Spiel

:clapping: :clapping:

That's where I would start.

Yes yes, belated B'day wishes Dave. I suppose your just moving right along from one celebration to the next. Merry Christmas.

Really cool picture....brrrrrrr Make a great desk top.

It's all good Simon, it's all good. It'll be me laughing one day when you wake up find me camped out in your backyard.

Perhaps I should just ask Roger for some input......LOL

I'm going to have to try this out Cliff, looks like a good recipe, I love jerky! I know Joey makes some tasty stuff. If'n I was able I'd be happy to provide you with some fish but hopefully you'll get some sooner than that.

Nice to see you getting out for a little ice fishing Jen. But try and save a few for me, I'm thinking I'll be up to it come March.

Oh come on Simon! I'm running out of "nice" nasty things to say and it's not even the end of December yet.

Oh my.....what a tank!

Climate change blamed for Great Lakes decline December 15th, 2009 Martin Mittelstaedt / Globe and Mail Canadian-U.S. study attributes discernible drop in water levels in Huron and Michigan to drier weather The water levels of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan have been falling steadily compared with those on Lake Erie, and no one knew why. But a major report financed by the U.S. and Canadian governments suggests an answer: The fingerprints of climate change are starting to be found in the Great Lakes, the world’s largest body of fresh water, causing a discernible drop in their levels. The report, released Tuesday, estimated that Lake Huron and Lake Michigan have fallen about a quarter metre relative to Lake Erie since the early 1960s, with 40 to 74 per cent of the reduction due to recent changes in precipitation patterns and temperatures. The alteration in climate is “the most significant factor” in the water level drop and “could be a more substantive issue for the future on the Great Lakes,” said Ted Yuzyk, Canadian co-chair of the International Upper Great Lakes Study Board, which compiled the report. Previous studies have projected a decline in the amount of water in the Great Lakes due to climate change, but the board is the first to suggest the trend is already happening. The fall in water levels is attributed to such factors as less precipitation and the persistent, long-term decline in the lakes’ ice cover each winter. The report said generally drier weather and drought-like conditions from 1998 to 2008 in the central part of North America led to a drop of about 20 per cent in the quantity of water flowing into Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, compared with the average since 1948. The two lakes depend on precipitation and run-off for about three-quarters of their inflow. The other quarter comes from Lake Superior, whose outflow can be partly regulated. Lake Erie, by contrast, receives nearly 80 per cent of its supplies from Lake Huron, so it hasn’t been influenced as dramatically by the reduction in precipitation. The finding that climate change is already undermining the Great Lakes is politically sensitive. The board has written to the Canadian and U.S. governments to see whether it is within its mandate to study ways to hold back some of the water in Lakes Huron and Michigan to maintain their size in the face of global warming. Mr. Yuzyk said the clarification is still being assessed. The board was assembled by the International Joint Commission, a bi-national U.S. and Canadian organization that monitors boundary waters the two countries share. The concerns about Lake Huron and Lake Michigan levels arose in 2005, when a Canadian environmental organization, Georgian Bay Forever, said levels were diminishing because dredging of the St. Clair River in the 1960s allowed more water to drain from the lakes. The river, which runs by the Ontario community of Sarnia, drains the two lakes and ultimately flows into Lake Erie, leading to worries that the Great Lakes had sprung a leak. But the report said that while the riverbed experienced some erosion in the 1980s, it now appears to be stable. In addition, it said a small part of the observed water level changes were due to the way land around the Great Lakes is rebounding from the melting of glaciers that covered the area during the last ice age. While most of the world’s attention on disappearing ice has focused on the Arctic, the trend is also happening on the Great Lakes. The report said that in the past 36 winters, three of the four smallest ice covers on Lakes Huron, Michigan, Erie and Superior occurred from 1998 to 2008. Less ice leads to increased heat input from sunlight, higher winds around the water and more evaporation, contributing to lower water levels. The report involved more than 100 scientists and engineers and a budget estimated at $4-million.

So that's what Kelly, aka: Santa Claus does pre Christmas Eve madness. I always figured Santa was an angler. Good to see your enjoying yourself Garry. I'm guessing it was wonderful to have your daughter down for a visit.

I think this one's going no where good.

Hell no John, more like vertically challenged.

That's why I always let you go first.

I'm glad to see you made that remark in the plural Sinker.

I agree with all who said stay away from cotton/cotton blend (waffle styles), they're useless.

Something like this..... Though I prefer a homemade one using a 1" cold chisel (sharp enuogh to shave) welded into some heavy pipe.

Well I guess the holiday season is officailly under way. Kids are out of school (and bored) and it's damn cold! Merry Christmas to you Dave and all the good folks here at OFC.

You're killing me....

No worries Lew, you're not the only one....

G'day and welcome.

Actually this is correct, extensions are used.

Stay off waterways, police warn December 17, 2009 / yorkregion.com Despite arctic type temperatures and snow, frozen and snow-covered waterways are not safe, York Regional Police warn. Portions of Lake Simcoe have begun to freeze, but there are still many areas of open water. At this time, it is not a good idea to try ice fishing or snowmobiling because ice conditions are too unstable. If you are doing any recreational activities near water, remember: • Stay off the ice; • Wear the appropriate clothing and ensure you wear a certified flotation device; • Tell someone about your plans and specifically where you are going; • Carry a cellular phone with you at all times; • Be cautious of your footing around banks of rivers and streams and; • Be aware of weather reports and the state of the ice.

On the cutting edge Power augers have transformed ice fishing, and a Minnesota company making them is among the industry leaders. December 15, 2009 DOUG SMITH / Star Tribune Randy Havel remembers the old days when ice anglers used steel chisels or axes to hack holes in a frozen lake. "My mother would take us out on Grand Lake St. Marys in Ohio, and we'd take our sled and an axe and go bluegill fishing," said Havel, 62, of Monticello. Chipping a hole in a lake was an arduous task, depending on the thickness of both ice and one's biceps. It discouraged anglers from moving to a different spot. These days, power ice augers carve through a couple feet of ice like a chain saw through Jell-O. And if anglers don't catch fish, they move 20 yards away and drill another hole. And another. Power augers -- along with portable ice fishing houses, permanent houses on wheels and electronics -- have revolutionized ice fishing, and Havel is riding that frozen wave. He's president and CEO of StrikeMaster Ice Augers, one of the three largest ice auger manufacturers in the nation and the only one based in Minnesota. (The other two are in Wisconsin.) Havel and his 11 full-time employees crank out thousands of hand augers, gas-powered augers and electric augers at StrikeMaster's assembly plant in Big Lake, just northwest of the Twin Cities. They're shipped to 17 "hard water" states, Canada and beyond. Minnesotans are No. 1 when it comes to buying ice augers, Havel said. It's a competitive business that fluctuates with the weather -- dipping during warm spells and rising during cold ones. With plenty of frigid weather in the Midwest to entice anglers onto ice, this season has started out like a winner. "I'm smiling," Havel said. Drilling for success Havel and his partners, Ray Peterson, 61, of Richfield and Bob Giarusso, 64, of Elk River -- all sporting goods representatives -- bought StrikeMaster in 1991 from an entrepreneur named Bob Foster, who owned a bowling equipment business (hence the name StrikeMaster). After World War II, Foster visited Scandinavia and noticed winter anglers there using Swedish hand augers to drill holes through ice, so he brought one home to try. Soon he was importing and selling Mora hand augers. "He got to selling more hand augers than bowling shoes, but they kept the name and it became an ice fishing company," Havel said. The company has been around for 63 years. Over the years, lots of folks tried to combine a small gas engine with an ice auger, with varying degrees of success. Marv Feldmann of Plymouth, Wis., developed a successful model that eventually became Jiffy Ice Drills of Sheboygan Falls, Wis., another of today's major manufacturers. Eskimo, made in Cumberland, Wis., the third of the Big Three power auger makers, has been around since 1960. StrikeMaster began producing its power augers in 1970, Havel said. The company was based in downtown Minneapolis until moving to Big Lake in 1993. Like other outdoor equipment, power augers have been refined over the years. Today's models start easier, cut through ice better and last longer. Each brand touts its advantages. Like most other firms, StrikeMaster assembles parts that often come from around the world. Its two-stroke engines come from Germany, the steel cutting blades from Sweden. "Our gearboxes are made right here in Minnesota," Havel said. Based on the omnipresent buzz of power augers on Minnesota lakes, one would assume that gas-powered augers are the No. 1 seller. Wrong. StrikeMaster still sells more hand augers than power augers. "Places like southern Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa and Nebraska -- they don't have the two feet of ice like we do," Havel said. Hand augers cost less than $70. Power augers range from about $280 to over $500. What's the future? StrikeMaster has been selling four-stroke engines for five years. Four-strokes are quieter, pollute less and have been popular with resorts that have multiple-hole rental houses. Havel figures anglers will see more of them. Electric augers have been around for years, but sales are growing, likely because of the increased number of permanent wheeled ice fishing houses now on lakes. "The electrics don't leave the house smelling like two-cycle oil," Havel said. They can be powered by ATVs or snowmobiles. The continued evolution of batteries -- now smaller and more powerful -- could make electric augers more popular. Global warming hasn't caused any dip in ice auger sales, either. "It's still going to get cold. The last three winters have been the strongest we've had," Havel said. But a nationwide decline in the number of hunters and anglers is worrisome. "It's a real issue; we're concerned about it," he said. His company has been involved with helping introduce kids to fishing. Ironically, even though Havel is in the ice fishing business, he doesn't have much time to fish for fun these days. He spends much of the winter traveling to various ice fishing contests and shows, promoting his company. "It's tough," he said. "Usually in March, we'll go catch those jumbo perch on Lake Mille Lacs." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUGER WORLD There are many ice auger manufacturers out there. Here are the big three: ESKIMO Made by Ardisam Inc., Cumberland, Wis. Website: geteskimo.com Claim: "More ice fishermen choose Eskimo than any other brand." JIFFY Made by Feldmann Engineering and Mfg. Co., Sheboygan Falls, Wis. Website: jiffyonice.com Claim: "The No. 1 selling product." STRIKEMASTER Made by StrikeMaster, Big Lake, Minn. Website: strikemaster.com Claim: "The world's single largest manufacturer of ice augers."