Sat on a bucket for years, so I earned some heat and lights
Camera, vexilar, tip ups, rattle reels...and bonfires on the ice. Good times!

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Not a lot of activity here lately..

So here’s some recent ice fishing pics.
My shack, a good Walleye...then a pic of some guys who tried to get a cut of my action. There’s a whole lake out there, why camp next to me?! I guess they heard all the hootin and hollerin from the day before

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Nice!
Wisconsin State record was caught a mile down the road from me..but I’m lazy and don’t move around too much. 15,000 some lakes in WI!
We’ve been catching/cleaning/cooking out on the ice lately. Add in some cheap beer...and it’s a pretty good day.

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Full moon tonight..

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Ok, since I’m waiting for the fish to start biting..this thread is about STORIES too

I could have won one of those Funniest Home Video shows once, if someone had been filming..

Was ice fishing with my boy years ago, he was 2 ish. Tip up flag goes up and I’m pulling in a good one. My boy keeps trying to look straight down the hole, getting in the way a little. I keep saying ‘hey get back a bit’, but he was curious. Well, if anyone has caught a big Northern Pike thru the ice they know that they will sometimes give one big last kick once their head is coming thru the hole, and they come flying out like a missile launch.
Well it did, and the look on his face... and he took off running like it was chasing him.
The fish was as big as he was!
Good times.

Yep that’s the auger. Bought last year and love it.

It’s a luxury compared to what I was using. Hopefully it’ll hold up for years. I guess they got the kinks out and this is a good one.

Would like to get to Canada fishing..never been. Can’t complain about this little area though. Wisconsin’s Last Wilderness is the motto. Dark skies and Superior lake effect snow. This year is down though.

27” yesterday at dusk.

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Sweet. Love that stove, you can cook right on it! Got a picture of the outside?

Hey I recognize those fish from somewhere...

Some random shanty pics from the area today. Snow storm going on, maybe a foot or more expected.

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Well..that sounds like a couple guys and a 24 pk of Coors type deal. Could be done I suppose

Ok, another story.
I caught a Wisconsin State record fish a few years back.
I let a pole dangle off the pier while doing something else, and the bobber started bobbing. Pulled it up and it was a tiny (3-4”) fish I had never seen before. It had a bid head and narrow body. Let it go and later googled it. It was a Sculpin, a bottom feeding fish I had never seen or heard of.
Forgot about it until I read an article in the local news a couple months later (caught in the same area I’m in) about a guy who had a similar experience. Well, he took it a step further and realized there wasn’t a State record recorded for this tiny species of fish. He went into a DNR office and inquired, and sure enough no one had ever recorded one. They supposedly all laughed, and the guy is now a State record holder.

A beautiful day on the ice today. Caught a few, cooked a few, and made some rounds to check on other’s action.
Here’s a winter rainbow from this evening.

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Traps? Tip ups maybe?

I use Beaver Dam tip ups. They have a website and sell parts/lube etc. Not sure if too many other brands have the same. A lot of Beaver Dams have been around for close to 50 years. They are the ones to get, imo. You can take apart, maintain, and have free spooling in the coldest of weather. That’s the most important part of a tip up. Finding old ones at garage sales are like hitting a little lotto for ice fisherman. They’ll last a lifetime and can be passed down.

Another story..

I usually out-fish most guys, but it’s mostly because I keep my line in the water longer. Long casts, slow retrieves, and not taking breaks. Just putting in the work.
Well I had a guy in the boat getting frustrated, he wasn’t catching them. He wanted to switch his lure to what I was using, so I gave him one.
That didn’t work, so he figured that I was in the front of the boat cherry picking spots. I let him take my seat. Still no deal. I was also explaining to him that I use polarized sunglasses that help see the structure under the water etc, and that is something important. So now he’s using my lure, sitting in my seat, with my glasses on.. and he has a follow..he’s getting ready to set the hook..and the fish pops it’s head out and says, “Hey, you’re not Dave!”

Dave