I was out there on thanksgiving 6” was least amount of ice I found. Water was dirty out to about 9’ then “cleared “ up but the bite was dead in the clean stuff. Only walleye I caught were in 7’ or less out front the river. Also caught biggest pike of my life and didn’t even snap a picture because it snapped me off at the hole and it took me awhile to get my jigging rap out without hurting the fish, I was worried about how long she was out of the water and didn’t think running back to portable for phone was worth the gamble. Definitely over 40. My rod is 32” and fish was damn near another ft longer. Walleye bite was poorest I’ve ever had up there. After my stop at blackduck I’m not sure I’ll ever fish red again.

mahtofire14 wrote:

As long as it’s 3-4 inches of good ice and I have my spud, I go out. First ice or not, doesn’t matter.

EXACTLY! Its not rocket surgery to not fall through. I wear float
Suit, picks, keep dry clothes in truck and spud bar your way out so you can follow same path back. Just be prepared and use your brain. Best fishing of the season is first ice.

Fellas, do a little digging on sound traveling underwater. Your generators, even in the truck bed, will spook the fish.. obviously not all the time but most of the time.. I cant tell you how many times I watch it on camera, fish spooks.

Flag island resort or sportsmans. Call Joe Cooper. No question about it NW angle

But I can confirm they are there and I can confirm that it wasn’t anywhere near a crowd , or anyone for that matter

Thank you sir. Nothing like a pig on ultra light and 3# line when I saw it underneath the hole I said nobody is going to believe this came outta there. Just last Monday when it was brutally cold… it’s been 10-12 years since I have seen one come outta rush that big

I did forget to include the part about how that lake is basically garbage now. If anyone gets within 50yards I move or fish at night/during the week. Folks don’t realize how easily foreign sounds spook fish… I watch it all the time on aqua vu, dropping my forceps in my ice tub in 20+ ft and bigger fish scatter

<img src=”http://&#8221; alt=”null” /

I know bad pic, but week ago fishing crappie i kept seeing giant marks on vex up really high and so finally I reeled up and had my bait so high vex couldn’t read and I watched this pike barely take in my crappie jig right underneath the ice… Ive heard on LOW of big pike n eyes swimming tight to the ice, so i wonder how common it actually is?????

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In fact after looking at this picture again, it very well could have been 29…. I wanted to get it back as fast as I could

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Yes, it was released…

Couldn’t believe it 28.5.

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You guys should check out Clayton Schick or Marshal outdoors. Marshal outdoors I picked up some tips for ML and instantly started doing much better!

I’ve had both regular buddy and big buddy. Only time I ever had an issue was when big buddy got soaked on way to the spot. Otherwise they have always worked great, all the way to -20F. Maybe you just got a bad unit, I wouldn’t give up on them knowing most peoples experiences with them.

Bob D wrote:

As Forrest stated the real issue with thawing out is going to be slush and wet snow. Just like a snowmobile if you don’t thaw that stuff off while you can it will turn into solid ice. With a snowmobile you can at least lift up the back end and drop it to break the track free from ice. With a ATV you won’t be able to lift it up so if your tracks are full of ice they may not turn and/or you may break something. I have been fortunate enough to have a heated garage so I have never had an issue with ice. I will say the most annoying thing with tracks is snow getting into the airbox. Just be aware of that and check the airbox after a ride so that you can remove the snow or suck out any water that accumulates. I know Can Am has created some sort of pre-filter for this issue on their UTV’s but I don’t believe Polaris has anything to prevent the snow dust getting in there.

I’d imagine that a guy could make something to help with that. I appreciate all the information, it has been very helpful, I think I’m going to pull the trigger on this idea. Brand suggestions?

3Rivers wrote:

As far as ice fishing goes, this one is going to be tough for me to beat

Incredible

My battery is down in the frame towards the front of wheeler, totally exposed to the elements (incredibly dumb location) should I relocate it to my front storage compartment like it is on the new sportsmans?

Bob D wrote:

I have tracks on my 2012 sportsman 500 with out power steering so you will be just fine.

PRO:
1. Can get through just about everything until you can’t!
2. Much better traction then tires and chains making it easier to pull things and plow
3. Higher clearance

Cons:
1. Make sure you have a place to store them in a heated shop to thaw out as everything on the machine gets packed in snow (including snow in the air box)
2. When you get stuck it is a PIA

The Pro’s out weigh the cons!

Walternator

Storage is not an issue really, but on the thawing out part, does it need to thaw out after each use or is a Monday/Tuesday sufficient after a weekend long trip? And does it get all packed in with any amount of snow or only when you are going off trail through deep snow. Are they reliable?

These are awesome stories. I love hearing about all the good times and life long memories people make while ice fishing. Thanks so much to everyone who has responded to this thread. Awesome awesome stuff!

I tried dozens of times and couldn’t get it to stay. However my buddy had his plastic welded and it has been solid for the last 2 seasons. If you call around to some body shops in your area you will probably be able to find someone who does plastic welding. Body shops, custom car shops, or custom car audio shops.

finman wrote:

Don’t worry a-holes, I picked up your trash today out of Maiden Rock….. Your best move was to let an A&W can freeze into your hole, it was a nice touch. The turds didn’t even eat all the fries in the box either!

Oh- and I didn’t catch anything of note either…

Garbage people, literally. Winnie and Mille lacs this weekend both. Majority beer cans.

That’s very helpful, and what ice is right. I have never been lake trout fishing up there and would love to try it.

My first trip to LOW when I was 19 I kept my limit. My first trip to Red I kept 4. I have had plenty of opportunities to max out on other bodies of water and at times have kept 3, but generally speaking if I am keeping it is 1-2 fish. I think a fair limit is 3 fish. I would be ok with more if trophies we’re not allowed to be kept, I know I’ll catch flack for that but if you can keep 4-5 fish and none over say even 23” I think that would work. My own preference is 15-18 for eating, unless it’s bleeding bad then discretion comes into play

They are regularly preaching doom for the dead sea. Like everything in nature we see highs and lows. 2012-2015 were certainly lows, this year I don’t see it as a low, they just are plenty full with what the lake provides, the majority of the catches seem to be on deadstick/minnow which leads me to believe they aren’t very eager to chase artificial action. The weather certainly hasn’t been in our favor either. Lots of high clear skies and I don’t know about you guys but I wont fish beyond 30’, and even that makes me borderline uncomfortable.

gim wrote:

This could actually be a very good thing too. They need more food to eat in there and hopefully the quantity of new perch is helping that.

They do seem more plump

mojo wrote:

As I mentioned in another thread, I received my brand new Pursuit HD on Monday from Scheel’s, and immediately out of the box, I got the “No Signal” message which indicates either my camera or cable is bad right from the factory.
I sent an email to MarCum Customer Support on Monday, though it was after hours when I opened it up, so I got an automated reply stating that I should expect a reply within 24 hours. So I called about 1 1/2 hours prior to them closing on Tuesday when I hadn’t yet received a reply. Got the automated answering service telling me to leave a message, so I did. No reply on Wednesday to either the email or voicemail, so I called again after lunch, had to leave another message. Still no reply today (Thursday) to any of the communications, so I sent another email, and left a voice mail also.
I’ve had good responses from their tech people in the past when asking general questions, so I believe they are intentionally avoiding the issue. I understand it’s a holiday week, so I’m cutting them a bit of slack, but 3 days is too long.
What have others experienced with MarCum Customer Service?
I hate to make it Scheel’s problem because it’s not something they had a part in. MarCum needs to make this right and very soon. Brand new units leaving the factory in non-working condition is shameful, leaving customers without service is BS.

Return it and buy an Aqua Vu, seriously.

Barbless and panfish limits. Trophies get released. Artificial mounts look better and last longer.
IMO

Joe Dirty wrote:

Wondering what you guys have for the ice that you are really glad you bought. I’m not talking shelter, auger, heater, flasher, or all the other main stuff but wondering about something random or fun that has really “made your day.”

Lithium power pack, and lite flite, changed my entire experience.

Edit for auger, my bad.

ajw wrote:

You already have way more laws and regulations than nearly any other state ive recreated in. Why do people continually think more laws is the answer. I’d start with enforcing the ones you have on the books better.

I agree, except for the barbless issue. I think that would be beneficial. Unfortunately some people won’t quite get it until they experience a punishment for poor behavior. I forget who above said it, but respect for the resources and others seems to be the primary issue.

Buzz wrote:

Hmmm, barbless hooks keep being brought up but will they work any better then circle hooks. Will there be fewer gullet hooked fish? And unless anglers have knowledge and the will to safely know how to get a deep hook out – will barbless do much. I’ve never used barbless except on stream trout? Have those supporting this actually used them while someone else in the same boat, same bait was using barbed hooks? Seems to me(and I haven’t tried it, I’ll still need to use my deep hooked methods? Prove me wrong LOL

Makes a big difference. Especially if you have ever been hooked, you know this to be absolutely true. The hook slides out when barbless, when fish get hooked deep/gills it’s much easier to remove. Biggest downfall is catching is harder and you need bait buttons to keep live bait on your hook.

Thanks for the replies fellas. I believe personal responsibility is the biggest factor in what I view as a problem. Respect for the resources should be the absolute most important part of the outdoors, IMO. Some of the stuff we see out there blows my mind. I think going barbless would make a difference, and would probably save the DNR money in the long run as fish survival after release would increase. I do think limits should be re-evaluated and now with how far artificial mounts have come, nobody should be taking trophies from the water. Artificial’s look better and last longer… I know things change with time but in 30 years of fishing, and fishing a lot, I’ve never encountered a game warden in Mn and I live here. But I have had encounters everywhere else except SD. Wi, Canada, Nd, Ak, and Ca. If our DNR is in such bad shape financially isn’t there something we can do to get the morons in St. Paul to help? Or even us as outdoorsman? Does the DNR allow volunteer work to help?