12-16-2009, 02:06 AM
Went out planning to go goose hunting today. Figured I'd bring my ice fishing stuff w/ me just in case we got board.
Was out there before first light and saw pretty much nothing. Spooked some mergansers which my buddy shot at but we got nothing. After that all the birds were flying w/ the clouds. After about an hour we decided to join another guy on the ice and try our hand at the fishing. Initially I was nervous since there were areas that looked like water on top out there. We finally got the nerve up to look at them and found they were clear ice about 10 inches thick! only way you could tell was looking at how far down the cracks were visible. After about 45 minutes at that area and only 1 12 inch rainbow to show for it we moved to another. We quickly got some hits but didn't land much initially. However the second hole I drilled was virtually spurting water up out of it w/ a water dome up to almost 4 inches high coming out. I set up a line there while I drilled some others a little ways away where the water knew to stay under the ice! I then went back and grabbed my rod and I had a fish on! I reeled it in and then went to my new holes. In the mean time my buddy has lost about 3 mealies to fish that won't stay on. I land 2 more bow's and a whitefish all 12-14" range over the next hour. my buddy keeps losing bait but enjoying it[angelic].
We then decided to move to one last spot more out from shore. We set up and both of us soon have light hits but lose them. I then land a small 8" 'bow which was promptly returned. I had 3/4 of a mealy left so I put it back down knowing I had to leave in 10 minutes. I was jigging my other rod about 12 ft away and watching the first one sitting on my seat next to my buddy thinking I better tell him time to wrap it up when he tells me I'm getting a hit. I look up in time to see the rod starting to get pulled off the seat! He grabs the rod and the fish starts pulling! It's peeling line like nothing so I tighten the drag and it keeps going so I tighten it more! It's still going though and I don't dare put any more drag on for fear of losing this thing! We get it up to the hole after a couple minutes and it's sideways and all we can see in the 6 inch hole is it's head!!! It then takes off peeling line. My buddy says he wants no part in losing the fish on my rod so he hands it to me. Also not wanting to lose this fish I loosen the drag slightly in order to just play him until it's ready. Finally after about a 5 minute time I get the head in the hole. My buddy is able to reach down and grab the fish and pull it in. Just then I see my other rod start bouncing and head for the hole! I go diving for it catching the last 4 inches of the handle before they go below the water! I can feel a big fish on the end of this one and start fighting it! Then I horsed it and snapped the line! I grab the line on the ice real quick and can feel the fish still fighting so start to try gently bringing it in. Then my buddy says your on the fish you just landed! Sure enough, on one of the runs it had hit the spoon I had on the second rod! It had taken the pink paddle bug on the first one and the crocodile spoon on the second rod. Both were imbedded next to each other in it's jaw!!!
In the end the fish measured 24" long, weighed 6lb 15oz, and had a girth just forward of the dorsal fin of 15 inches (after being dressed out)! Truly a great fish. Decided that that was a good note to end the morning on and went home.
[signature]
Was out there before first light and saw pretty much nothing. Spooked some mergansers which my buddy shot at but we got nothing. After that all the birds were flying w/ the clouds. After about an hour we decided to join another guy on the ice and try our hand at the fishing. Initially I was nervous since there were areas that looked like water on top out there. We finally got the nerve up to look at them and found they were clear ice about 10 inches thick! only way you could tell was looking at how far down the cracks were visible. After about 45 minutes at that area and only 1 12 inch rainbow to show for it we moved to another. We quickly got some hits but didn't land much initially. However the second hole I drilled was virtually spurting water up out of it w/ a water dome up to almost 4 inches high coming out. I set up a line there while I drilled some others a little ways away where the water knew to stay under the ice! I then went back and grabbed my rod and I had a fish on! I reeled it in and then went to my new holes. In the mean time my buddy has lost about 3 mealies to fish that won't stay on. I land 2 more bow's and a whitefish all 12-14" range over the next hour. my buddy keeps losing bait but enjoying it[angelic].
We then decided to move to one last spot more out from shore. We set up and both of us soon have light hits but lose them. I then land a small 8" 'bow which was promptly returned. I had 3/4 of a mealy left so I put it back down knowing I had to leave in 10 minutes. I was jigging my other rod about 12 ft away and watching the first one sitting on my seat next to my buddy thinking I better tell him time to wrap it up when he tells me I'm getting a hit. I look up in time to see the rod starting to get pulled off the seat! He grabs the rod and the fish starts pulling! It's peeling line like nothing so I tighten the drag and it keeps going so I tighten it more! It's still going though and I don't dare put any more drag on for fear of losing this thing! We get it up to the hole after a couple minutes and it's sideways and all we can see in the 6 inch hole is it's head!!! It then takes off peeling line. My buddy says he wants no part in losing the fish on my rod so he hands it to me. Also not wanting to lose this fish I loosen the drag slightly in order to just play him until it's ready. Finally after about a 5 minute time I get the head in the hole. My buddy is able to reach down and grab the fish and pull it in. Just then I see my other rod start bouncing and head for the hole! I go diving for it catching the last 4 inches of the handle before they go below the water! I can feel a big fish on the end of this one and start fighting it! Then I horsed it and snapped the line! I grab the line on the ice real quick and can feel the fish still fighting so start to try gently bringing it in. Then my buddy says your on the fish you just landed! Sure enough, on one of the runs it had hit the spoon I had on the second rod! It had taken the pink paddle bug on the first one and the crocodile spoon on the second rod. Both were imbedded next to each other in it's jaw!!!
In the end the fish measured 24" long, weighed 6lb 15oz, and had a girth just forward of the dorsal fin of 15 inches (after being dressed out)! Truly a great fish. Decided that that was a good note to end the morning on and went home.
[signature]
![[Image: scaredworried.gif]](http://www.bigfishtackle.com/images/gforum/scaredworried.gif)
]