Is Ice Fishing really fun????

[Ness]

Total desperation is leading me into an ice fishing weekend. I've got a report of 18 inches of ice on Canadarago with walleyes and perch biting good. Gee, this sound pretty good??? And the Northeasterner that might have hit us isn't materializing. Just a few inches predicted for Sunday so things are looking up. I've never gotten into this ice fishing thing before except for once a while back when a friend dragged me out and I think we caught one very small pickerel that day. I was not impressed. But spring is a long ways off and I'm bored. I guess they call this making the best of a bad situation...
Anyway, here I am contemplating an ice fishing weekend and wondering, "Do you guys really look forward to this??" I mean on a beautiful summer day when you're out on your boat, the fish are biting, the sun's shining, the sky's blue, there's a nice little
lulling rock to the waves, and a sweet breeze, tell me does anyone look out over the lake and say, "I can't wait for ice!
I want hard water!"
Oh, well, wish me luck.... Come on, Bassbuster, the Eyes are waiting :-)

[Ness]

Oh, and any last minute tips would be greatly appreciated. I honestly have no idea what the heck I'm doing... :-)

[cisco]

Breathe clear cold air, walk about often to keep circulation going, enjoy a winter landscape, watch for eagles or what ever other raptors you may have in your part of the world, listen to the crisp squeak of clean snow atop hard blue ice under foot, watch wind direction to know where to face if you sit outside, sip hot beef broth or chicken broth (leave coffee and anything alcoholic for another time or another person), snack on high energy items, and converse with your fishing partner(s) about just anything that interests you -- celebrate life.

[CJHughes]

Sounds like a good time to me

[Driftr]

Howdy Ness,
Ice fishing is a blast & a good way to offset the fever. I can't ever remember looking out over any lake in the summer wanting ice.:-) I like to troll alot & it is very hard to do on ice , hahaha. Anyway, the best advice I can pass on is safety first. There is NO SAFE ICE. There are always places that can be hazardous. Get a pair of ice picks. They wear around you neck so you have a way to pull yourself out if you ever go in. Cleats on your boots are a must on ice also, keep ya from slipping. I always have a 100' rope with my throwable floatation cushion. That works if you need to get a line to someone. Don't forget a complete change of clothing , boots everything. yep a towell to dry with too. These may never be needed & hopefully won't, but you will have them.
Next thing is have fun :-) :-)
Driftr

[Lundluvr]

And also celebrate that you can go out and catch some walleye, and not be stuck in central Indiana with 12" of ice and nothing to catch but 5" blugills like me. I NEED SPRING!!!

[rodbuster]

It's fun if you don't get wet.My brother took me out on Erie after eyes one day.It was ok walking 20 feet behind him and a freind that were pulling the shanty.(Feel safer backthere).First time out you look down at the ice alot just to see if your next step might be the one that! Well you look down alot.It was a nice day and we did catch fish.On the way back in I was glad I went untell my brother said open water ahead.It is a bad feeling to look up(I was still looking down)see your ride home 100 ft away and 80 ft of open water between you and it.I said well now what?My brother said well we can go east or we can go west you pick.We did go west for about a mile the crack got to be 3 ft wide so over we went.That was my last trip out 2 years ago.
Hope you have better luck

[Tallmike]

Hey, Landluvr,

There are 'eyes in lakes in northern Indiana, probably within driving distance for you as well. Try Bass or Maxinkuckee. Also Clear Lake in Steuben County. You could even make the drive to the St. Joseph River and hunt for both walleyes and steelheads. I don't like ice fishing. But I am seriously considering making the trip to Berrien Springs, Mi. here in the next couple weeks. There are so many fishing shows in Jan and Feb, those help break the monotony. This board also helps get one revved up for spring.
Ness...good luck, stay warm, and safe!

[sib]

remember that jerk on the jetski last summer? well, he won't be there now. :D

"go outside and play"
sib

[Beetle]

Very good point sib. I've lived in Iowa all my life, and you learn at an early age to make the best of all four seasons. I think at sometime while sitting on the ice with nothing going on, everyone starts to dream about open water somewhere. It could be vice-vera while sitting in a boat also. When winter arrives though, I AM ready to icefish.

["COMA"]

Ice Fishing rocks!, The better prepared you are the more enjoyable it will be. I look forward to it each year. Have my favorite early ice spots and techniques. All the comforts of the couch in the front room too. radio,tv, heat, food,friends and fishing. Hard to beat it. safty is the first rule always. No fish worth having yourself go through the ice for. some times fishing is very slow. But some times it is quite good even better action than open water. Be careful, Have fun.

[Eyez]

If you're fishing a clear lake, and you have a shack, pull the shades and see if you can see the bottom. That's the most interesting part for me, is getting to watch what's going on (camera's don't really do it justice). It's beautiful down there in the winter. That's part of what got me addicted to ice fishing. If you don't have a shack, you can lay down on the ice and put your face and hood over the hole to block the light.

The other thing that I like about ice fishing is that it's so relaxed. It's alot like when I was young and we'd shorefish all afternoon. Eating sandwiches and wandering around. There's nothing hurried about ice fishing like there is in a boat.

Have fun Ness

Dusty

[Wrong]

You don't think that same jerk owns a 300mph snowmobile?

[eyedoktr]

Ness, yup, it's really fun. I for one do exactly as you said. I sit in my boat waiting 'til it's cold enough to walk on water, sit and stare at a hole all day. Is Canadaraga Lake south east of Syracuse? I'm from the Rochester area and I need some good walleye fishing. My favorite 2 spots (Honeoye lake and Bay of Quinte) are slow. Just dress well and stay dry. Good luck.

[sib]

they may very well have a 300hp sled, but i don't find the snowmobiles a fraction as menacing as the the jetskis. my experience is that most snowmobiles i run into on the ice are shuttling to and from their shanties, infact most are fellow anglers. they also tend to be very polite and as someone who walks out onto many lakes, i've even been asked by some sleds if i needed help. now maybe that's because there are thousands of miles of snowmobile trails to choose from where i fish, but my experience is that they are two different animals.

"go outside and play"
sib

[Neal/Co]

I love to watch whats going on down there also. You can learn alot about how fish take your bait also. The best part about ice fishing is you don't have the hassle of trailering your boat. You can fish spots that you normally would need a boat, without worring about the wind blowing you off the spot. Just dress properly and you should really enjoy yourself. It beats sitting at the window dreaming about spring for five months.

[scottcny]

Ness,
Don't mean to burst your bibble but Canadarago has about 12 inches of ice, not 18, still plenty to keep you dry!

eyedrktr,
Yes, it is SE of Syracuse in the town of Richfieldsprings. take the thruway to the exit just past the the utica exit, can't remember the number, and follow the signs.

[jack]

as soon as the ice is gone i can't wait for it to come back, i prefer ice fishing over summer fishing and i fish sakakawea all summer long

[jack]

also, if you would like ice fishing to be 10 times more exciting and productive, buy a flasher....i use a vex and never go fishing without it

[Greg P.]

Ness,
I truly enjoy ice fishing. Not much better than a cribbage game in the fish shack when the fishing is slow. I use a 6x8 portable, last weekend we had 4 guys in it, we played 4-way cribbage, and had a blast. Good friends, good conversation, temps hovering around 10 above outside, a toasty 50+ degrees inside. Only caught one perch all day, and the perch was lucky we caught it, because it was so small I think it would have choked on the minnow and died. Can't wait to do it again. Hopefully better fishing next time.

Go have fun, catch some fish, stay warm, and be safe.

Greg P.

[CI_Guy]

Bring along a hard boiled egg. When you peel it drop the shells down the hole. The white shells on the lake bottom reflect light and give you a a better view of life under the ice. They might even attract an 'eye or 2 while they drift to the bottom. Pat K

[Marken]

It's sort of like a religous experience...the only time of year you can walk on water. Enjoy!

[vetspet(ind)]

absolutely....where else could you find the time to solve problems like tbomn presents and try to think of ways to convert him to listening to rush and dr.laura during his many free hours he has during the typical school day in minn where there is no accountablilty....or trying to convince weyes that all conservatives are not rapers of the environment and polluters of nature....these are serious problems which require much thought as to presentation of the facts and nothing but the facts mam.... i get the best kick out of listening to the radio broadcast that today is a good day to stay warm indoors while i'm outdoors having a ball fishing....a graph is a must have item so yu can see whats below you...watching that line come up to take your bait is like nothing else i can experience in soft water fishing.....camping out is also fun if you have a warm truck camper....steve

[Ness]

Canadarago is two hours southeast of Syracuse near the town of
Richfield Springs.

[Ness]

It's exit 30, Herkimer. And I liked the idea of eighteen inches of ice.... twelve doesn't sound as good :-(

[Scott K]

Driftr, good advice. Can't never be too safe!!!!
How about strapping a big/long frog gig to your arm?? It can help you pull yourself out of the ice cold water(if it happens) and also help pull those 10#'s out of the water onto the ice. Scott

[cisco]

Pay attention to this guy -- he's a science fair judge and knows that water in Indiana boils at 244 degrees Fahrenheidt. What temp is needed to freeze that Indiana water? (I don't mean in northern Lake County, as I realize water needs to be fairly pure to freeze normally.)

[cisco]

Pay attention to this guy -- he's a science fair judge and knows that water in Indiana boils at 244 degrees Fahrenheidt. What temp is needed to freeze that Indiana water? (I don't mean in northern Lake County, as I realize water needs to be fairly pure to freeze normally.)

[vetspet(ind)]

hey...that's mean .....our water is pristine now that clintons economy has all but shut down all our steel mills....i bet i'm the only science fair judge who studies for the fair....these kids try to snow the judges all the time so it's fun to catch them presenting daddy's work....i learned the water freezing experiment in tbomn's class....steve

[cisco]

Today was -8 when I set up. Was fishing for more northerns to pickle. Didn't score, but it was a glorious day -- bright sun, not enough wind to push my portable Sno-boat around, and too cold for snowmobilers -- not one on the lake all day. That beat watching Dubya cap the theft of the Presidency thanks to a 5-4 Supreme Court vote.

[Tough Guy]

Tough Guy back from trip to Maui to see Tonto. Tonto teach Tough Guy how to be nicer on mighty walleye web site. Tough Guy miss walleye central. Tough Guy ice really thick when I got back, drill all day and still no soft water. Maybe sometime tomorrow morning I get through. Tough Guy hope Ness enjoy ice fishing. Watching big walleye swim back and forth under hole is blast for Tough Guy, maybe you too. Tough Guy out.

[EyeBoy]

Cisco;
With all due respect, you just can't let it go. To borrow a phrase from Willie; "It's time to put this behind us and move on." Better yet, it's time to go fishin!!!!!
ON-PLANE!!!TOM

[On the other hand....]

I guess it would have been alot better to watch algore accept the presidency from a 5 to 4 Supreme Court vote to continue counting dimpled chads. Yea, that would have been alot more legitimate. Let it go. It's time to rape the environment, or whatever you lefties think he is going to do. Give him a chance, we did with slickwilly.

[REW]

The egg shells really work.
I have a friend who used to fish with his father on a favorite spot on a favorite lake. After many years of fishing in about the same spot -- if found the key spot on the structure. He had it very well marked -- and actually used a couple different length ropes that he would tie to two different spots on shore to exactly trangulate his spot. Because this spot was so very productive -- one year he dropped an old "white enamled" dishpan on the bottom of the lake -- he had sawed a spearing hole in the lake - to allow the entrance of the large pan. This was years before folks got concerned about the environment etc. At any rate -- in the following years, he would trangulate his spot and continue drilling holes, until he could see the white pan on the bottom of the lake - then would drill his best hole directly over the pan.

As my friend and his father would fish -- the bait would be suspended directly over the top of the white dishpan and be back lit by the light being reflected off the old white dishpan.

He found it fascinating to watch the walleyes - that were back lit by the dish pan - nose his bait and take it from time to time.

He was located in about 15 feet of water and could eaasily see the eyes on the bottom in the clear winter water.

Yes, a white bottom does work for back lighting the fish. Lots of fun. The "egg shells" are todays answer for being environmentally correct as well.

Take care

REW