Here is a video of me just starting it. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Gw9XHeEbIxzmtqId2

I sent you a PM.
-Mike

I guess that I am the exception here as I like to use baticasters for lakers. The main reason that I like such reels is that I primarily use fluouro line which is especially susceptible to super-coils. Which can get very ugly when there is 100 ft of line out. The other thing that I like about the baitcasters is that the reels can hold more line and it is much easier to control the initial fall with a baitcaster than a spinning reel.

The downside is that they do tend to get sticky in very cold weather, especially if you have several rods set up and are switching through them. When the baitcaster sits for an hour or so at sub-0 temps, the release button sometimes stops working. I have started to use Quantum Hot Sauce which helps a bit. I also use the same baitcasters that I have for bass fishing, so they are pretty expensive ($200 for a Shimano Curado). I do not know how a sub-$100 baitcaster would work..

I have the same auger. I have experienced this at times as well, but it was only for a single spot on the ice; if I moved over 1 foot, it would bite fine. It seemed like it had issues whenever there was that bad white, porous ice. Could it be that the lake that you are fishing has that same ice?

Now that I think about it though, it could have been iced over and then just moving the auger was enough to break it up a bit.

Big minnows or small suckers on a hook with a bit of weight clipped on 6″ above the hook. Use a set line close to the bottom at night.

Only problem is that they will swallow the whole thing and you will end up gut hooking them. If you are going to harvest, no problem. Otherwise, you might want to have some sort of jig head to perhaps stop them from swallowing.

To me, it appears like there is a ton of structure to fish. As others mentions, those inside turns around 18 feet would look good. There are a couple saddles that stand out for me as well. All of these will be generally good if there is no current and the reservoir does not have a lot of periods of current during the winter (in which case the walleye will be forced to hunt verses ambush).

It looks to me like when the dam is allowing water through, the current flows north, I would say that paying attention to that will be key. Is there always current? Pay attention to the draw downs. In these situations, you might find that the eyes are only really active during periods of high current. If this is the case, imagine how the walleye would want to ambush passing forage. I would find a place with more slack water close to the main channel. Fish where the walleye can stay in the slack water and ambush whatever is passing by.

Thanks for all the info! Those mudhole videos are great. I’ll try to post a pic of the finished product.

Obviously if you did not have to build an arbor, you would put them on the rod while gluing and then into the press before the glue dries like your picture shows.

Nice, I saw a design for the cork press in a book. I was thinking about putting one like yours together this weekend. Being someone that likes to tinker so much, I do not know why I haven’t started this earlier.

Do you put the corks together before putting them on the blank? With these cork rings being only 1/2″ in height a piece, it would seem like some of the rings are only on top of the tape while others are seeing the big gap between the tape in the arbor. But glueing them before hand would seem to make the fit difficult if glue leaked into the middle.

Hi Alex, Welcome.

Although CO is a concern with these heaters, that generally results from ‘unclean’ burning which I think comes from an low flow of O2 into the combustion chamber. With a perfectly clean combustion you will be burning your fuel in the presence of O2 to produce CO2 and H2O. The real concern here is that you burn all of the oxygen in your shelter and then suffocate. Also when the O2 level in the shelter drops, then the combustion isn’t as clean and you get more CO. The Buddy line of heaters have an O2 sensor built in, so when the supply drops, the heaters will automatically shut off.

This results in an interesting conundrum, where in order to keep your heater on to keep your shelter warm, you need to open ventilation to let the cold air in. However, it certainly saves lives.

For a chimney style heater, Cabelas sells these giant ‘outfitter’ style tents that have a chimney, maybe they have an alternative way to heat more efficiently for such a long period of time: http://www.cabelas.com/product/camping/tents-shelters/outfitter-tents%7C/pc/104795280/c/104779080/sc/104481180/cabela-s-ultimate-alaknak-8482-tent-150-13-x-27-/1570908.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Foutfitter-tents%2F_%2FN-1100672%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104481180

Not too bad.

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So here is what I think I am going to use. I used to brew beer and I still have these corks that were made for champagne bottles (they are actually not mushroom-shaped before going into a bottle. Now I need to bore them out. Is a drill press the way to go? How else do you make sure that the hole is dead straight?

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I am guessing when you say trout, that you do not mean lake trout. If you are going for lakers, I have a new commander for that application.

I have been resisting putting the boat away so far. I am going to try to get out one more time this weekend, then I too have a lot of reel maintenance to do before I use them for the ice. One of the benefits of a small tin boat with a 15hp, is I can just take the motor off the boat and bring it into the house for the winter.

I have always used a palomar knot and have never had it break or slip on fluoro. When you get down to the really tiny diameters though, it is a bit difficult to tie (especially with numb fingers).

PM sent.

That definitely seems different than the one that came with my combo.. The drag on that one absolutely sucked. If you set it to around 2 lbs or so, you might need to overcome 5 lbs to get it started and then it would ease back down to 2 lbs to continue to rip off line. It was also one of those reels that has a gargantuan amount of play in the handle.

They might have upgraded the reel since I bought a Croix rod and reel combo about 5 years ago, but at that point, I was extremely disappointed in the reel. The rod was exactly what I was looking for.

PM sent

I actually like to use a shimano baitcaster for lakers because the drag is better than a spinning reel and since you use a heavier rod, it actually tends to feel balanced. I do a lot of bass fishing so I have a lot laying around. I like the Chronarch Mg best because of the weight. Just make sure your weights are all pushed out so that you don’t get a rat’s nest when you let the line out.

Count me in. I am up for a get-together.

philtickelson wrote:

I marked something really big in Harriet one winter.

That might have been a Russian sub.

I fished both quite a bit last winter. There is definitely more pressure in the winter. I found some fish, but don’t think that I have figured it out yet. I did not catch anything really big nor did a find a lot of fish. These are some really fun lakes to just figure out, and I suspect it will take me a couple years to do so. But given that they are the easiest lakes for me to get on, I will continue the hunt this winter. PM if you ever want to get together to compare notes or team up on the lakes some time this winter.

Have you thought about Poygan or the lakes on the Fox River chain? There was an in-depth episode last year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4-j4KCb2Us

It seems pretty sweet.

Thanks everyone. This is very helpful.

It will just be me in the boat with the guide, but I plan on picking his brain. This is in an area that I fish a lot, so will be looking for some added insight and perhaps learn a new technique or two.

From the sounds of it, it seems like $60 if it meets my expectations, and add or subtract $20 depending on service/experience.

I am not interested in your rod, but something that I have done when I have bought a Croix and then decided it wasn’t for me. You can use the gold start warranty service with upgrade option. For $75 and the difference in (original) costs between your current one and the new one, you can get a brand new rod. It still costs money, but given how much you originally invested in it, it might be a good option for you.

Here is the link to the warranty (scroll down to the gold star upgrade plan):
http://stcroixrods.com/service-warranty/service-warranty-policies/

PM sent.

I sent you a PM regarding the Croix.

I have used lurepartsonline on multiple occasions. They have a ton of skirt options and jigs made out of primo gami and mustad hooks. I buy the 3/8 or 1/2 oz jigs, the color skirts I want, a rattle collar that fits two rattles. It takes all of 5 minutes to put awesome jigs together and the price is right.

Beautiful fish. What a great experience.