jeesh we have 40+”es of ice and i still hate driving my mid size truck on the ice!!!! I’d stick to the wheeler or a sled if it were met, let someone else fall through!

Hey T,

Looks like I’m headed back there again this spring, we should hook up.

As for pike trip pics, they’re comming, sorry left my camera in my buddies truck. Gonna stop by and pick it up tonight.

Well had a great pike day, first fish was an 11 pounder didnt even have the flag set yet. Landed 5 fish as fast as I could get bait down the hole.

We landed 8 all together, lost a TON of fish. Nice an warm 30 degrees though it was windy off and on, when the wind wasnt blown boy it was warm!!!

I grew up close to WBL, grew up in Forest Lake, east in scandia on big marine lake. Not sure what your handle was on Hnet, though I still get on pretty regularly.

Sgt Rock,

That is harding lake, last year, finally got those pics from my partner. Just had to add the ext on today. Believe it or not it was 30 degrees ABOVE zero, supposed to hit 40 agove tomorrow, DOH! You station at FWA? If so, so was I, what years?

Rangerski, I was able to get through, that is just a hair short of getting through, shows ya how deep the ice CAn get, though it wont this year. really sucks trying to turn fish up a hole that far down though

Really like the auger though she’s kind of finickey to tune. The really cold weather she acts like she’s starving for fuel. Been palyin with the jets getting close. Though I’d recommend the 2hp instead of the 3 unless you’re drilling piles of ice like this on a regular basis.

believe it or not, I’m standing over 140fow, fishing lakers that day.

Hopefully I’ll have some good pike picks for ya’ll. Going out to a semi remote lake. Dont think we’ll get anything huge, but LOTS of fish!

I don’t think my old man would be up for that one LOL! Pat Foster lives in my granps old place and I believe he’s running fish houses in the winter also though I’m not 100% sure.

ttt, still looking. Got a catalog from jansnetcraft coming, might ahve to learn to how build my own!

try a loop knot. I really like it for jigging lakers. gives a nice action to an otherwise good spoon on the fall instead of tying directly. Essentially it does the same as going to a much lighter line. If you’re already fishing 2lb line you may not see any difference, though you just might be suprised.

I’m not sure how long you’ve been in washkish but are you familiar with the name Jim Foster? Ask any of the old timers from the sunset. Lived along the north shore (believe it is the old fishermans point resort) near the rice paddies. Another name, the Laportes you might know. Grew up in the area, seeing this sure brings back a ton of memories. Our cabin is still there though it’s rarely used, haven’t been there in 15 years now since buckie passed.

Back on Red again ic LOL! Great pics, hopefully someday we’ll get to hook up. I might be back this spring for some more northshore and WI steelie fishing!

thegun,

You’re right the ht pl34H is or should I saw WAS a sweet rod. The blank is still the same. The reel seat has changed to a screw down type. The top part that screws down to hold the reel on cracks and will quite rapidly break just while jigging, let alone with a fish on, a big dissapointment.

I talked to a rep at HT and got the typical answer, “we’ll have to look into that”. I do have a distributer looking for a couple of the older rods with the regular spinning reel seat for me, this has been a couple weeks now with no response. I’ve half contemplated ripping the current reel seat off and replacing it with the one I want. It sure beats spending almost 100 bucks on a rod after shipping if you know what I mean!!!

I’m coming down to do some steelhead fishing on the brule and along the north shore and also a 5 day turkey hunt in washington county.

I’ll arrive early saturday morning and I don’t leave till the 2nd of may.

You’d better get up here SOON. I leave for MN in a week!!!

mondays pics are up. Tuesday and todays pics are soon to follow.

Skin,

I really dont know. I wont keep them if I ever land one that. Heck for that matter it’s a rarity I keep anything anymore. After a summer of fishing salmon our freezer is kept well stocked with fish. I will say the 14lb laker I kept was pretty good eatn. My buddy who landed the 28 pounder did say it was good, dunno about the one landed on sunday.

We went out today. Did well again. I landed 4 char2 nices ones (12-14lbs) 2 smallish ones, missed a nice laker (we figured an easy 15lbs) but watched him hit which is really the highlite of it all imho. My father in law landed one nice char, his first ever. Another buddy of mine and his wife was there. He landed two lakers, including one 25lb+ fish. NO scale, no tape and no stinking camera for any of it. Just a hog. I think it’s bigger then the 28 pounder on my link. Definatly fatter and it appeared longer by a few inches, just a behmoth. Unfortunatly he kept it, a fish that we are figuring to be as old or older then I
(30 yrs). A typical problem in Alaska!!!

I updated the last three pics with much gooder pics as far as size. Man lakers are good looking fish! so are those monster char! Also finally received a picture of the beast, his 28lb laker.

FB,

Mine is stripped and partially sanded. I need to fill in some gaps along the keel. This is my second attempt at this canoe. My first attempt shattered on the garage floor!!! Legs to the strong back gave way and down she went. Lost for emotions is all I can say. That one was completely sanded, gaps were filled, ready for epoxy when it happened!!!

49″es as of yesterday. I tell ya drilling a ton of holes with a 3hp 10″ auger is work in that much ice

I’ll post some pics of the past two days.

I’ll be back in MN the 15th, hoping to head to superior area for some steelie action before a turkey hunt. Another great year is in the making. Now I hope it isn’t to darn hot down there

Scott,

Thanks for the reply. I had the opportunity to run with a guy today who was running p-line fluro not sure the test. After seeing that I’m going to stay with the stren super braid (still using the 10lb at the moment, and it’s still cutting into the ice ugg).

I agree on the 12lb mono, even for 30lb lakers. My partner landed a 28 pounder last thursday and we’re hanging into 15lb char on almost every outing!

TTT Have a week left here in sportsmens shopping paradise, still need some help with line!!!

Well I went shopping today for some flurocarbon. What P line are yall using then? They had the fluro clear which is some kind of coated line, and the extra tough which I believe is solid fluro?

Well I’ve figured out the issue hands down. While pulling up the transducer from the hole while fighting a fish and setting it on top of the flasher itself (on the top flash) I didnt realize how loud the ticking had gotten throughout the day up to that point until I put it back in the hole. The noise is excessive and it is hands down coming from the transducer and NOT the flasher itself.

Thought yall might want the update. I’ve emailed Marcum today to see what they have to say about it. Unfortunatly I’m off to school for the next two weeks, no fishing for me for atleast 3 weeks due to where my weekend falls. Hopefully I wont be suffereing to badly with withdrawls

Scott,

Just curious what the negatives of using fireline are? Have never even tried it which is funny as I have three bait casters spooled up with the stuff and love it for summer kings.

If I stay with the spinning reels I don’t have the line capacity to go with the fluro for the main line. Any other options? I’m headed south for two weeks and should get quite a bit of shopping in while I am gone, including respooling these two spinning reels. I’ve thought about using the bait casters on the ice rods however they are spinning not casting ice rods regarding the handles. Though I am sure it doesnt matter as you aren’t casting, I just havent given it a try yet. Line is the big issue at this point.

As far as stretch, I am really loving the no stretch lines. For shallow water (30′ and up) stretch lines are fine, but for deep water fishing 80-140′ or so I’m really liking the no stretch lines. Missed a couple of fish in not really deep water (65′) trying to run mono and a tube for lakers. Set the hook and never did pull tight. I know reel reel reel, then set the hook. Habit I guess is to just set the hook eh.

Havent tried a nail knot but I sure dont trust a blood knot. Already am using the stren super braid then running a 3 to 4′ leader of flurocarbon seperated by a barrel swivel.

The one fish I lost due to this was cutting the hole way up. Along with a few others long before they hit the hole. I did loose it at the hole though due to my line hanging up. With 44″es or so of ice there was no way to get my lil 34″ ht rod down deep enough to free it before the hooks popped off. Unfortunatly it was a pretty big laker to boot, sure would have been nice to really see it and maybe get a photo.

so cook in the steamer, then add the lemon pepper and garlic salt when its finished?

Temps yesterday started out early in the morning pushing -30 from what the good ole weather man was telling us. This lake is usually a bit warmer then town though and by mid day it was only in the mid teens below zero.

Ok I do have to ask though I didnt personally keep any of these fish I did keep a laker last week. I have really NO recipe’s for lake trout and could use some help here. We did find an recide online called “herbed lemon laker” and it was good but the marinade really had no flavor to it. any help here would be greatly appreciated!

Scott,

I really thought that was my culprit, the line more then anything. I do like the no stretch lines due to the depth we are fishing (and the potential to land a monster laker is there so line capacity is an issue!). I’ve thought about going from the super braid to a filament super line like fireline.

As far as beveling I’ll have to give that a try but I’ll be honest we are burying a jiff model 31 with the 6″ exstension right now and only expect more ice to come as winter drags on. I expect on this lake we are about 42″es or more. We’ve bottomed out a 8″ barracuda with a 12″ exstension (54″es) of ice less then a week ago now. So it seems some lakes have a considerable more amount of ice then others but either way it’s a ton.

Well moisture is a definatly possibility. The last time I fished with it I was in a heated fish house and no ticking though I wasn’t out as long.

I’ll have to give that a try Luke, thanks for the heads up on it.

Dan

This is one fish you shouldn’t judge by it’s skin. Even though it does look neat I think after you get over it’s uglyness, I like the patterns.

This is one of the better eatn fish you’ll put to the table. That is of course if you like lobstertails!!

Well I don’t have my lodge yet, it’s still in the shippers possesion, hopefully next week.

I will say the lil buddy isnt enough to heat a Eskimo traveler at -20. The big buddy is way to much. Still I’d rather be hot then freezing.