Are you ready?

[Rich S]

Anybody else have the feeling that this winter is never going to end? Well if you have the hard water blues just remember one thing, it was 78 degrees last year on March 3rd. Something tells me warm weather is still alittle bit off yet but I need something to hope for. Ice fishing is just no substitute. I need to feel that 7' jigging stick in my hands and the sound of my drag squeeling from a 6 pounder. Just had to get this off my chest. If I mention fishing or tournaments one more time to my wife before winter is over she is going to loose it. You guys are my only relief. I hope you are dealing with it better than I am. Patience is not one of my virtues.
See ya on the water (hopefully sooner than later!)

[cisco]

Do I dare suggest sitting 8 feet away from the hole and using that 7 foot jigging stick?

[Rich S]

I was talking to one of my friends about that and he had an Idea. To expand on your idea he said that I should pull my boat out on the ice and drill holes aound it. Scary part is that I am almost to that point. You think I would catch more on the jigging stick or the dead rod?

[Time to]

go ground hog hunting

[James Morris]

What you need to do is go out there and cut some circular tracks in the ice with a saw, maybe four tracks, almost equally spaced from a given center path. Then, get out your offshore boards, let out the correct amount of line for the depth under each track, attach the boards to the line, let out enough line to reach the center track, and then put the rods in the holders on your boat and have someone tow your boat around the track while you tell them "just a little faster" no no, now slower! To get to that magical triggering speed while you watch your gps and (if you wet the track and drag an old transducer) check the depth and try to mark some fish. When you see the tattle-flag go down, you have a fish! (you might want to use superline, it cuts through the ice better)

:)

Well, at least this would take you until about spring thaw to set up... and you might not catch anything, but you'd be having fun.

Can you tell I've been thinking too hard about open water too?

James

[EyeBoy]

How would one troll a crank or bouncer?
;-) TOM