Heading North.....
 

Got Friday off and I've decided to head North and hit the Ice.

Just Gotta Wet a Line...:hee:

Was up north last weekend and there was plenty of ice where I was fishing...8-10 inches.

I've had enough of waiting for the North Shore to get some so Off I Go

Good luck.....I'm jealous. Have yet to get out this year.....

Good luck kevin.. .. I'll be up there Saturday and again Tuesday, time to make my final decision on where I'm going to fish for the derby....next weekends the 3 day marathon...

Good luck Joe...weather is looking good for the next few days....cold nights and no rain :kewl:

With a little luck I'm hoping to score one of them "Toothy Critters" tomorrow....saved a few whole smelt from my trip to the Maine Smelt camps last weekend....we'll see what happens

sometimes dead bait works good on those things... thye like suckers too...

I forgot to demo how to use an elastic to keep big bait from tripping the tip ups at the seminar.. if you havent used nd elastic to do it i can expalin... it beats the old clothes pin and alligator clip methods hands down...

I've heard of the Clothes pin trick....never heard of the elastic one though

these smelt are dead so not to worried about that this trip....going to see if there are any bait shops selling suckers in that area...maybe give those a shot too....

To use an elastic band.. you want the thinnest,longest one you can find... cut it so it is no longer doubled... tie a surgeons loop in each end ( I do these before hand and keep a few dozen in a zip lock bag) while fishing.... sound and mark your depth.... now take one of the prepared elastics and cinch it around the main line so the line will be hanging just below the bottom of the tilt when the elastic is held at the bottom of the tilt.. the other end is cinched around the bottom of the tilt.... a big fish pulling on the bait will snap the elastic or have it slip ( if you are lucky) from the bottom of the tilt... works slicker than #%&* through a goose... I've used it with suckers and perch as big as 6"....

Nice....that sounds like a neat trick. so the elastic keeps the tension but allows for a little "Give" until something grabs it....then slips off and goes with the line as its running

yes.. it keeps the big bait from moving the spool.... because it is actualy tethered to the bottom of the tip up... but once it is pulled free ( or broken) it then triggers the flag and allows line to be played out off of the spool... I was going to show it at the presentation.. but it slipped my mind... I had the elastics all laid out in front of the board to remind me.. but i totaly spaced it...

there's another trick using them to aid in setting the hook... in this variation... the elastic is cinched on about 3' beyond the depth setting...the elastic is then put on the spool and the last 3' ( to your marker) is wound on and the tip up set....now after the flag is tripped and the line begins to pay out the line hits the elastic( just like a tuna line snubber on a hand line).. thus breaking ...but not before setting the hook... I've used it sucessfully on days when the fish were running several feet and dropping the bait repeatedly... it works real well with circle hooks..

Well, at least the Weather was nice....:hihi:

Plenty of ice...only 1 dink yellow perch to show for the day

still better than a kick in the nuts....

slow on Winni also... Ice boader line crappy... 5" of bubble ice.... prospecting for the derby keeps you constanly moving over new territory.. .. we had a few Rainbow flags... I think everyone caught at least one salmon... one member of our group caught her first Laker and her first rainbow...
I found a spot where the coyotes had chased a deer onto the ice... it must have not gone through until after it was dead.. as there was fur and animal tracks inbedded into the ice.. the head was missing( I suspect it was a rack buck and someone wanted a trophy when they found it) and the carcass about 1/3 consummed.... mostly around the mid section exposing the ribs... .. we drilled a few holes around it to try and get some pictures but the ice was VERY thin and neither Dan nor I wanted to swim with the carcass...

Went out Saturday for a few hours up in NH....had a great day on the ice. Plenty of Flags, got a nice White Perch on one of the tips...about 12 inches long.

Even got the jig rod working on some small yellow perch...got a few on rubber as well. All in All a good day on the ice....may head back up Friday and give it another go.