mbenson wrote:

Dave:

Any luck finding someone??? And if so, who, how did it go… inquiring minds want to know???

Mark

After searching and talking to a couple guides I have elected to DIY the fishing on the trip. The cost of the guides I’m sure would have been worth it but after much contemplation I realized that I could take that money and spend it on doing something with each of the boys(I have three). Only one of them is really a die hard fisherman so in the end it just seemed like the right thing to do.

We are going to kayak fish and bank fish from the cabin. Hopefully we can find some spots from shore as well in the area. I’m really looking forward to the trip! We leave Wednesday!

I’ll report back with how we do.

Again thanks for all the feedback.

reverend wrote:

What specie(s) are you wanting to target, and how close to Eagle River is this cabin? Lots of good water in the very near vicinity, shouldn’t have to travel far depending on what you want to fish for…

I’m open to targeting anything. Bass, pike, eyes, panfish.

We are staying just 2-3 West of Eagle River. We have access to some kayaks and plan to do some fishing on the Wisconsin. I wasn’t sure what the shore fishing access is like in the area? Is there any? The dam is just down the road about a mile to the west.

Dave

Thanks for the replies. I’ve reached out to Rob and a few others, awaiting responses. We are staying at a private cabin right on the Wisconsin River. I’m open to traveling to get a good bite. I just want to show the kiddo a good time, that’s my number one priority.

Hopefully I can get something booked this week. It was kind of a last minute trip so my poor planning leads a little bit of searching finding a guide.

Thanks,
BigLund20

We are staying about 3 miles West of Eagle River off of State Rd 70. I checked out a couple of those links but was hoping someone had some first hand experience with a guide that would ensure a enjoyable day on the water for me and the kiddo.

I’ll give Kurt a call and see what I can find out. I also see R&M Musky shop is just down the road to the East, I’ll reach out them as well.

Thanks for the lead.

Dave

The only thing I’ve heard is you have to watch your scope mounts on this gun and the Savage Slug Bolt Gun. If you have to low of rings, there isn’t enough room for the shells to eject when you work the action.

Other than that, I’ve heard they are tack drivers!

That’s pretty AWESOME! My boys have their first custom calls stashed away for when they get big(only 1 and 4 now). They get to practice on dad’s low end starter calls from years gone by for now.

Congrats on the new addition!

Dave

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I think you need two completely different rods…

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I couldn’t agree more!

Welcome to the site! You won’t find a better place to call home.

So can we call you Mr.Crabs? Man I know too much about Spongebob thanks to my 4 yr old!

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I fish lake trout in the spring and live by some ponds, i also have a friend thats never caught one. It would be really neat to take him out, but i have never fished them on ice…. any tips? depth, lures, bait? thanks

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Stocked trout tend to keep in the shallows along the edge of the ponds. They cruise around the ponds feeding and when they are active, there is no working to get them to bite, you usually see them on the flasher and you better be ready to set the hook.

As far as baits, some people will tell you swedish pimples with waxies are the ticket. This outing was a red diamond jig with two waxies. I never switched jigs and size did not matter when I tied on the next size up after getting one wrapped in the ducer cord.

Lakers are probably an entirely different story. Hopefully someone can chime in and give some assistance. No matter what, know that trout fight awesome when ice fishing them, it’s a blast!

Dave

My e-cab door has done the same thing twice this winter. Ended up letting it warm up for 10-15 minutes and it opened right up.

***Side note, don’t hit your interior door from the inside out when sub zero! Plastic trim cracks very easily. Lesson learned!

Call clam and they will send you a piece of patching material. Can’t remember the cost, they sent me mine for free with some warranty replacement parts.

Then you’ll need to get some 3M spray adhesive.

You’ll be good to go in no time!

Bad battery. I had the same thing happen to mine. Called vex and sure enough, that’s what they told me. Replaced the battery and all is well.

Since that time I’ve switched to leaving my battery on a maintenance charger at all times when not in use. I think it really helps the life of the battery.

For anyone who wants it I’ve got a word doc of the showdown manual with 14pt font instead of the 10 point. Send me your email and I’ll get it over to you.

Dave

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Another thing you can do to help secure the rods down is make a cut just a hair wider than the reel shaft and then make a 90 turn so your rod handle would go all the way down into the tube and then that turn would help lock it in. Look like an inverted L…

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Awesome idea! Thanks!

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The rods look well protected – Not so sure about the reels.

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The reels are pretty tight in there so my hope is they will not be able to move enough to bang into each other. We’ll see how much paint is missing after a few trips.

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That looks great!!

What length are the tubes?

Do you have anything securing the rods in if it happens to tip? Small bungees over the back of the reel, or velcro straps across the top of the tubing?

I have some leftover tubing very similar I used to make fly rod tubes, I’ll have to give this a try. I always seem to have an extra rod or two, or three….leaned up in my portable when switching presentations, this would be a nice quick way to stash them. I never liked putting rods in and out of the bags constantly.

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The tubes are 30 inches. Currently nothing securing the rods but as you said, just need to put a small bungee above the reel handles to hold them down. I ran out of time today, might have to finish that tomorrow.

I’m going to see how they sit in a 6 gallon bucket for the time being. Otherwise I might see if I can attached them to the rails on my seat in my Guide for when I’m fishing.

We’ll see how it all works in a few days. I’ll report back the results.

As far as bait, they like the same stuff gills do. They are a blast to catch through the ice!

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Wonder if a guy sliced em up to about spike size and tipped his jig…………………….hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

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How about the Gulp Alive 1″ leeches? I just saw these and think I may have to give them a try.

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That’s a really great idea! Is that an old lawn chair bag?

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Yep, it’s a bag chair bag. I need to get my hands on some more of these bags. I used one for this project and I started using one years ago to put my 6″ hand auger in. They work great for many things!

Nils!!!!! That should fix the problem.

a few more pics.

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Sweet deal…Thank you for posting this!!

I just ordered 2 for people that I was struggling with what to get them for Christmas…I know they don’t have them and I am sure they’ll use them.

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X2!

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I wrap a few rounds around then apply a small strip of electrical tape to the spool. Works well for me and keeps the weight of the reel down.

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And it might float if you drop it down the hole. LOL

Greg,

Does the noodle stay pretty tight against the spool? Meaning is there any line spin like when you don’t back braid on open water reels. I’m going to try this tonight, I’ll try and document my process.

Another question? Do you just have to feed the line back and forth with your fingers for even coverage? No line guide with fly reels to do the job?

Greg,

That is a great idea!!!! I just happen to have those in the garage. That makes perfect sense and it doesn’t get much cheaper than that!

Thanks Dan. I might just have some of that around from filling tip-up spools.

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Dont be afraid of good ole Carhart. My ice fishing bibs are 20 years old and still fine. Standard insulated brown ones. You can get a new pair for $70. I just checked.
I have no reason to replace them yet.
But when I do guess what I replace them with….

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I sold my blue suit this year due to losing a bunch of weight and I have a set of Carhart Artic bib and coat that fit great. My concern is that I’m a kneeler when hole hopping and I’m concerned about wet knees. I know Carharts are warm but not so waterproof.

Just checked out the Okuma SLV, that is a nice looking reel.

So my guess would be the smallest would be the best for strictly panfishing. Would I be good to go with the SLV-23?

Anyone have any experience with this brand? I’ve got some Cabela’s cash to spend and would like to purchase here but will shop elsewhere if need be.

Ross Flystart