new member, few questions :)

[BASSQUATCH]

I run much lighter leaders, it lets the bait fish swim around easier. i'll use 8lb ice line for bass and 3lb on the trout tilts. I lose a fish here and there, but not to often.
I may change leaders during the day if I feel/see nicks in the line

burp

You just have to use MONSTAH bait for heavier leaders :-) I've been known to use some big bait ;-)

[A7X]

Haha I'll be looking for MONSTAH bait... closest shop I know of (just found out about on here) is in Brookline NH, so we'll see what they have when the time comes... also Westford but that's a bit further...

Here's another question...

How do you guys typically hook your shiners and why?

[A7X]

Also,

What size do these avatar pictures have to be? I'm trying to get a pic in the box...
<<right over here somewhere haha

And it won't show up... picture is from photobucket

Pasted direct link in the box, clicked save and nothin

Thanks!

[ICEHOLE]

I THINK ITS 120X80....

[ICEHOLE]

nah 120x120 but its still a PITA.... you need to make sure you upload the picture to your main bucket. not mobile upload or it wont work....I just re did mine the other day and it still took me 2 days to get it

[A7X]

Well that's a bummer. ..

I haven't turned a computer on in years! Everything is done straight from my phone, I print from this thing and everything... The picture IS in my mobile uploads, I changed the size a bunch of times and nothing, makes sense now... oh well, thank you, maybe I'll turn a computer on our try to move the picture somehow...

[A7X]

Woo hoooo!
Was able to move it to my regular bucket from my phone...

thank you!

[GrizlyGarou]

Haha I'll be looking for MONSTAH bait... closest shop I know of (just found out about on here) is in Brookline NH, so we'll see what they have when the time comes... also Westford but that's a bit further...

Check out the "Bait Shop Info" thread, it's a sticky up near the top. There's probably something closer to you in there.

[A7X]

Check out the "Bait Shop Info" thread, it's a sticky up near the top. There's probably something closer to you in there.

Thanks! I'll run through it... I can't remember if that's where I found the info or not... I border Brookline NH though... and Westford is 25min away...

[MrE1979]

Nice fish in your avatar pic.  Now we are gonna need to get one with ice in the background for ya.

[800stealth]

Hey guys,
Thank you for all the welcoming responses and info...

I'm looking forward to making this a winter hobby for years to come... Normally I sit around all winter making lures for the summer, but I figure, why not keep reelin em in?? I was handed all this ice fishing gear from my father and used it 3 times 2yrs ago rigged the way he had it with ratty old braid and 4" snelled leaders on snap swivels with tiny hooks (all the same rigging that was on em when he took me out on the ice when I was a little guy)... (I was handed these in Feb 2012 so didn't bother rigging them properly and went out)... needless to say I didn't catch anything... and now I'm calling him to get his butt out there to catch some fish with me...

Now that I've come across this stuff again I figured I'd spend the short money to rig it all up properly and catch some dang fish this winter instead of sitting indoors waiting for the ice to melt off... at this point I can't wait for ice...

I look forward to the new friends, getting to know some of you and making myself part of this exciting family...

Again, thank you guys for the warm welcome...

Any questions I may have, I now know where to go!

That's how I got into ice fishing... I used to mope all winter going through my summer gear or working on mods for the Nitro just waiting for spring. A few years ago I decided to pick up a few cheap traps and a spud so I could try the little bass pond I live on, after chasing a few flags and hand lining a couple bass I was hooked. Now I look forward to ice season almost as much as open water.
I'm only 10 minutes from Townsend, be it in a different state. Welcome to the shanty, good luck out there.

[A7X]

Nice fish in your avatar pic.  Now we are gonna need to get one with ice in the background for ya.

Haha thanks! That was a beast I pulled from a newly fallen tree in the water on a swimbait last year...

Yeah hopefully I'll get a good pic this ice season!, I have a gopro camera I use on the boat and I'm ready to use it on the ice...

[A7X]

That's how I got into ice fishing... I used to mope all winter going through my summer gear or working on mods for the Nitro just waiting for spring. A few years ago I decided to pick up a few cheap traps and a spud so I could try the little bass pond I live on, after chasing a few flags and hand lining a couple bass I was hooked. Now I look forward to ice season almost as much as open water.
I'm only 10 minutes from Townsend, be it in a different state. Welcome to the shanty, good luck out there.

Yeah no more moping around! Hoping to have a good time on the ice... Maybe I'll see you out there sometime... like I said before, you every see a big green lifted F150 near the water, is probably me...

[MrE1979]

Haha thanks! That was a beast I pulled from a newly fallen tree in the water on a swimbait last year...

Yeah hopefully I'll get a good pic this ice season!, I have a gopro camera I use on the boat and I'm ready to use it on the ice...

No hopefully....we will get you a good picture

[BASSQUATCH]

No hopefully....we will get you a good picture

I know a couple good bass holes :-)

[BaitBucket]

I run my dacron main line to a 20# Spro Ball bearing swivel using a polymar knot. My leader is typically about 3-5ft 10# fluoro with a polymar knot at the swivel and snell knot  on the hook. It does take a little more skill to get the big ones in but I havent lost one yet. Kids have used this setup and landed tournament winning fish. So its not all that tricky.

I would much rather lose a fish because i did something wrong getting it to the hole than to never have it bite at all cause my heavy tackle spooked it.

[pmaloney86]

I run my dacron main line to a 20# Spro Ball bearing swivel using a polymar knot. My leader is typically about 3-5ft 10# fluoro with a polymar knot at the swivel and snell knot  on the hook. It does take a little more skill to get the big ones in but I havent lost one yet. Kids have used this setup and landed tournament winning fish. So its not all that tricky.

I would much rather lose a fish because i did something wrong getting it to the hole than to never have it bite at all cause my heavy tackle spooked it.

Do you have trouble getting the knot to tighten up using the palomar knot when attaching the main line to the swivel?  The coating on the line seams to tighten on the knot and I'm constantly getting stuck with a loop dangling off my knot.  It usually takes several tries to finally get the knot how I like it.  Any suggestions on how to tighten it up?  I lubed it up with some spit but it still won't slide through and pull tight a lot of the times.

[MrE1979]

I know a couple good bass holes :-)

I don't think you know how to catch BASS..... 

[A7X]

Do you have trouble getting the knot to tighten up using the palomar knot when attaching the main line to the swivel?  The coating on the line seams to tighten on the knot and I'm constantly getting stuck with a loop dangling off my knot.  It usually takes several tries to finally get the knot how I like it.  Any suggestions on how to tighten it up?  I lubed it up with some spit but it still won't slide through and pull tight a lot of the times.

Are you tying it correctly? Not saying you're tying wrong, but my buddy was on my boat one day trying to tie a palomar... he kept ending up with a loop as you say with the knot an inch or so above... I watched him tie it again and he was tying the overhand knot on the doubled through part and passing the hook through and not over and around the main line/tag end, then passing the hook through...

You are probably tying it correctly but I figured I'd tell ya that story because he was having the same outcome...

It's probably the line, I can't tie my regular knots with it, they don't cinch up correctly, if course they're knots that utilize multiple wraps (16 on the modified Albright) but I was having trouble and had to change my approach...

Try while lightly pulling on the tag end and main line, guiding the knot down to the swivel, after wetting it of course... then if tied correctly it should cinch on the swivel... if that doesn't work I blame the line for just being a pain to work with...

[GrizlyGarou]

I just tie a surgeons loop in the Dacron then put the loop through the swivel and then around it. Never had any problems.

[MrE1979]

Do you have trouble getting the knot to tighten up using the palomar knot when attaching the main line to the swivel?  The coating on the line seams to tighten on the knot and I'm constantly getting stuck with a loop dangling off my knot.  It usually takes several tries to finally get the knot how I like it.  Any suggestions on how to tighten it up?  I lubed it up with some spit but it still won't slide through and pull tight a lot of the times.

Try pulling the MAIN line tight then pull the tag line tight.

This is the knot I use on 90% of my hooks/lures.  I have snapped the shank of a hook getting it outta a tree once, all I had was the top 1/4 inch of the hook when I reeled my line back in.  I like it because there is 2 lines around the eye of the hook.  I found 5 times is enough for braided lines 8 makes it wicked hard to tighten correctly.

[A7X]

I found 5 times is enough for braided lines 8 makes it wicked hard to tighten correctly.

I've found that if you can wrap the line close together and as tight as possible from the start, then put the doubled line through (***temporarily see asterisk below) you can give it a twist from where you started the wrap down and pull the looped tag lightly, it will tighten up your wraps and this will aid in the cinching process... I got 8 wraps super tight on the dacron to my swivels... ***of course after the twist, you may have to pull the doubled line out and give another wrap or two to keep 8 wraps...


With my regular summer 50# braid, there's no issue cinching... it slides tight no problem