# Ice fishing



## bucksquatch (Nov 21, 2012)

Any ice fishers on the forum? It's almost that time of year, no ice around here yet, but I can feel it coming.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Why would you fish for ice ? ?


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## bucksquatch (Nov 21, 2012)

Haha







It's Minnesota man, fishing doesn't stop when the ice comes, it just gets better. Because staying warm is for p*****es lmao


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Yeah I used to do some of that when I lived back in OH.


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## bucksquatch (Nov 21, 2012)

I just picked up a used Strikemaster with a new carb kit in it for dirt cheap, still has the stickers on it, she rips pretty good. Can't wait to blast some holes in the ice with it, hopefully soon.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Stonegod said:


> I've ice fished several times, but lately around here we just haven't had many winters with safe ice.


Same here !


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

I have done some but not too much.


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## Ledge (Nov 13, 2012)

I like to ice fish. If the weather keeps up, we should have some early ice this year.


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## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

I caught a 13 3/4" white crappie in Wisconsin 30 years ago it was close to the state record back then. Now I am just staying warm here in sunny Arizona, Don maybe we [email protected]$$%&$ should take bucksquatch out on his last coyote hunt, I mean coyote hunting...


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## bucksquatch (Nov 21, 2012)

Haha azpredator I was joking, I saw a demotivational picture that said "Ice fishing, because staying warm is for p*%@#$s" always just gave me a chuckle, us Minnesotans are a different breed of people when it comes to winter Ice Fishing is bigger than deer hunting here. Meant no offense my good sir.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Geez...now you went and called him SIR...you're in for it now !!


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## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

LoL Don. and and you bucksquatch, I guess I will let it slide this time lol, I drank my share of 1/2 pt.'s of blackberry brandy sitting on the ice! TIP UP...


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

Tried it once, but after cutting a hole big enough for the boat, it still wasn't big enough to operate the oars, and I gave up.


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## bucksquatch (Nov 21, 2012)

Lots of bitter cold weather here the last few days, -2 yesterday morning 20 degrees this morning and windy, the ice is forming nicely. I CAN'T WAIT


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## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

Do you use a shanty? To stay warm? lol you know you do... in S. Wisconsin we just sat on the ice...and I am not a cheese head, I was from Illinois, it's just as bad.


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## bucksquatch (Nov 21, 2012)

I just sit on a bucket, haven't gotten a portable yet. I do use a Strikemaster power auger though, too lazy to use a hand auger lol


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## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

We use to sit on a bucket to, untill my father made a shanty, it was sweet! he made it to fold up in a plywood type box, 4'X8'X6" two halfs hinged in the middle so you could put your poles and cover in it, and fold it up, and then he made a sled to pull it out on the lake. unfolded it was 8'X8' with two holes. he used some black dye on the canvas cover, so it would be dark in side, so you can see down in the water, to see the fish! "shallow water". It had some plastic (lexan) windows so you could see your tip-ups. A little coleman stove and lantern and you could take you jacket off in 5min. Nice and warm. Man I miss ice fishing...


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## bucksquatch (Nov 21, 2012)

Sounds like a nice homemade setup. Everyone I know has a portable or a icehouse or both, I'm the only old school guy left until I can afford the portable I want. Ice fishing is definately a blast


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

Actually, I've done a fair amount of ice fishing, but this trip was my last one. It was the worst weather of the year. As we headed south to Lake Erie on I-75, cars were sliding off everywhere. The people we were following to the ice fishing spot, were going too fast, so we backed off and expected to find them somewhere on Lake Erie, based on where they were getting on the ice. The photos show how our day went.

We escaped through the windows, as the truck disappeard.

The little Datsun pickup was fine until the crane operator smacked it against the breakwall.

The truck sat on the bottom of the lake for six days, but we had it back on the road two days later. My fishing pal drove it for years afterward.

I always wanted to hide these photos somewhere behind the seat so a owner would have a little history.


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## bucksquatch (Nov 21, 2012)

Wow glenway, that's scary stuff and amazing she still runs. I usually walk my gear out or use a wheeler if my dad will let me use one, plus my dad always taught me when I was a kid that if it says 3-5" is safe to walk on wait for a couple more inches and be extra safe, if you fall through there can be no coming back from it.


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

Just glad that truck gave us a chance to get out. We could see the tracks from vehicles but they were headed straight out from the access site. The ice was actually quite thick, but we had been following the shore "to be safe", when I noticed a fault in the ice. I told my friend to get out of there and it was too late. The front end went down first and the doors were pinched immediately by the ice, as the truck began its relatively slow descent.

The insurance company paid my friend for his "totaled" truck - and, even the skindiver and crane operator were covered.

We drained the fluids and everything electrical was fine except one headlight and something else inconsequential.

And, we ate our hardboiled eggs from our recovered goods. The truck ran well for many years later after a new fender and paint. One of many close calls but the last of this variety.


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## bucksquatch (Nov 21, 2012)

Planning on pounding some holes in the ice Saturday, we're getting some good ice here. Myself and a buddy are going to try a couple smaller crappie lakes, should be thicker ice and I could go for some crappie on the plate and in my freezer


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## Tuffdaddy (Oct 26, 2012)

Definitely do some ice fishing over here in SE Wisco. I'm sure some of our smaller lakes have skim ice on them after this week, but it's supposed to warm up this weekend, so the lakes are nowhere near safe yet. Just put the boat away for the year after getting skunked looking for the elusive 40# musky down here. Saw some nice fish, not the one we were looking for though. We have awesome trout and pike through the ice in the harbor on Lake Michigan when it's safe (is it ever?), but that ice freaks me out. We typically drill holes off the ends of the piers so we don't have to walk as much on the ice.

My girls LOVE ice fishing. This should be the first year they can man the tipups with minimal help. They put a hurthing on the fish last winter with some help, but I think they have it down now. They're itching to get out.

Now how to tell the wife that I have to go coyote hunting and ice fishing.  Her worst nightmare came true. Now I will be hunting instead of just fishing.


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

There a couple of guys up here and one of them was fishing by casting a lure on the ice and retriving it, the other one came ridding alaong on a snowmachine and stops to ask how he is doning? He say not very well and the guy on the snowmachine say hop on and we will trool for a while.


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## sneakygroundbuzzard (Nov 1, 2012)

knapper said:


> There a couple of guys up here and one of them was fishing by casting a lure on the ice and retriving it, the other one came ridding alaong on a snowmachine and stops to ask how he is doning? He say not very well and the guy on the snowmachine say hop on and we will trool for a while.


sounds like Sven and Ole

i myself,hate ice fishing

born and raised in Minnesota

ice fished when i was younger,was made to go along with my step dad

hated sitting on a pail in -30 weather freezing my hoo hoos off

hate the sound of the cracking ice

whats to like about it

and besides i have an ice maker on my freezer

i dont need to go out and catch that nasty tasting wild ice lol


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