How about something from a little further west? Fort Peck froze over completely last weekend…

Bloody nose is probably my favorite. I’ve got quite a few of them.

When the car is too cold to start, you’re better off staying inside!

I gotta say, I’ve referenced that chart in the past and it seems to be fairly accurate!

Most of the small ponds were iced up today and stayed iced up even though we hit 50. I’m guessing there will be very fishable ice by the weekend before thanksgiving!

Awesome, pretty much what I was figuring. Thanks alot guys and merry christmas!

I watched a friend’s gear go sailing across the lake last year when a ~70 mph gust slammed us out of nowhere. Figures he lost around $200 worth of jigs. I’ve never seen a power auger sliding across the ice until that day.

I use regular 6 pound mono on my walleye tip ups and catch quite a few pike. It might be all about the hookset, but I rarely have break offs. I just give a steady pull as my hookset and let ’em have line if they want it.

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Sorry, always have to throw my 2 cents in on this one. Very clear that most anglers when fishing minnows on a spoon…usually with a treble hook use the head of the minnow. I prefer to use the tail…based on same experience I have had for many years. I usually break the minnow in half with my thumbnail and put the head portion on one hook and tail portion on the other. When I get a fish to hit the spoon and I miss them….99% of the time it is the tail portion of the minnow that is missing….So if I decide to put on one half of the minnow on the spoon it is always the tail….for whatever that is worth…Good luck and be safe..

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That’s because the tail is easier to pull off of the hook

Last year it was gold/green slender spoon until it got real dark, then super-glo perch buckshot. I have also had a ton of luck on the shiver minnows from Moonshine lures. You will not find a better glow lure out there!

Slender spoons have definitely been a walleye killer for me this winter. They seem to get really fired up about a slender spoon ripped off the bottom!

I have had problems with plastic parts on my 6 year old Mag 2000.

Why do the manufacturers use plastic parts on equipment like ice augers? I would rather pay more for quality parts!

To the OP:

I have done a lot of walleye fishing in 2-3 fow with the vx-1 that I had (upgraded to a 5) and always used the zoom. It does show you “a closer view” and I found the zoom to be critical in this shallow of water. After using both the VX-1 and the FL-8 in shallow water I cannot believe that the FL-8 sells. It is only possible to the sensitivity down so far on this unit, and it is not enough for shallow water applications. The other fun part about fishing this shallow was if you mark a fish, hold on cuz it’s going to hit! I almost always use zoom when fishing, no matter the depth or species of fish I am fishing for. I think you would be happy with the vx-1; I think the LX-3 is the best value on the market; but a person that takes their icefishing very seriously will only be happy with an LX-5 or now the 7.

Good luck with your choice!

I had a VX-1 for 4 years until last year when I upgraded to the LX-5. I sold the VX-1 to a friend. It was an awesome unit, and unless you really are going to use all the features of the LX-5 then the VX-1 is probably for you! That being said, I love my 5, the target separation is noticeable, and the features are great if you know how to use them; but for most of the people out there ice fishing the VX-1 is probably more than enough!

I like all sizes really, but I find myself using the smallest and largest most often for perch and walleye. I catch a lot of fish on the front hooks so I don’t recommend cutting any hooks off. I also do not tip mine with any fish parts, I fish ’em naked.

I think I might take a break from hunting this weekend to check the ice on a local lake; 6500 ft. and it’s been cold

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I think we’ve all found similar ways to make it through the classes that bored us to tears.

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I usually just scratched the itch. 4 lab classes a week seriously cut into my ice time and sometimes you just gotta say “Screw it I’m going fishing!” I may not have gotten all A’s, but C’s get degrees!

By the way Jake, good luck this weekend!

2 weeks left in MI. Get some!

I’ve caught my biggest pike on very steep drop offs. That’s probably the area I would target.

Next year!!!??? It’s still only February! Lots of ice time left!

I like 28″ rods for shanty fishing. It gives me room to put my buddy heater on the other side of my hole with no problems. I’m rockin’ a scout by the way.

Have you tried big minnows on tip ups like you would for walleye? Also have you been out there right at dawn? I know in some places the big ones bite for the first hour or so of light and then shut down the rest of the day.

The mouths of small feeder creeks (or big rivers; doesn’t really matter probably) have been good to me in winter for shallow water walleyes. It’s amazing how many nice fish you can catch in 1 to 2 feet of water. The big key for any shallow water walleye bite I have seen is water clarity. If you can’t see the bottom of your hole you might be onto something.

Acetone should work on it. That’s always what we used to get permanent marker off in the chem lab

I have taken all the split rings off my spoons and use a cross lock as well. I switch baits very often if I’m not getting bites so it’s also nice to not have to retie every time I switch.

In Northern Michigan smelt fishing is kind of a big deal through the ice. We use hali jigs tipped with a spike. Use the lightest rod you can find and watch for the tip to wiggle. There is no real hookset, just lift and reel as fast as you can. Most people fish smelt after dark because they become more active at night; underwater lights really help to draw numbers of ’em in.

Ok guys, so what I’m talking about is when you snap the jig up it tends to spin wildly on the upstroke. I love the flutter action when it falls, but the spin on the upstroke really bothers me. It seems like this is a jig that just needs a slow lift to get good action out of it.

I’m fishing for walleyes by the way.

James,

I have been told that the best time for the big girls is late Feb. and March when they start moving up into the bay in big numbers, but I only get up there a few times per winter so I’m probably not the best guy to ask. I would recommend putting in a call to Ken and Kevin Lee at Sall-Mar, they know their stuff.

We didn’t have transportation, so we had to walk to all of our spots. Another week or so and the north end of the bay will be drivable.

Go State!