I am going nutts

[Wanna Be........Fishin:P]

Its February and I live in SD...

I am a starving graphic artist so I can't realy afford the extra cost of ice fishing.

I have cabin feaver so bad that I am about to start painting sun sets and fishing pictures on my toe nails.

My wife is pretty, but ##### after all this snow, green grass would excite me too.

Open water, god what I would give to see open water.

Casting and trolling really suck this time of year.

And to top it all off that stupid groundhog thinks he saw his shadow today. WTF is that all about? doesn't he understand? I think I will go groundhog hunting soon.

So where can I go to find open water that holds waleye this time of year?

[Otter]

Water is open in northern Arkansas, and highs will be in the 50's next week, but you said cost was a factor, and I would think it would be cheaper to drill a hole in the ice in SD than to drive here.

[ddt]

I to live in the great state of SD.How
with all the many fun things to do in the great outdoors,could any one be bored?
Things like shovel snow an an an,WELL their must be something else???????
(Think spring) d

[TM]

There is open water and great fishing at the tailrace at Piere.

[vetspet(ind)]

one of my best friends is up there right now catching perch and walleye at devils lake...thats 800 miles for perch!!!! you guys are in heaven up there and you wish for something better...goes to show you that the grass is always greener ....the ice fishing would be hard to beat that you all have up there....it would keep me from philosophizing so much...and i know nobody wants that..steve

[what a whiner!]

Geez! You live in SD where there are more things to do in the outdoors than most and are in the middle of a winter that is handing you great ice conditions on a silver platter. And you have a good looking wife to boot? Sh_t man you better open your eyes! How can you say ice fishing is more expensive than open water? You can make a shack out of scrap wood big enough to fish AND chase your pretty wife around in.

Ice rods are about like long rod.....you can pay as much as you want but there are plenty of good ones for under $10.00. Put one of your reels from another rod on and you are set. Now you can set your new ice rod in the corner and chase your pretty wife around the shack.

Now you have to think about making a hole in the ice. As a kid we never had a hand or power auger and we had some dandy winters on Lake Erie (anyone remember the late 70's?) so we welded a piece of flat stock onto a length of scrap 1/2" pipe and ground it to an edge. Now you have a spud bar and you can chase your pretty wife around the shack but avoid the holes in the ice. Break down and purchase some minnows for $2 a dozen and start out with a jig/minnow combo (you can't tell me you don't have a jig in your box)or a small spoon with a minnow on one of the hooks. Now you can chase your pretty wife around the shack AFTER you get your limit.

Quit complaining dude......get out there and have some fun!! Good luck

By the way.....we do have open water now at Catabwa too.

[cisco]

Hey, who said he had to chase her?

[abe]

>Hey, who said he had to
>chase her?


You gota run in SD to stay warm===abe

[Hawgeye]

I am a ND fella and can relate to his comments. (Devils Lake is in ND by the way). For me, ice fishing is fun, great and fantastic, but it is much easier to hook the boat up after work, drive to a quiet little lake and dip a jig for an hour or two before beddy by...I think he is relating to the cabin fever thing. I don't know about most of you but soft water is still 5 times better than a hole in the ice. I love ice fishing but if I had a choice to have open water or hard water, get me in a boat any day!!!

Hey, in less than 50 days, out on the lake!

[cisco]

Is there any open water action currently in the tailrace below the Garrison Dam? I've seen some hog fish come out of there, and taken a few nice ones myself.

[Tough Guy]

"Chase pretty wife around shack"? Tough Guy start building shanty tonight, maybe trick Tough Wife into thinking going out to Tonto's for fish sticks.