turtle Beach headset.

My headset also works with Linux (computer operating system), which was important to me, as I wanted it for more than just gaming.

BTW, FutureShop lists the headset you are after: http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/turtle-beach-turtle-beach-px3-ear-force-headset-playstation-3-8085238/10177762.aspx A quick look at it seems to indicate it doesn't include surround support. If you really want it, you can add the EarForce DSS (sold separately) as indicated here: http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/ps3-gaming-headsets/ear-force-px3.aspx

So many big telecom supporters.

in T.O. more like 20mm

No doubt. When I lived there, people were smashing their cars up at the first sight of snowflake. It was rather ridiculous.

A mink I think.

Hmm, well the one in your pic looks small enough. The one I saw looked too big (to me) to be a mink, but maybe it was.. I was pretty sure at the time, but I didn't get any pics or anything.

This guy at Liberty?

He/she was on shore when it saw me, then jumped in and swam right out to my canoe. It would have come closer had I not moved to take my lure out of his strike zone.

I don't think it's a fisher...

Yeah, something like that guy, but it was only on the shore when I was there. I see that huge stickerel in your shot too, I believe I caught that one a couple times. Might be a different one, since that lake is stacked with them and not much else.

If you don't think that's a fisher, what do you think it is? I looked up martens and fishers and weasels and whatever else I could find, and the one I saw looked most like a fisher.

I was wondering the same thing as Musky Mike, so I'll pick up some of the Mustad hooks. I put some Eagle Claw trebles on a couple of my lures that needed new hooks, and they worked well... But nobody talks about Eagle Claw so I am guessing they're not very well-liked by more experienced fisherpeople.

I really like the Kamakazi baitholder hooks, and I put those on some of my spoons. I have a hard time finding them though, and I haven't seen their trebles in stores. They were recommended to me by a friend who helped reignite my passion for the sport.

I saw a fisher at Liberty Lake with my wife. It didn't attack us, but it was cool to see. I didn't even know what they were until I got home and started to research what it could be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olA3mn-9_e8

edit: umm, I didn't watch the whole video before I posted... it gets kinda weird. lol

Every member of the weasel family kill for the pleasure of killing. They're agile, quick and intelligent. Cute little guys though.

Ferrets are in the same family. I'm disappointed that mine hasn't killed my cat yet. I don't know what's taking him so long, I've had him for like 6 years. That's plenty of time to get the job done. I think he's just lazy.

Wow. Just wow. I am a tad jealous. Wow.

Don't forget the toilet paper.....

Yeah. I'll buy that new. Never tried it second-hand, but something tells me it'd be a pretty crappy experience.

Nipissing 2012 Hardwater G2G....'nough said. Hopefully TJ will be there again this year. I highly recomment the 2hr drive for this event. More details will be posted as it approaches.

Oh dude, you know I'll be there. As long as it doesn't conflict with anything more important on my schedule that can't be adjusted (wife's birthday is early next year, for example), which I'm sure it won't. And of course, as long as the ice is thick enough to hold me.

We should definitly try McNab this winter, we'll have a fire on shore and cook up some smokies.... you and me both have a vendetta on that lake, don't we? On lakes that are less travelled, like some have mentioned I'll pop a hole every 10-15 feet to ensure it's safe. There is a 100% chance I'll be up your way this winter, so we'll make some plans once the ice is thick.

McNab is definitely on my hit-list. I'd love, love, LOVE to hit #51 but somehow I doubt they plow the roads that far... I bet the snowplow would bottom out on some of that road, haha. Do they plow into #25? In any case, I'm down for some adventures.

Best advice I can give with regards to a Manual auger Dana. Get a strikemaster lazer or a Fin bore lll. They have a curved blade...this is the key. The curved style blades cut a lot better/easier then the swede bore and other straight bladed augers...and I do mean alot better. You can't believe the difference. It is the only thing besides good clothing I would never cheap out on.

Thanks! This is exactly the thing I was hoping to learn through this thread. I'm definitely going to go manual. I don't mind doing the work, and I understand about getting sweaty. I'm willing to risk that. Besides, I've seen that most of them can be adapted to a high-torque cordless drill if I really want to go powered some day, which I don't plan to, but the option would likely be there.

What do you plan to fish for? This totally dictates what you should be getting...

 

For example -- fishing for lake trout, you'll need a medium/heavy rod - 32 inches, 10lb braid, and a very good drag on your reel. Fishing for specs, 28 in med rod, 8lb braid. Perch, very light action rod, 2-4lb braid, etc...make sense?

Makes sense, yes, but honestly seems unnecessary. I only use one rod in the summer, and I have caught bass, pike, walleye, brook trout, perch, rock bass... Yet I know some people have a different rod for frogging, a different rod for jigging, a different rod for panfish, a different rod for this and a different rod for that. I think somewhere in the middle - at least to get me started - is what I'll do. Like others have said, a rod isn't even necessary, I just think I prefer it at this point. And I've heard too many horror stories about braid icing up for me to want to use it, especially if I

You'll need a fish finder for sure! Absolutely critical...you can't catch what isn't there, and you must know depths and structure.

I have one, and apparently it can be used for ice fishing. I think it lies to me in summer fishing though, because it was marking tons of fish in Liberty Lake. It's really old and a bit beastly, though. I'd like a better one that I could use for my canoe and for ice fishing, but I won't have the money to drop like $300+ on that for a while. If there's a good model that's cheaper, I could put it on my Christmas list. But I kinda want one with maps and stuff, so it seems like a long-term purchase, to me. I could tote my current one around with me, but I have ideas of where I want to try already.

As someone else said, go with a friend the first few times so you're sure you like it. Beats selling everything half off if you find out you don't.

 

Ice fishing is all about location and technique. Try to go with someone who knows...you'll catch fish and have fun. Just walking onto some lake with no idea is almost a guaranteed failure and no fun at all imo...

I've been with people who have decades of success, and still we caught nothing, but yes, I hear the advice and I get it. The only problem I have is finding people within an hour's drive to actually go with when I get that urge on a weeknight after work, or with last-minute notice on a weekend, for example. There are none on this forum it seems, and the people I've fished with that live near me are very unreliable and wishy-washy about it. That being said, I plan to go to North Bay with Rod Caster and Nipfisher and whoever else is there, and I also have tentative plans with my uncle and my wife's uncle to go to their favorite spots on Lake Temagami and I'm not sure where else.

I'm going to go, and at some point I'll catch something, and then I'm going to be addicted - this is how it's going to go, I'm sure. I could be wrong, but I know myself fairly well. I'm not really *too* concerned about ending up hating ice fishing at the end of this season. And I guess that will put an end to my joking around about it, too.

Alright, I have decided that here's what I'm going to try to get:

• warm clothing / boots / gloves
• icepicks
• spud bar
• auger (FinBore or Swede-Bore, probably, 6" I guess)
• cheapo ice rod
• skimmer
• rope
• 2012 sports fishing license
• sled (maybe, it'd have to fit in my car and I'd have to struggle carrying this stuff in a backpack first)

I have chairs and clip-on polarized sunglasses already, as well as a rod holder (my hands). I need to find a ballcap big enough to fit on my fat head (for summer fishing, too, it'd be a help). I'll skip the other, more expensive stuff until I'm sure I'm addicted, and at that point I'll probably get some snowshoes before a hut or anything like that.

There's still a while before ice yet, so I'll keep my eyes open for sales and used stuff. Even if I bought all of this new, I think it would be manageable.

Thanks for the input!

If you're not sure and just want to try out ice fishing for a bit, why don't you just head over to Cook's Bay for some perch?

It's like almost 6 hours south from me! That's a long drive just to get some perch... lol

There are tons of lakes around me. The hardest part of summer fishing was choosing which one to stick my canoe in. I reckon ice fishing will be the same., only with an auger in place of the canoe (unfortunately).

Unless you want to be comfortable.

But isn't that the point of ice fishing, to be uncomfortable?

...

(Don't ruin it this time with your fancy pics of heaven on ice. )

Dana. Let me back this thread up a couple of decades. To catch fish through the ice you need the following, and nothing more. Transportation to your lake of choice, some half decent winter clothing, a manual ice auger, a slush scoop, a couple of spools of mono, some hooks and sinkers, and some bait. You don't need any rods and reels, heaters, ice huts, gas augers etc.

Yeah.. you're right. I think maybe I'll just get a good auger, and a rod for my reel (just because it's cheap, and I'd rather reel than pull by hand), and the other stuff you mentioned and see how it goes. I am sure the huts will go on sale again before next winter, if I really end up liking it. I do have a hard time passing up a deal of what I see as about 1/2 price, but it's better to not spend at all, than to spend less. Especially when I'm currently unsure.

GBW, I don't have a snowmachine (you mentioned this in that other thread).

Thanks for the heads up about the Eskimo auger. I checked the CT site again, and the Swede-Bore is only 6". I am hoping to go after lakers and walleye as well, so I'm thinking 8". The other brands I saw on there were Sub-Zero and Normark. There's also a Finbore, but it's $120, compared to $75 for the Normark and $60 for the Sub-Zero.

I won't lie, that looks pretty epic! But completely ruins my joke.

Instead of hi-jacking everyone elses' threads about ice fishing, I figured I'd start my own. (Sinclair, put all further invitations for me in here.)

So, as Boss pointed out in the other thread, Le Baron has this InstaShak on sale for around 1/2 price compared to Canadian Tire. The shipping is reasonable, and I am convinced ice fishing is fun (you guys say it, so it must be true), so I want to give it a shot.

Some kind of heater would be good, but I am not sure what works and doesn't break the bank, etc. (I assume you can use a small heater in one of these things?)

I have an old GX125 reel I was hoping to pull off my Ugly Stik and use on a cheap, small ice fishing rod. It's spooled up with 8lb Trilene XT. I also considered buying a Sedona 2500FD (only if I could share spools with my Spirex 2500FG - they look to me to be the same size, but I'm not sure) but I'd use it also in the summer on a second rod.

I would need an auger. Is the Eskimo brand auger any good? Le Baron has 6", 7", and 8" models for $38-44 - which size would you recommend? I've heard 6" can be too small if you hook a big fish, which is unlikely for me, but would be just my luck. Someone else said that 8" takes too long to drill. So I was thinking 7" maybe? It seems uncommon, though. Are the brands at Canadian Tire better? I know they had one by Swede-Bore I saw for about $75.

What other essentials would you suggest I buy? Keeping in mind I have to carry everything on foot and I am not rich. (I know I don't need the shack, but if I do get it (and a heater), I think I can convince the wife to come with me sometimes, and it'd be nice to have that wind break and less blinding light all day long.)

Thanks for any help.

Sounds pretty uncomfortable to me.

Isn't that what ice fishing is all about, though? Uncomfortableness?

 

So are you gonna come south ice fishing with me and GBW, or what???

Newcastle? Where is that? Why don't you come north, it's colder up here, so I trust the ice more. Plus I am lonely and could use some friends.

As Sheldon would say....Bazinga!

No bazinga, he knew what I meant - effective baits for trout!

Hmm, I don't have much experience with this, but to me it looks like trout bait.

I really doubt my local Canadian Tire 1) has them in stock and 2) would actually price-match an online flyer for a store that isn't within a like 4-5 hour radius from me. I'd have to online order from Le Baron if I want it. But the shipping is probably like $150. lol

i ended up picking up a HT Instashak 4-man popup.

 

 

I noticed Le Barons had them on sale in their fall catalog.

 

Le Baron Sale

 

I went to Le barons in Markham today on lunch, they had none in stock...the guy said they wont be in for a month, and he already had a waiting list of people for when they do come in. so i added myself to the list

 

I happened to find the same hut on Canadian Tire website, so i printed out Le barons ad, brought it to CT and had them price match it.

 

CT Instashak

 

$299 at CT got it for $152 +tax...also got back $15 CT money as part of their price match guarantee

Wow, I was eyeballing this exact one from Canadian Tire. That's a way better price... Especially since I don't know how much I'll actually be ice-fishing, or if I'll even like it... Man, now I am really considering pulling the trigger on this. Does it seem good?

weekend packages to Las Vegas are dirt cheap Dana, then book a hummer tour of the Canyon from there(2 hours away).It will change your soul.

Well, unfortunately I'm not likely to ever fly there until the radiation blasters and the Trained Sexual Assaulters are removed from airports... So it will never happen for me. But it's OK - I am from northern Ontario, and there is enough beauty here for my soul. <3

Lucky! I saw the episode of Extreme Fishing with Robson Green where he fished there, and I believe they were catching rainbows in there. I would love to go there, but it'll never happen.

I am guessing this is one of the 8 billion species of chub... It's the only thing we caught in Liberty Lake all year. We each caught two... What a disappointment. It's the only place I've caught them, too. Sorry about the unfocused pics - the rain was constant, tons of water in the canoe, and I didn't want to ruin my camera so these were taken rather hastily.