Is it OVER???

[jimfish]

I would have to say that by the non-usage of the board this year and the weather, There will be no Icefishing in Illinois unless we get a huge change in the weather. I'm putting the boat back together and hitting the soft water next week. My wife is absolutly sick of me being home all weekend.
Jim

[crappie rob]

Jim, I feel your pain brother. Unfortunately I believe it's over!! Crappie Rob

[jimfish]

You mean I won't have to worry about my beers freezing up, my gloves falling into hole, remeber to charge my batteries the night before, or even explain to people why I sat on a frozen lake all weekend? O'well, Next Year(spoken like a true CUBS FAN!)

[wsj_outdoorsman]

Fishing the Fringe in the chicago area's


With most of the good members of this fine fishing exchange reside in about the same latitude & longitude,  we are all members of the same group of icemen that fish the fringe.  The hard water that is longed for by most is a very strange friend indeed here.  One day the hard water is our brother and the next just might be a distant cousin.  Kinda reminds our friend wsj of the loving wife who is kissing her husband farewell as he leaves for war.  The kiss is very tender and sincere, but given with tears and heartbreak inside.  As she does not know IF or WHEN her loving husband will return.   Much the same for our love of the ice here on the fringe.

For those with an ICE addition like our friend wsj, countless hours of preparation are invested each year well before that magic time of hard water appears.  The rods and reels carefully prepared with new line,  lures are checked to make sure of the sharpness of the hooks, new items are always brought into the picture.  But then the hard part of what do the new things have to replace, as there is only so much room in the tackle box? 

The buckets are checked, with the ice shanty getting a good going over, and ANYTHING that might not have been taken care of at the end of the last season is fixed without delay, as the new ice is coming and we have to be ready.

How many hours are spent in anticipation of the ice?  Do you like wsj sit in the garage sometimes just holding the new-spooled rods…envisioning the fish that will be on the other end soon?  Are the new ice items looked at more than 3 times in the early morning library, until you have convinced yourself that it is needed?  Even though for the last 2 years the item was not even considered for the hard water, but now that you have most of the new stuff……….what the heck…..ice stuff is affordable when compared to the softer water stuff….right?

OK……wsj will you get to the point of this rambling……..

OK, wsj was thinking (yep a very dangerous thing for our friend) that just maybe, mind you,,,,maybe we just might enjoy the ice fish a lot more here on the fringe.  You see we would not loose any vehicle’s though the ice (has anyone around here driven on the ice?) while we do not have the whole season like our northern friends do, they do not have the anticipation factor that can be had time and time and time and time again.  We very well could get our longed for friend “safe ice” back this year.  And the anticipation……yep it’s killing wsj for sure….it’s even got our hard core ice friend thinking about the soft water………he even took down a long rod just the other day.


Wsj will wait for that sweet kiss and tears of joy from the new ice.


Wsj.

[jimfish]

Well I have put the batteries back into the boat and packed up the open water gear for a trip to Webster lake this week, BUT I will have my bucket and auger with me for the trip home when I will swing back up through Michigan. Hopefully I can get an early Muskie and some hardwater perch in same weekend.
Jim

[crappie rob]

jimfish, Good Luck!!!! Go get 'em. Crappie Rob.

[ifishhi]

it' still january you can't give up already.

[bluegill63]

My only regret is that us Illinois fisherman were going to show them how to fish in the tourny!!! But we were shut out by mother nature!! It is a real bummer about the ice but what can you do. Till next year good fishing to you all!!!


Gil

[valleye]

Jim, I feel your pain brother. Unfortunately I believe it's over!! Crappie Rob

"OVER??? Did I hear OVER?  Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"  Animal House

There's ice being made everyday question is will the weather cooperate. The days a warm but the evenings are good ice making weather.  Just no snow or rain! I hate to say this guys but you may have to cross the cheddar curtain in order to get good ice.

[ifishhi]

"OVER??? Did I hear OVER?  Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"  Animal House

rotflmfao... i love it

[jimfish]

Well I got the boat out of storage and everything is working. Open water it is.

[bigbucky1]

I don't think its over, at least for me.  IF it gets cold like they say its going to I should be able to get out to the hennipen canal in about a week and a half.  Thats only if it get cold like they say.  But just in case it doesn't I'm going to Minn.  next weekend to get at least 2 more days of fishing in this winter.

[iceturd]

They don,t call him old man winter for nothing, it takes him awhile to get around, he,s usually confused when he gets here & the only time most people appreciate him is when he,s leaving! But this is IL. & it,s only early Feb. so I will never, ever give up on the old guy, as a matter of fact, I think I feel him creeping around right now! Give it 5-7 days, keep the same jetstream, & we,re back in business! THINK ARCTIC AIR!!!

[jimfish]

I hear ya!! I almost put the shanty & buckets away last week but nevergot around to it. Tonight I think I'll set up the shanty, put on some new line and load up the van and pray. At least one good weekend now would make me happy. Afterall we store all of the stuff for 10 or 11 months only to use it 5-8 weekends a year and we talk about those weekends all year long.
Hope to see ya out there, Jim

[crappie rob]

What little ice that's out there now will more than likely be gone by Friday. Three days of 40's, and rain. Going to have to head North (Wisconsin, Minnesota) to get on any ice!!! I'm done!!! C'mon Springtime, let's get the boats ready!!!! I feel like a "grumpy old man". Crappie Rob.

[jimfish]

My boat has all ready been in open water and I think thats the only kind of fishing we will be getting in this winter.
Next year

[Luckydog]

This season has been a true "heart breaker".  Good ice (7" - 11")by the second week in December... Hopes for a long season.  Month of December start to really warm up. I printed out my Tourney Card on Jan. 1, and haven't been on the ice since.  Then there's the teasing... cold nights, mild days... 1/2", 1", 2" -- RAIN.  Damn!  3/4", 1 1/2" -- RAIN. Damn! As a big guy I need at least 3 1/2" before I'll walk on the water. Here I sit at work listening to thunder and watching the rain come down...snow showers predicted for tonight. Saturday: predicted high of 16 low at night of 6.  Pretty much the same for Sunday.  Who knows what kind of ice next week.  I wish it would either get cold enough long enough to make good ice OR get warm enough and stay warm enough to melt the ice so I could break the boat out.  This tweener stuff is killing me.

[crappie rob]

I feel your pain!! Temps in the 40's Wed., Thur., Fri., after 3-4 nights of teens and single digits!! This totally blows!! C-ya. Crappie Rob

[jimfish]

Normally I hate having to work weekends in Jan & Feb but this year it has been keeping my mind off of Ice Fishing a little. This weekend (Sunday) I'll be at the Bass Pro local fishing Expo working the Muskie Inc table. Stop by between 10 & 1 and we can talk about icefishing at least and it will also get you out of house to see the stuff you could of been fishing with.
see ya Jim

[bigbucky1]

Well its wasn't over just yet for me. Got out last night on the hennipen canal here in bureau county. Had 6  inches  where i was at and caught probably about 2 dz gills, too bad all but one was dinks. plus caught 8 shiners 8 inches long . But not that bad for 1 1/2 hours i got out after work.