x2 for Stihl

Just the 7.

Great fish Jim.

Great fish Chris!

I haven’t fished with the other rods, but picked up a couple TUC rods this year and absolutely love them. I’ve got the 36″ precision and a 32″ precision noodle. I used both today and am very impressed. I haven’t gotten anything with any size to it on the 36″ but it seems to have plenty of backbone. I was also VERY pleased with the service from TUC. Adam was a huge help with rod selection and made sure it was ready for me to bring north to use this week. I ordered it on a bit of a short timeline and he ensured it was ready then met me on the way north to hand deliver it.

Like I said, I can’t compare to the others and my experience with the TUC rods consists of one solid day of crappie fishing, but so far I’m very impressed with the rods and TUC in general. If nothing else, give Adam or one of the guys a call and visit with them before you make your decision.

Quote:

---

Knew I was gonna regret not making the trip up with Chris
Great to see you had a awesome day !

---

I wish you could’ve come along Dean. It was a great day with lots of nice fish. Hoping for another good day tomorrow. I think we decided walleye are on the to do list now.

Quote:

---

Skeeter Boat Center has them. Plus they have rigged quite a few of them on boat so I would think they would be able to help with questions. When I had my rigged their with my boat Gregg was very helpful on how to use it . Definitely helped with the learning curve.

---

x2 for SBC. Dean or any of the guys there will get you pointed in the right direction and take great care of you.

Quote:

---

Kahtoola Micro Spikes !!

the XL will fit over a size 13 pack boot…

---

Tried my new XL Kahtoolas yesterday and they do fit very nicely over 12 pack boots and my lighter weight 12 boots. Very pleased with them although they haven’t made it on the ice yet. Planning on that this week.

Love it.

I picked up a pair of Kahtoola microspikes from Thorne Brothers and a pair of Alpha Ice Kings this year. Just got the boots so I haven’t tried the fit of the ice spikes on them yet. I will later today and let you know how they work out. They look like they should be a good combo as long as the ice spikes are big enough to fit on the size 12 boots.

Quote:

---

I’m just going to be looking for the bikini ice fishing team and the beer vendor.

---

x 2

Iced in as of Tuesday when I drove by. There were a couple guys trying to break through to launch, but I’m not sure how much luck they had. Bay Point was also covered in ice and they were pulling the docks at the ramp.

Chris

That looks great. I’ll be interested to hear what the depth of ice is. Be safe.

Chris

Quote:

---

Love that one. Haha.
“It’s the damn catch of the day”

---

x2

That’s a great video.

Very nice Dean. Can’t wait to see it.

Chris

Quote:

---

sweet!

---

x 2

Great fish. Congrats on the new PB.

Congratulations Brian!

Great looking pup. Congrats!

Quote:

---

I suggest making a day trip to Bill’s Gun Shop and Range in the cities (I hear there’s one coming to Hudson WI too) and try out a few of their rentals.

You’re personal body and activities will point you to the right weapon.

---

This is very good advice. You really need something you’re comfortable with and there are lots of variables/options. Do some research online, take the class and see what they recommend, then once you’ve got it narrowed down to a couple options hit up Bill’s and try them both out. Once you’ve had the chance to handle, load, and shoot them you’ll be able to make a solid, educated decision.

One other suggestion…but first, this isn’t an anti-big caliber/big gun post. If you can shoot it well, carry it. Otherwise don’t let your pride get the best of you while shopping/buying. Bigger isn’t always better. Some guys will go with .45s, .44s, etc. but not be able to handle it properly for self defense. You need a pistol that’s the right size for you and a caliber you can quickly get that front sight on target, fire accurately, get back on target, fire again accurately, get back on target, fire again accurately…rinse and repeat. Kill em til they die from it. Defensive shooting is much different than static targets at the range. If you can handle the larger guns/calibers that’s great but they’re not necessary. The .380s, 9’s, .40s, & .45s are great options, especially with the defensive ammo being produced these days. You just need what shoots the best in your hands then shoot the heck out of it until you’re good and proficient with it.

Good luck. There are a lot of great options out there.

Thanks for all the links and suggestions. I really appreciate it.

Quote:

---

Strikemaster makes / made a “women’s cut” ice suit. I bought one for my wife for the same reason you’re looking past the snosuit… the snosuit just didn’t fit her. She’s 5″4 – 112# and it fit well. You might want to check into that to see if it is still made. If it is it might be just what the doctor ordered.

---

Thanks James. Looking for it now.

Nah. Just spent more than my share in the cold over the years.

Quote:

---

SO if wool keeps you warm when it gets wet, does poly as well and at less cost in your opnion?

---

Poly pro doesn’t maintain the warmth when wet quite as well as wool does, but it will maintain warmth a lot better than wet cotton. Another down side to a lot of the poly pro/synthetics is they maintain body odor more than the natural fibers like wool and silk. Silk is the warmest you can get by weight, but it’s not very durable. If you’re going with wool go with merino. It’s much softer than the wool most of us grew up wearing. Not scratchy at all. You can find merino wool for prices similar to the synthetics as mentioned above ($20 per top and bottom). You’re going to get what you pay for to an extent. It’s not necessary to spend $70 or more on a pair of synthetic or wool bottoms or a top, however the $10 dollar sets you can get aren’t nearly as warm as you’ll get with the midrange prices.

Regardless what you get, the best advice mentioned above is dress light when you’re active. I try to start out slightly uncomfortably cool and warm up as I’m moving. This will prevent sweating/damp long underwear, underwear, socks, boots, etc. Once you get where you’re going or level of activity decreases dress up for the heat.

Something else to remember when you’re dressing for the cold is avoiding cotton such as socks, tshirts, and underwear. You’re defeating your expensive long underwear and boots if you wear cotton underwear or socks and end up sweating. Cotton will not wick. It holds moisture which keeps it next to your skin. If you’ve got sweaty drawers or socks next to the skin you’re probably going to end up with a chill or cold feet.

As important as what kind of long underwear you choose is making sure you’re dressing properly with all of your layers and not overheating/sweating when you’re active.

Nice job! Congrats.

Thank you. This is what I was hoping to hear back from you. I’m planning to pick a up a pair this season.

James will you be using the Alphas this year or are you trying something new?

What a great 1st birthday gift. I’m sure he’ll put it to good use over the years.

Happy 1st birthday!

Gorgeous view.