Thread: Ice Fishing!

First Ice is the most exciting fishing one can have. Yesterday was the earliest I have ever been out. Yes, it is an adventurists kind of thing. Did not see a thing but sure was fun to get back out on the hard water!

Went back to check ice progress and a 2nd try at fish. Ice was 1/2-3/4" thicker due to the 23deg temps and still no fish. That lake is definately off my list.

Huffman lake was a wild one for pike tonight. Caught 3, lost 1 and couldn't hook up on the tipup. Anyways, first time with the underwater camera and got a fishing lesson on this lake. My fault on using too small of a treble hook and hooked the biggest pike on the night but not enough hook to bring it in. It was a big one. Next time I know better. What a blast!

First pike this season, 21"


Second pike about 5 minutes later, 22 1/2"

I haven't been ice fishing in ages and personally I would be a little leery about only 3 inches of ice.

I especially loved fishing in a shanty because when you looked down it was like watching the fish on a TV screen.

Originally Posted by krystian

I haven't been ice fishing in ages and personally I would be a little leery about only 3 inches of ice.

I especially loved fishing in a shanty because when you looked down it was like watching the fish on a TV screen.

This time it was 4" if that makes any difference

My brother and I as youngsters would grab a spud and see how thin we could walk on...but never over our heads. Just last week he wanted to fish the lake across from his meat market so he grabbed his spud and went 100yds off shore...on 1" of glass clear ice. He said he found the breakline dropoff to 19'. Yup, he could actually look down and see it drop from 7ft to 19'. He is crazy.

Shanty's are a blast, that's the ice fishing my dad always did. It was my senior year 1975 when I drilled a hole in 3ft of water and caught my first pike outside of a shanty. I don't know which of us was more hooked. Last night I was just hauling them in. The guys that came of the lake didn't have a bite.

Biggest perch I've ever caught 11"+, a real surpriser



And this is how an underwater camera can help answer questions as to why the perch biting just shuts off for a half hour:

Returned to the lake ice after the blizzard and found perfect ice and just a dusting of snow on it. So I dropped the camera down and almost hit a largemouth bass. What a lively place to fish. So I got set up for the evening feeding frenzy and immediately got into some action. Caught 4 pike, lost a nice one, caught another big perch and finished up with is healthy pike:

I've never tried Pike - Are they tasty?

Originally Posted by Romans828

I've never tried Pike - Are they tasty?

Yes, best eating fish on the lakes I have been told. Though I take issue that anything could be better than walleye or whitefish. Pike have an extra row of bones that must be removed during fileting. I may try one this winter.