TheFamousGrouse wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>hamms wrote:</div>…..The maintainance on stoves and lanterns is easy. I’ve got a lantern that hasn’t had anything done to it ever and it’s over 30 years old. I keep a spare generator for each and a spare pump leather. Keep the pump oiled lightly and that’s it….

Grouse

“pump leather”…It’s been at least 15 years since the pump “leather” has been replaced with a rubber cup. That cup shrinks in the cold. Sooooo..to me,if I find an unworking Coleman stove for cheap,I buy it just for the leather. I have one shelf in the basement devoted to – I dunno,seven? – lanterns and 3 stoves.

Several years ago I was driving down a street near my house when I saw a well built plywood box laying on top of a garbage can. Something just said “look!”. It was a custom built lantern box with a almost brand new condition lantern. That lantern might have been 50 years old,especially judging from the lantern style,and the small bags of new mantles included.

Seriously. It was like it had been used a couple times,then stored in a dry place for most of a man’s life. When he died,no-one wanted it.

The rest of the stuff on the curb gave me that impression.

Btw,I’ve used it once just to make sure there was nothing wrong with it.

I like a heavy or MH for jiggin’ Raps. MH is fine for 5’s but I still prefer a stiffer stick.. Long rods are for nicer days when I can hole hop. Shorter sticks for inside the flip-top.

Mediums absorb more of the jigging action making short,hard “darts” difficult…or at least difficult to keep up for long…for me anyway.

If fish are hitting 5’s I stick with them. I get a better hooking percentage with them.

Wish I’d been paying attention and known about the GTG. I was up there Thurs thru Sat. Did a morning trip Friday to Cave Point…Did’ja all go out from Stone Quarry? I stopped there on the way up to where I usually fish and saw it was a zoo Sat am early.

WV,was that a pic of YOU?

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Hmm…Three days at the river,did OK at best. Trusted the report from New Albin and didn’t venture over there until I was leaving. I’d watched ice leave from a couple other areas so figured the launch area at new Albin would maybe even be open.

Commercial netters had quads parked right next to each other just out from the open water across from the creek. I pulled out the hand auger and it took 27 cranks to get thru the ice. The blades tossed chips,not snow-cone material….That,where there was “open water” just last week. It WAS cold yesterday…

Didn’t have time to fish considering the snow. I shouldn’t have bothered checking but I was curious. Then I was ticked.

I caught some fish this weekend but – don’t worry – I didn’t harvest a single precious fish from P9.

I’ve said for years that the only ice report someone can trust is the sound of his own spud bar hitting the ice. I should listen to my own advice.

Yes,I was safe all weekend. In the future,however,I won’t bother asking current conditions from “locals”. I’ll find out on my own.

I’ve done that,but with the shaft upright with the collar snugged down and – of course – the prop out of the water and not running.

Thanks Duke….

Called a friend yesterday who happened to be at Stoddard. He “was just gonna call” me… Things had apparently slowed down a bit.

Called another friend who’s kid had reserved the last available room at Water’s edge.

I’ll be somewhere between DeSoto and Goose Island,most likely WI side of the river,this afternoon thru Monday. I’ll be at Stoddard at least some of the time but I’m no fan of crowds… If the ice is OK where-ever I’m at,I’ll be using a Honda 110 atc. if not,it’ll be in the truck,I’ll be on foot.

Just finished my kringle,time to leave.

Thanks,guys.

I was gonna skip the trip thinking if New Albin’s bad,and I’m not hearing much on the perch at Stoddard,and the buddy of mine at DeSoto must not have paid his phone bill (ahem…Jim? lol) so I ain’t gettin’ any firsthand reports…

Then again,it looks like it’s gonna be a bit chilly to be biating,maybe even some sloppy roads.

Friday thru Monday? P8 and P9 instead of heading down to Bagley.

BTW,not a big fan of cleaning panfish so mainly C&R. I’ll keep a few but not a coolerfull.

I’ll still bring the trike but prepared to leave it locked in the truckbed.

I did not need to watch that video. I was happy extending my icefishing season into the beginning of “spring” until I did.

I watched it (gread vid,BTW) and immediately went to my basement and broke out the ringworms and twisters,paddletails and hairjigs and “main” jig box. Brought in the crankbaits and bait rigging boxes out of the boat from fall. Tossed in a heavier rod and headed to Milwaukee to make sure everything worked well,boat started decent and caught a bonus few brown trout…

Put away the tip-ups and fixed a couple little things in the boat today…

I’ll be on the river sooner than if I hadn’t watched.

Thanks.

I have the 7 in back (tiller) and the 5 in the bow. I’m in the bow primarily for vertical jigging and I can zoom the GPS map in close enough to see where I’m at,and I’m not movinv fast enough to need it zoomed out to see where I’m going.

Bigger screen at back because I’m navigating from there. I don’t want to “decipher” anything that may be too hard to easily see,I want to know,now….I troll from there,I run at WOT in some hairy areas. I’m considering buying a used 7 to add to the one already there – one for GPS/lakemaster,the other one for sonar.

Several years ago a friend and I were fishing the same general area several times per week. It didn’t matter too much because there were only a handfull of guys fishing that lake,there is no motor vehicles allowed,there was only one access and that was a mile away from where we were fishing. Nobody wanted to walk that mile thru deep snow.

Then one day on another internet fishing site someone asked about walleyes at that lake. One of the lake’s “regulars” (a pike guy fishing near the access) said he didn’t know,but there’s two guys fishing by the XXXX several times each week,all winter. They must be doing something.

That weekend saw the area swiss-cheesed. Luckily,the fish were much deeper than anyone had guessed. They all fished tip-ups in weeds,we fished structure deeper than many even guessed walleyes related to.

I didn’t head there until the following Tuesday….I stay away from “vaulable” spots on weekends anyway,but I did see the “helpfull” post…That Tuesday I nearly didn’t have enough room to sled-out all the litter.

Someone else has fished that area (besides myself) exactly twice this winter,and never hit it at all last winter,so there’s hope.

One thing I’d like to say to any internet fishing “reporter”: If you didn’t catch it,it ain’t your “report” to make. I see too many times someone reports what “a guy I met on the ice” caught….If he wanted it reported on the worldwide web,he would’a done it hisself.

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… I see people who shoot stray cats worse than those who leave their dog crap. Behind every stray cat or outdoor cat is an irresponsible idiot of an owner….

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There also might be an irresponsible idiot of an owner’s child,who’s pet you just killed…Or wounded,if you’re not a very good shot. My now-50 year old wife still gets teary-eyed remembering her pet cat who crawled home to die in her arms when she was 8 years old.

I bring cats to the humane society. I’m not very happy doing it,but my wife’s cats get all excited when some stray is outside taunting them…I see the pawprints in the snow – it IS taunting them. They respond to this by pissing on “things” that spend a lot of time outdoors. My “things” – coats,bibs,boots,etc.

But to coldly kill what is potentially some child’s pet simply because that child’s parents are irresponsible? Maybe I’m getting soft in my old age,but I could never risk doing that.

All good rants.

Another one is the guy/gal with “don’t pass-me-itis”….I’ve been approaching their vehicle at a good clip,only to have them match my speed as I try to pass…When it’s a woman,I assume she’s just trying to check me out. When it’s a guy,I assume he’s checking out my icefishing stuff in the bed of my truck,or the boat,snowmobile,or ATC that I’m towing.

But when I look over to give a WTF look,they’re staring straight ahead….Goose the pedal to pass,and guess what? They accelerate too.

Gotta admit,though. That doesn’t happen nearly as often as the folks who just can’t be behind a truck…I also drive a commercial motor vehicle – often with a loaded equipment trailer behind…Wanna speed past me just to hit the brakes?…especially approaching a stoplight? I had plenty of room between vehicles. The first car screwed me,the second created a downright hairy situation.

Of course I can stop 35,000lbs on a dime.

Thanks,James. That show was just what I needed to prod me into a trolling motor repair I’d been putting off since the boat was last wet around Christmas.

In fact,I watched half the show,paused it,then went out and removed the defective plug. It’s now in my truck. I’ll replace it tomorrow.

I couldn’t relate. I think the only people who could are those who believe PETA’s mantra of “A pig is a rat is a dog is a boy”,meaning all life has equal value.

Even though I’m royally pissed at my stepson,and his “creer goals” for when he’s an adult is to become a marijuana salesman (with a possible pharma sideline),I still think he has more value (or potential value) than the pig,the rat,or the dog.

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I’m with you, like the way I do it today too, but if I start seeing them pulling some in, it might be tempted….wasn’t much got caught with any tactic the day I was up, so I’m not convinced.

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Watch those guys a little closer. Some of them old geezers can slip a walleye over the gunnels and into the livewell in a way that’d make Houdini jealous.

If they let it be obvious where the sweet spots are in the channel,some yahoo will certainly anchor above it and try soaking minnows…dragging his anchor thru the spot a couple times before he gives up,but not before screwing it up for everyone else.

Some tournies don’t handlining it so they’ll grudgingly use as close of a system as possible with a rod. Handlining keeps the bait in the fish zone far better,without losing as many baits as I’ve done trying to come close to what they’re doing using a rod/reel.

I don’t hit the big river often enough to invest the time and money into a good handlining reel and other stuff…But if I hit the lottery before things get better at home,I won’t be moving to Cancun,I’ll buy a trailer in Ferryville.

dialectric grease.

I like deep water jigging. I look for humps and ridges coming out of deep water but not too shallow. Topping out at 25′ to 40′ fow is great.

Flat spots in declining ridges are sometimes great too.

But other guys like tip-ups…Weededges. Points,inside turns… I jig those too sometimes but I really prefer deep jigging….Tip-ups don’t work as well in deep water. I’ll lug’em along (and a bucket of minnows) but seldom use them.

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I am not sure about the rest of you guys, but I would beat up a stripper for a buck!

Just kidding, I would never hit a woman…… with her girlie parts exposed.

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I might not “beat her up”,but I might wrassle a stripper for $1. Heck,I might even let her beat ME up.

(My wife doesn’t look at this website,even if I leave the page up….but in case I’m wrong…just kidding,honey. You’re the only woman I’d ever wrassle)

I also appreciate all the replies here. I posted a similar thread on another website but don’t need a crew cab. I’d LIKE an extended cap for a lockable place to put chainsaws,vexilars,or to sleep at a boat launch.

I know a guy who’s had a used car lot/service center for lots of years. Kind of a friend but I wouldn’t buy from him – there’s been several ‘barters’ in the past where neither of us came out ahead.

One thing he did say – and since there were customers in the store,he whispered – was to stay away from the Hemi. He sees more problems with them than there should be.

I remember reading somewhere that an estimated 20 loons die every year in WI due to ingested lead fishing tackle. I remember the article saying the estimate was not as precise as they’d like because loons sink when dead. They hadn’t actually recovered any lead poisoned,dead loons.

In other words,they guessed,then wrote an emotional plea to ban lead tackle because of a ficticious pile of dead loons.

Our problem is the constant barrage of articles like that makes a couple converts here,a couple there. Another BS article converts a few more,then another piece somewhere else…

Repeat a lie (or exaggeration) often enough and it doesn’t matter if it’s true. Public opinion has been changed.

I have occasionally gotten lazy and made the 10 or 15 mile trip home from a lake without covering my snowmobile. Even if the roads have not been sloppy for days,a thin film of salt dust covers the sled. Ity’s more of a pita to clean it off than it would have been to put the cover on.

I very rarely make the 20 mile drive to the harbor with my boat in winter,in part because of the salt. if I do,it’s only when I can hose it off when I get home.

Work? We do not take the brush chipper on the road if there’s a chance of salty slop.

Cover it,clean it,avoid “bad” days,or use it with the acceptance of salt damage.

Take the cover off the breather hole and use a snake….Can you reach the trap? I access my 1st floor tub trap thru the basement ceiling,my 2nd floor one in a closet behind the toilet.

And never ever again buy Drain-o. It just makes dealing with the problem more difficult once the Draino fails.

When I was a kid I used to occasionally find myself by the river without a fishing pole when I’d go for a bike ride… I kept a short length of line and a couple hooks in my wallet. I’d root around in the shallows for some kind of bluegill bait (crawdad tail pieces?) and catch a few small ‘gills. I’d step on them,then hook and toss back out. Tie the line to my shoelace,sit back and wait. Caught mostly dogfish.

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I’m just happy this snow is hitting open water here.

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X2….I’ve had whitetails on the brain this fall so my boat needs a wash. And Stabil run thru,and a top-off of fuel. I bet the walleye’ll be biting….I’ll get a couple more chores done and I’ll be headed to the lake with the Lund in tow. I just hope I can get it back home before the roads start getting sloppy.

I invited the wife to go along but she says the laundry needs doing. She does laundry EVERY night,I don’t understand why she wouldn’t skip a night to go on the boat one last time this season.

Waukesha county. SE WI.

I have Pro V 1775 tiller and it’s tight when there’s more than one other person aboard. However,when slow trolling with my bowmount/ipilot,it is a joy to be a ble to walk around stretch out,etc. I can still “lose” my remote,or my coffee cup…sunglasses

This fall I bought a 12′ jonboat for accessing a “water access only” public hunting spot. Put a 6hp Mariner on it,and with a hydrofoil it gets up on plane like right now – even with a tote full of clothes,a tree stand and my bow. And me….I feel like a kid skateboarding down a big hill when I’m running that skinny little river up to the hunting area. It’s fun.

Gas always drops when it’s not my “road trip” season(s)….Well,how’s the walleyes been biting on P9?

Has it ever been registered to you or someone you like?…Is it on a trailer?

Back in my drinkin’ days I got rid of an old Larson in a way I would not approve of now that I’m (finally) all growed up… Parking lot: one end of a rope tied to the stern,the other end to the base of a lamppost,it came off in a parking space just as easy as can be.

(beware of giving a boat/trailer away free to someone who’ll junk the boat to keep the trailer)

My point – kind’a made sideways – is that they become like potato chips. You can’t have just one.

They really don’t cost that much. I like the ice blues rods for panfish,and I add a spring. I break them,I have extras. I also like “better” rods such as the St. Croix. I also kind’a like adding a new rod or 3 (or more ) every year.

For walleyes,same thing. You can sort of tell quality just looking/feeling it. Sometimes a rod doesn’t quite fit the purpose you bought it for…Jigging raps,deeper water?..deadsticking a minnow in 40’… Slender spoon shallow water or slender spon,deeper – two diffeent rods…Inside the shanty? Outside?

So buy that one rod for each purpose and use it as much as ou can. Then after 5 or 10 times out,take another look at the rod rack. You now have a better idea what YOU like.

No harm in owning a small collection of rods.

Um…One rod for panfish and one rod for “bass/pike”?…ONE??!! That’s like having one beer – and not even fisnishing that.

I just went downstairs to look in the rafters. 18 panfish rods of varying lengths and stiffness,11 of those have a good reel and fresh line. Six panfish rods set up for tip-downs. 14 rods for walleyes – the same as you’d use for “bass/pike”,and 9 of those sport a quality reel. Another 15 that are a mix of spares of rods I like and may not find again if I break the one in the “active” category,or rods that I probably won’t use but are too good to throw away.

Rods in the “active’ category that do not currently have a reel “share” a reel with an open water rod. Some of those are Diawa Excellers – the spare spool holding ice line.

One rod? How can you walk out on the ice with one rod? What if the fish are deeper/shallower than you anticipated and you’re not happy with the rod’s action or the line on the reel? What if you slip,fall,and break the rod? What if,what if?…

Lotta good recommendations.

There was a time I dropped at least $50 every year solely on new ice fishing baits. I should now photo and sepertately insure my icefishing lure collection.

I bring a small portion of it on the ice with me.

I know one guy who uses nothing but Jigging Raps for walleyes and Flirty Girtys for bluegills and crappies. He’s one of the better icefishermen I know.

I have over 100 jigging raps but I’m down to two #5s with the orange back. If I see any this late fall,I’ll pick up a few.