Sk8man

Very nice LL John They are one of my favorite fish to catch and to eat...

Thanks....loosened and tightened a little but let the rod do most of the work. Probably lucky it was in cold water too We didn't have a net in the boat either....

Admiral Byrd and I were in the midst of terrorizing the panfish and along comes the party crasher Offered a little excitement on 4 lb test on ultralight tackle. A hair over 20 inches long. He took off like a rocket when released.

Something to try when things are slow jigging - 1. Tie a bright colored tiny (#12 hook) dry fly about 8-10 inches up from the jig with a single spike or waxie covering the tip of the hook 2. Make up some #8 long shank gold Mustad Aberdeen hooks with a bit of RED yarn wrapped around the hook shaft and glued with a spot of glue and fill the remaining exposed part of the hook so the tip doesn't show with spikes or waxies or a short section of nightcrawler and tie it about 8-10 inches up from your main jig. Sometimes it can be tied to a loop in the mainline to "dangle" and sway. The good thing about it is that even if you lose your bait fish will sometimes still hit just the yarn and hook. You do have to be careful when the fish gets up towards the top of the hole if hooked on the main jig so as not to snag up on the edge of the ice with the fly or hook ahead of it.

suggestion edited and placed elsewhere in ice fishing

Nice job on that sled especially the runners I don't often take my Clam shelter (usually bucket or folding chair with sled) but these are the rod holder setups (Anglers Pals from my previous boat) one folded inward position (storage) and the other is shown outward at angle. Note the taped up foam noodle section on the rope for hand comfort/protection.

May she rest in peace Bucky. That is a very nice tribute to her and gives a real clear look at an unusually active lifestyle and long full life...God bless her.....you were lucky to have her for your mom. Les

I had my 13 ft Sport Whaler for over 22 years and sold it for $300 more than I paid for it and it was near the middle of Lake O more than once back when I was a little younger and more foolish than I am at this point in life....at one point one of the big ocean going ships out there had a 23 ft Whaler "dingy" and the guys on board just looked at me and scratched their heads in disbelief It survived 10-12 ft waves in a big storm once too and the guys on the pier at Sodus Point were cheering me on when I came in the channel because the 30 ft boats were struggling to get back in.....a Whaler is the only boat I'll ever own after that experience.

I think much of the time it is a matter of putting your time in and being lucky to be there when the fish are cruising the shoreline. Sometimes fresh egg sacks can be a real enticement though

Rolling out of the harbor at the crack of dawn with a cup of hot coffee in hand checking out the sunrise and suppressing my excitement about what might happen next. It's kinda like some other things in life....I've done it thousands of times but it is always as good as the first time

Congratulations Matt.....now that is a real Christmas present!

Makes me kinda glad I've held onto my Mag10's all these years I never remember any of these problems before they sped up the downriggers up significantly.

Great pic John. Best of luck and Merry Christmas to your son and we welcome him to LOU

This is certainly a time of year to stop and "smell the roses" and to celebrate and appreciate good health and happiness. I'd like to take the opportunity to thank all of my fellow LOU contributors and "lurkers" alike The LOU "family" is a pretty special bunch indeed. Merry Christmas and may all of you have a wonderful New Year and tight lines during the upcoming fishing season.

Mike I think you are exactly right too clear (like crystal) and flat....and we were fishing from shore so couldn't get to any depth

Cool! Lookin good.

Hope you guys at the south end did better than we did at the north end Seneca and Sampson today....and then Canandaigua north end....one pickerel and one perch and that was it!