Anyone up for ice fishing???

[WHGuy413 2,772]

Today was a guys trip to one of our local lakes. We caught a few pickerel, perch and one nice bass. Nothing crazy. It was a decent day of fishing with a good bite. Some times the food is better than the fishing though. 
 

anyone else ice fish?

[Achto 29,385]

Looks like a fun day!  

[WHGuy413 2,772]

43 minutes ago, Achto said:

Looks like a fun day!  

We had fun. It was most of my crew’s first trip out of the season. Dad and I previously snuck out before New Years. It was nice having everyone out together fishing. Lots of laughs like always.

[WHX?? 51,720]

Dan and I love to ice fish.

We haven't had any safe ice so far to speak of but need to get my gear out tommorow  for next weekend's annual fisheree. 

Was down to Puckaway today @Achto and they are finally four wheeling out. Not many shacks out but alot of guys with wheelers going by the house today. With  the cold we are supposed to get guessing driving out soon so start thinkin about a date for our annual & light a fire under farmer's rear. Am kinda jonesin myself. 

 I know @stevasaurus has been known to hit the hard water. 

 

Have to get some pics up from years past WHGuy. 

[Achto 29,385]

17 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

Dan and I love to ice fish.

 

A little ice fishing tip - If you find yourself having to chase after a lot of tip ups, stop putting bait on the line. This will allow you to have more time to sit in a warm shack with a cold drink in your hand.   

[WHX?? 51,720]

7 minutes ago, Achto said:

 This will allow you to have more time to sit in a warm shack with a cold drink in your hand.   

Lol I might have known... here I was angling, pun intended, for ideas for other lakes we might take a whack at! 

[ohiofarmer 3,372]

We used to go quite a bit. We made super lightweight shanties and the ends folded down towards each other. Just propped up four braces from the inside and it stayed in the sixties inside on a sunny day.

  We use such light weight line that a little snag on the edge of a hole just tears the line, so the shanty is nice. Perch bluegill and crappie if we can find them

Edited January 9, 2022 by ohiofarmer

[WHGuy413 2,772]

1 hour ago, Achto said:

 

A little ice fishing tip - If you find yourself having to chase after a lot of tip ups, stop putting bait on the line. This will allow you to have more time to sit in a warm shack with a cold drink in your hand.   

Haha I love it. My guys know it all to well. Me I’m along for the fish, food and laughs.

[WHGuy413 2,772]

9 minutes ago, ohiofarmer said:

We used to go quite a bit. We made super lightweight shanties and the ends folded down towards each other. Just propped up four braces from the inside and it stayed in the sixties inside on a sunny day.

  We use such light weight line that a little snag on the edge of a hole just tears the line, so the shanty is nice. Perch bluegill and crappie if we can find them

My dad had a few home made light weight shanties we used to use. He bought himself a 2 person flip over and we fished out of that for years. Now that I’ve got kids I bought a hub shanty. It’s big enough for the 3 of them and me and it’s quick and easy to set up and take down. 

[wh500special 2,262]

3 hours ago, WHGuy413 said:

… We caught a few pickerel…
 

anyone else ice fish?

 

 

Never been on a lake (that I know of) that had pickerel.  Those look pretty big from what I gather about them.  If they’re as good to eat as Pike it looks like a good day.  
 

I love to ice fish but unfortunately where I live (south central Illinois) it’s not an opportunity we have very often.  Most winters - like right now - we have a thin layer of ice that’s too thin to walk on yet too thick to put the boat through.  
 

 Last winter we had a couple of days of 3”-4” ice with slush and water on top (pic of Dad with his Floyd Turbo hat). It was a mess.  Pretty typical.  
 

I’m kind of jealous, but glad somebody’s able to get out!

 

steve 

[WHGuy413 2,772]

34 minutes ago, wh500special said:

Never been on a lake (that I know of) that had pickerel.  Those look pretty big from what I gather about them.  If they’re as good to eat as Pike it looks like a good day.  
 

 

Pickerel are in every body of water around here. It’s the quick way to burn up a few dozen shiners. They are alright to fish for. A lot of places are loaded with very small ones. The average size is anywhere from 12-15 inch usually. This place we fished today used to have some monsters in them. The biggest I ever caught was 31 inch. It’s been years since we pulled any that big out of there. 98% of the fish we catch we release.

[WHX?? 51,720]

Good to hear from you Steve @wh500special. Pickerel is a common name but we call them northern pike, gators and a whole host of other names that escape me now. Hammer handles are called the  little ones. They can be fine table fare if cleaned right. A big one here is 40 inches plus which is intirely possible in some waters here.  In fact were we go for them 32" is the minimum but most lakes no size limit.  

Regardless of size they are fun to catch and a run for the flag.

A 36 I horsed once but slid him back down the hole .... caught alot of  crap from bros but personally gotta be 40+ before going on the @wallfish

Edited January 9, 2022 by WHX??

[Pullstart 66,660]

So…pickerel = pike?    We used to fish quite a bit growing up on the lake.  Set tip ups, run the 3 wheelers around with sleds, ice skate, watch for those flags to pop!  36” is the biggest I recall being a part of.  My brother and I were shoulder to shoulder holding it for the picture and it hung low on both of our sides!

[WHX?? 51,720]

10 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

So…pickerel = pike?  

Correct Kev also known, around here anyway, as a chain pickerell. We just call them northerns although they can be found in most of the lower 48's. 

[WHGuy413 2,772]

Pickerel are not pike. Northern pike grow to be much bigger fish. These are “chain pickerel”. 

[WHX?? 51,720]

Agreed WHGuy but it's splitting silky hairs. Only diff in species is the brood stock, size & type of lake & forage and of course fishing pressure.

You get up to the lakes in MN and even Canada now they got real monsters. Base biology all the same fish. 

[wallfish 18,072]

We used to spend a lot of time ice fishing while riding 4 wheelers and sleding. The last time I went we froze our balls off so bad that I left all my gear ( tilts, sled, ice auger, etc, everything) out on the ice and took off. Never to ice fish since and that was 20 ish years ago

[Ed Kennell 41,809]

I like to go at least once a week.      But my hands get cold fishing around in the chest freezer for the last bag of trout or perch filets I caught last summer.

[wh500special 2,262]

We do have pickerel in Illinois, but they’re mostly up by @stevasaurus They’re in the same genus as Northerns, but a different species.  
 

Apparently they share much of the aggressiveness and behaviors.  But can tolerate warmer water. 
 

We don’t have pike around here either, but they will occasionally show up in the Mississippi in the winter and somebody will catch one.  A few years ago a big one was caught by the DNR just upriver from St Louis that was larger than the state record.  I think I remember it being in the 30 pound range.  But since it was the DNR, it didn’t count of course. 
 

For about 50 years my family has been traveling north to MN for an annual fishing trip.  95% of the time we’ve targeted the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA).  We’ve caught some nice ones and have seen some huge ones.  
 

My biggest was a 44-incher that I’d guess was around 20-25 lbs.  Mom and Dad have pictures of it somewhere in a slide carousel.  This was pre-digital of course.   Best part of that catch was I caught it on a jerk bait I’d turned on the lathe from a chunk of maple.  The whole fight I was hoping the hooks wouldn’t pull out of the lure’s body.  They held, but I’ve since added a couple reinforcements. 
 

We released it.  I considered getting a replica made and maybe someday I will.  Would look good next to the 30” ten pound walleye and 12.5” bluegill. 
 

I love to catch pike.   Even a little one puts up a good fight.  But things get a bit dicey when they’re flailing around in the boat with big hooks sticking out of their toothy mouths.  
 

Not to mention the slime.  Oh the slime!

 

But man are the five pounders good eating.  Dad is great at getting a boneless bunch of chunks from them but I’m still learning how to avoid all the Y bones.  I guess if I had the opportunity to clean them more often my proficiency would improve.  
 

But they are certainly worth selectively keeping.  You’d never confuse them with walleye, bluegill, or crappie but I think they are equally as good.   But different taste and texture of course.   I would assume pickerel would be the same.  
 

this talk of fishing has improved my mood today!

 

Steve

Edited January 9, 2022 by wh500special

[Achto 29,385]

5 hours ago, wh500special said:

Not to mention the slime.  Oh the slime!

 

This is why northern are not allowed in my boat. You catch one while fishing with me, I'll hand you the mouth spreader & the forceps and you unhook it over the side. My boat ain't nottin' special but I still don't want that slime all over the place. I might make an exception if it's over 40"

Edited January 9, 2022 by Achto

[wh500special 2,262]

Generally same rule for our boats too.  They make such a mess and the smell that goes with it isn’t improved with summer heat.  
 

It’s strange that for such a tough fish they seem to be the first to perish in the live well or on a stringer.  
 

I’m making it sound like we’re just meat fishermen. Not really.  We keep some fish every year - especially panfish - but mostly just fish to be outside.  
 

My wife and I took a long road trip with the kids this summer to New England.   I couldn’t help but notice a lot of attractive inland water out that way.  Since that trip my wife has informed me that when we retire we’re moving to Maine, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts.  I’m vying for Wisconsin or Minnesota.  You’ll all have to put me on some of these lakes.  
 

But that’s 20 years away.  By then their winters might match ours now.  
 

Steve 

Edited January 10, 2022 by wh500special

[WHX?? 51,720]

2 hours ago, Achto said:

 

This is why bananas  are not allowed in my boat. You catch one while fishing with me, I'll toss you overboard...

You guys are such a bunch of sallies. ... we catch a pike we spread the slime around for fish call. Works better than pumpkin farming.... inside joke fellas ....

Seriously old timers have told me you want to catch pike squatch the shiner or chub on the ice before baiting up. They say it puts scent in the water like chumming... who am I to doubt the old timers? 

Edited January 10, 2022 by WHX??

[Achto 29,385]

16 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

This is why bananas  are not allowed in my boat.

 

A superstition that is over 300yrs old  should not be ignored. 

 

https://www.mauiyachtcharters.com/no-bananas/

[ohiofarmer 3,372]

 

[ohiofarmer 3,372]

    Now I don't even care what kind of tractor this guy drives. Would it not be fun to go help him in his shop?