Headed to Bowstring Lake and Lake Winnie this weekend for a bachelor party. Should be a fun time chasing panfish during the day and walleyes at dusk/night. Renting a cabin that sleeps 30 with 20+ expected to go. Being a groomsman and having to plan this has been a nightmare when no one else has offered to help with meals, etc. Hoping to get some fish for a fish fry or we may be going hungry one night.
Funny, yesterday while we were killing time in a sporting goods store before a medical appt, the wife was says that she wants to start ice fishing when we retire. Asked her what her budget was. She hemmed and hawed. Told her, take what we have invested in salmon gear and add $1000-1500 as a starting point. It's an addiction...
Kinda cool been welcolmed in to Friday night fishing with the neighbor couple doors down, sit in the house and jig, get to know locals.
Finally caved and got myself a pair of insulated water proof ice fishing bibs. 40% off couldn’t pass it up. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last year was the first time my wife went ice fishing and she loved it. It was a lot of fun for me to take her and see how excited she would get with every fish. We should get cold enough this next few days to make enough ice to get out again pretty soon. She is looking forward to it. She has a heated vest and heated insoles for her boots and we run heat in our pop-ups with rubber mats on the ice and set up a full bar with snacks. All of that seems to make her experience very enjoyable! lol Funny how the budget doesn't really seem to matter when the wife gets involved.
I can't wait to fish some offshoots of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers this early spring. I'm going to walk/mountain bike in and just experiment trying to catch catfish.
That was part of what I was telling my wife. A 2 person clam shell wasn't gonna cut it when we want to bring grand kids. Need more room so there can be heat and yet keep the kids away from the heater. Been kicking around the idea of making an ice house on an old running gear to be used locally.
Kinda different, because the kids are younger we have a 2 person eskimo portable. 3 year old comes out for a little while then wants to go in. I am thinking about building a skid house. Thing is the wife says it has to match the house with colors and siding since it will be sitting in the yard. (in an area below the retaining wall in the side yard we never use) This will increase the cost, but it's for the grandkids..... That's my story and I am sticking to it.
Big ice fishing tournament in Brainerd MN a 13 year old won the grand prize a 2023 pick up with a 9.45 pound walleye.
What a weekend. Got enough fish for a Saturday fish fry for 15 guys. It was extremely tough conditions basically all weekend. Complete Whiteout Friday followed by temps around -20 on Saturday. The amount of slush under the snow is pretty incredible. Travel would not have been possible without the tracked SxS and snowmobiles. On the way out Friday morning my rod bag and tackle box bounced out of the back after hitting an ice heave. Took us 2+ hours but we found it in the whiteout! Didn’t set up a house once. Drilled a ton of holes over 25-30 foot basins for crappies and 18 foot humps for evening walleyes. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I walked in the garage this afternoon and the smell hit me, the aerator on the minnow bucket is dead, so are the minnows, smells like hell. I can't dump the minnows in the woods the dogs will find them, my own dang fault.
Drill a hole in the ice and dump them in the lake. There’s lots of little bugs and things in there that would love the free meal.
