Why aren't you boating? (A place to brag or vent)

[biffdotorg]

Well, the past 10 days or so over the holidays have been a total bust. The 4 days of rain, could have been over a foot of snow if we had been 5-10 degrees cooler. Instead it killed the ice on the lake in very strategic areas (getting on and off the ice)

So Monday was my last day off, and I had to get out. I could not get to the main lake due to thin ice, but did fish my bay. And yes, they were waiting for me. Check out how many fish were below me checking out my two lines.

Only got one Largemouth up, but it was a great place to sit and have a beer.

 

[biffdotorg]

We have finally hit that magical time of 9"+ of ice. The time when the General hits the ice and does it's first power slide 4WD cookies! Woo woo!

It's always unnerving making that first roll onto the lake. Our end of the lake is hardly ever visited in the winter. So there are no tracks, or sign of anyone to give you the impression the ice is safe. Just walking and drilling holes.

Game on, time for the skid house to go out!



Clouds of crappie off to the right on Livescope






and a stray Walleye!

 

[drewkaree]

We have finally hit that magical time of 9"+ of ice. The time when the General hits the ice and does it's first power slide 4WD cookies! Woo woo!

It's always unnerving making that first roll onto the lake. Our end of the lake is hardly ever visited in the winter. So there are no tracks, or sign of anyone to give you the impression the ice is safe. Just walking and drilling holes.

Game on, time for the skid house to go out!

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Clouds of crappie off to the right on Livescope

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and a stray Walleye!
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Them's good eatin!

 

[buckbuck]

....celebrating 9" of lake ice....hmmmm......

 

[kgower]

We have finally hit that magical time of 9"+ of ice. The time when the General hits the ice and does it's first power slide 4WD cookies! Woo woo!

It's always unnerving making that first roll onto the lake. Our end of the lake is hardly ever visited in the winter. So there are no tracks, or sign of anyone to give you the impression the ice is safe. Just walking and drilling holes.

Game on, time for the skid house to go out!

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Clouds of crappie off to the right on Livescope

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and a stray Walleye!
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Pretty good size crappie.

 

[biffdotorg]

....celebrating 9" of lake ice....hmmmm......

For sure, cuz tweener season sucks! I either want to be in the water, or on the water. But this late winter has been horrible. Can't boat and can't snowmobile. We are finally getting snow and ice. If a person doesn't like snow and ice, they need to move. We have learned to enjoy it.

And we appreciate summer much more when it is taken away from us.

 

[Babin Farms]

And we appreciate summer much more when it is taken away from us.

Agree 100%. These mid-50’s for highs is terrible. ?

 

[biffdotorg]

It’s a sad day pulling the fish house off. 15” of good ice, but my landing is showing signs of weakness.

Beautiful sunsets and looking forward to more nights fishing still. And possibly dragging it back out for a few more happy hours after it cools off again. Winter ain’t over!

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

t’s a sad day pulling the fish house off. 15” of good ice, but my landing is showing signs of weakness.

Beautiful sunsets and looking forward to more nights fishing still. And possibly dragging it back out for a few more happy hours after it cools off again. Winter ain’t over!

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Im sure there is a lot more winter to come….

 

[drewkaree]

t’s a sad day pulling the fish house off. 15” of good ice, but my landing is showing signs of weakness.

Beautiful sunsets and looking forward to more nights fishing still. And possibly dragging it back out for a few more happy hours after it cools off again. Winter ain’t over!

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Sucks for my future plans too, supposedly 8" of ice on the south side of Poygan, with another week of dynamite weather likely to put a dent into Sturgeon season, possibly wiping out much of a chance for success. On the plus side, there was talk last year about putting a moratorium on sturgeon, or severely limiting the catch, for a 2-3 year period. This lack of ice seems like it's going to make that unnecessary, so....yay?

 

[biffdotorg]

ice is still holding up. I just went out in the portable to chase some eyes!

 

[biffdotorg]

Well, the first and last day of snowmobile season in my region.

I finally put my foot down, gave up on friends that have given up on the season, hitched up the trailer and drove East until there was enough to drop my sled and ride. 55 miles on the day. Great snow overall, no grooming, but fresh tracks in most places.

After putting on a new track, new carbides and all new steering bushings, it was beyond past due for a shakedown run on the old trail tank. I didn't edit any video, but I literally could hear myself giggling in my helmet after few hard pulls while mashing the loud hammer!

 

[drewkaree]

Well, the first and last day of snowmobile season in my region.

I finally put my foot down, gave up on friends that have given up on the season, hitched up the trailer and drove East until there was enough to drop my sled and ride. 55 miles on the day. Great snow overall, no grooming, but fresh tracks in most places.

After putting on a new track, new carbides and all new steering bushings, it was beyond past due for a shakedown run on the old trail tank. I didn't edit any video, but I literally could hear myself giggling in my helmet after few hard pulls while mashing the loud hammer!

I was wondering last week if you had gotten anything worthwhile, as it was snowing in Rhinelander pretty good when I was working up there. Supposedly 2-ish inches, and I think you guys got more a bit West of there.

Aaaaaand it's gone ?. Any traces of it around us have been wiped out by the rain, but folks still forget the temps AND rain are a deadly combo, with 5+ cars I saw yesterday in ditches and/or flipped.

Stay safe, glad to hear about you making the most of what you got

 

[biffdotorg]

Ya, we got around 5-7" in Otter Tail county, but 20" was forecasted to the East of us. They got around 10" or so 50 miles away. The North Shore got drilled with nearly 2 ft in many places.

It's all too ironic getting ridable snow when most of the gates are closed and the trails were shut down to keep the SXS's from ripping it up.

What can I say, Tweener Season

 

[biffdotorg]

Reviving the old thread.

It is currently -5f here in West Central MN, and the ice on the lake is thumping amazingly loud! We are making ice, as the fisherman would say.

I got out this past Sunday. It was raining while I punch holes in 9" of ice to catch a few just to have a shake down run on my electronics after pulling them out of my boat and into my Ghetto Livescope shuttle.

Don't let that one photo fool you. The ice had opened up a earlier in the week, and froze dark and clear! Amazing walking up on it. I drilled possibly 10 holes to confirm it was solid ice. I need 2" of snow on top so that I don't see things like that, as it is super spooky.

We hope to have 10-11" of ice by the weekend, and I can pull my skidhouse out with the SXS! (and yes, the 1984 Yamaha Moto-4 is the oldest in the fleet, but perfect for early ice, as it floats)

Stay warm everyone!

 

[biffdotorg]

-17f this morning. We hope to be back up in the 20's this weekend. Perfect time for the skidhouse's trip across the bay out to Walleye Country!

 

[Babin Farms]

-17f this morning. We hope to be back up in the 20's this weekend. Perfect time for the skidhouse's trip across the bay out to Walleye Country!

Yeah, little chilly here too. Not a fan of this December weather.

 

[zipper]

Yeah, little chilly here too. Not a fan of this December weather.


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Damn, counting on you Southern boaters, who claim year round boating, to make me envious. Lol

 

[Bottom Bracket]

Fishing buddy 1 is in Christmas mode, fishing buddy 2 is elk hunting up in Alpine, Bald Eagle breeding shuts down a big chunk of where I know I can find fish. Vehicle maintenance then Christmas, back on the water 1st week in 25.

 

[Babin Farms]

Watching the local weather and they’re saying “it’s gunna be a little cool tomorrow with temps in the mid-60’s”. Guess it too cold to go boating