Author Topic: [2017 Ice Fishing Picture Contest] (Read 18853 times)

quackpot · « **Reply #60 on:** Nov 01, 2017, 06:07 PM »

Couple of pictures from Indian Lake in Ohio. Our season last year wasn't very good only got out a few times. Weather just wouldn't cooperate.

mszczep1 · « **Reply #61 on:** Nov 01, 2017, 09:38 PM »

Beginning of the 2017 Mackinaw Ice Derby. My favorite lake, hardwater and soft water.

newjigger · « **Reply #62 on:** Nov 02, 2017, 06:35 AM »

One nice lonely sun set on Oneida soaking in the rays.
The cat fish was a shocker on Oneida. One of the 6 times my wife has been out on the ice and I jig this monster up to the hole..... she was pretty surprised to see the wiskers and face in the hole in the shanty. Fun day.

FG Steve · « **Reply #63 on:** Nov 02, 2017, 07:42 AM »

The day acpchuck caught his biggest rainbow yet, >6 lbs, when we got back to his truck he found out his cooler was too small. This turned out so well that he adapted it for his avatar.

Even though there is some camera fun going on, it really was a nice trout

DrewFlu33 · « **Reply #64 on:** Nov 02, 2017, 05:29 PM »

The story of my first lake trout...

I made a trip up to the Canadian side of Lake of the Woods (Regina and Whitefish bays, to be exact) at the beginning of March with the express purpose of catching a lake trout. Midway through the second day of HARD daylight-to-dark, no-stopping-to-eat fishing, my buddy and I were joined at a spot over 80 feet of water by 2 locals who pulled up on ATVs probably 30 or 40 yards away. This, in and of itself, wasn't really interesting. We had a good time snickering about their thick accents and zany conversations like two 6th graders in the back of a classroom - these guys seemed more into drinking and chasing women than fish catching anyhow - but we were generally focused on the task at hand, heads down and eyes focused on our flashers hoping to spot another mark to go along with the bouncing ones that represented our respective offerings to the lake's finned inhabitants. After about an hour of drinking and shooting the breeze, the guys start packing up their stuff to leave.

At almost exactly the same time, I spot it. Or more accurately, I spot "them." "Them" being the four separate large red blotches streaking around the dial on my flasher toward the small yellow blip that represented the tube I was jigging about 30 feet below. My friend has noticed the sudden and drastic change in my body language, understands exactly what is going on, and is putting on his best poker face to avoid tipping off our friends who are just about to drive away any minute. Suddenly, as quickly as they arrived, the marks simply vanish. As I slumped my shoulders starting to come to terms with the idea that I may well get skunked, I see my friend perk up. These fish have pretty clearly moved away from my hole and towards his. Now I'm the one trying to act natural. This was much easier said than done with my heart is beating up in my throat despite my best efforts to swallow it back down, my palms becoming drenched with sweat, and my legs wanting to shake free from my body as if they've developed a mind of their own.

For what seemed like an eternity (and in actuality probably was a good 10 minutes) these fish play games with us. They bounce back and forth, always charging hard but peeling off at the last minute. Then just when we were convinced they were really gone, they'd show up on the screen of the other's flasher and do the same thing all over again. All the while we're trying to act nonchalant as we just know that letting the locals know we've got fish showing up would have them drilling holes next to us. Just when I was about to lose it over my repeated close calls with the fish and how it could possibly take two grown men this long to pack up their things and get moving, they drive off. As I watch them disappear behind a nearby island, I catch a glimpse of a large, solitary mark on my flasher, once again screaming straight for my tube. Having tried just about everything in my previous shots at these fish and quite honestly feeling a more than a little defeated, this time I chose to hold my rod tip completely still. Just as the streaking mark merges into the one representing my tube on the flasher display, my rod tip dips ever so slightly. It was the type of take you get from a lazy walleye when it's 20 below outside. Having read about the difficulty of penetrating a hook into a large lake trout's mouth, having worried during weeks of planning about how the lack of a barb on my hooks would assuredly cause me to lose fish, and having spent just about every waking moment over the last couple days doing everything I could to catch one of these fish, I set the hook. Hard. Really hard.

It was a complete whiff. A swing and a miss. A hitter flailing at a Randy Johnson fastball and coming up empty. Nothing but air...or water as the case were. That tube moved at least 5 feet through the water column with that mighty jerk, probably further. However, no sooner had I missed and felt the first "woe is me" thoughts begin to creep into my mind, my rod doubled over. The fish just absolutely blasted it. I didn't even have the opportunity to set the hook. It was all I could do to keep the rod from being ripped out of my hands and into the hole in the ice to join the fish for good.

After at least 5 long, drag-peeling runs in every direction imaginable, complete with the trademark belched air bubbles rumbling up through the hole in the ice, I brought her nose topside. Unsure of what to do with myself after finally getting to this point, I distinctly remember jumping up and down and squealing - quite literally squealing - "Get it! Get it! Get it!" Luckily for me, my buddy had kept his wits through all of this and quickly grabbed it. Finally. I had caught one. And there it was.

Some quick measurements and photos then back down the hole she went. Her 33 inch length and 18 inch girth put her between 13 and 14 pounds according to the weight calculator on the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources website. This clearly isn't a truly large lake trout by most accounts, but for this "country boy" who grew up in the hills of West Virginia and who might as well have been fishing on another planet, it was probably the most memorable catch of my life. What a rush! After all the ups and downs of all that time spent chasing these fish, I couldn't do anything but sit down and reflect. It was a good 30 minutes before I was up and fishing again.

As I reflect, I still find myself convinced that the fish, just like my buddy and me, was waiting on those guys to leave. The timing couldn't have been any more perfect!

Squarehog · « **Reply #65 on:** Nov 06, 2017, 07:08 AM »

Awesome Sunrise in Idaho for First Ice Fishing trip of 2016/2017 season. We all agreed!, The sunrise beat the fishing that day

tbern · « **Reply #66 on:** Nov 06, 2017, 07:11 AM »

Very nice sunrise!

Peccavi18 · « **Reply #67 on:** Nov 07, 2017, 12:36 AM »

This was a beautiful sunset on Kahle Lake in Pennsylvania. My brother was able to join me and we got him his first ever hardwater fish, then a lot more. Had only planned for a morning trip but ended up doing so well we spent almost a whole day on the ice.

WolfPack1 · « **Reply #68 on:** Nov 07, 2017, 01:27 AM »

Late ice with a blizzard on the way! Turned out to be one of the best days on the ice last year, and got to spend one of the few days on the ice with my dad that I am able to. I love being able to take him out with me. Snow really starting coming down towards the end of the day. Couldn’t keep holes from blowing over and drifting with snow for more than five minutes! Couldn’t see very well at all either, but the bluegill bite was phenomenal. Let’s just say by the end of the day, getting back to shore wasn’t so much fun! First because of the snow, and second because we were leaving such a hot bite!

Leather · « **Reply #69 on:** Nov 07, 2017, 07:14 PM »

Caught my biggest Largemouth Bass ever a couple years ago fishing a public lake in western Pennsylvania. I was only out for a bit to check ice thickness for the coming weekend. I brought my super ultralight rod with 3 lb mono along with me. Good thing. I hooked this monster with a tiny fiskas jig in the upper lip and fought it for 15 minutes. I had no idea what I had a hold of. When it came through the hole its open mouth literally rubbed the ice hole the whole way around. I entered it into iceshantys online fishing contest and won 1st place!

robbiej · « **Reply #70 on:** Nov 08, 2017, 11:48 AM »

lowaccord66 · « **Reply #71 on:** Nov 09, 2017, 09:07 AM »

It was the 10th of December last year...sometime around 9pm I had finished rigging a few lakers for the first trip of the year. Long 4lb leaders...carefully snelled hooks, boxes of jigs for trout were setup. Couple of hours in prep. Sometime around 10 I get a text "we are going for musky tomorrow". Hastily all those light leaders were snipped of and replaced with wires. 4 hour drive leaving at 2am to get there for first light I was met by Terry and Jon who wete already setting up.

I had 4 of my traps in when Jon asks if I want to put a trap on some of his numbers. Initially I declined, didnt think it was relevant...boy was I wrong. I took his broken gps unit and got close to his numbers...apparently I walk faster than it could keep up. I plopped a freshly killed bait in, put a hole cover on and forgot about it. Not long after....

42" 20lb Tiger. Now the best thing is those numbers have coughed up 2 40"ers and Jon gets to rib me about catching his fish for eternity.

It was the first fish of my 2016-2017 season and was not topped by any other.

tbern · « **Reply #72 on:** Nov 09, 2017, 09:17 AM »

Very nice looking fish, great color!!

G fish · « **Reply #73 on:** Nov 09, 2017, 10:01 AM »

Getting fired up for new season, hope for good ice.

this is Brenda the brown trout, she blessed me and my son one afternoon as we where kicking the idea around of leaving. she put on one heck of a fight, the ice house was a mess when it finished after a solid 10 min. and half a dozen runs. the old perch rod was in for it as well as me and the kid attempting to land here. Elbow deep into the hole many of times trying to turn her head up the 10" hole filling it as she slide onto the ice we where in a lose of words. After setting in the excitement grew we enjoyed some pics and put a tape on her. PB 23 3/4 " and just pushing 10lb. Thanks fishing gods.

tbern · « **Reply #74 on:** Nov 09, 2017, 10:17 AM »

Beautiful fish!!

lowaccord66 · « **Reply #75 on:** Nov 09, 2017, 10:53 AM »

That brown is epic.

icenut_ · « **Reply #76 on:** Nov 10, 2017, 07:51 AM »

22: chain pickerel.

panfishman13 · « **Reply #77 on:** Nov 10, 2017, 11:03 AM »

late february, 2017. my dad (pictured) and i went on an overnight trip on a weekend that turned out to be mostly rain and slush, but the fish were biting and we were catching some very good sized bluegill, so we opted to stick around.
on the second day, around noon, the slush had all been melted off into massive puddles across the surface of the lake. soon after, the sky began to clear, and i got this picture

GasBlaster · « **Reply #78 on:** Nov 10, 2017, 11:36 AM »

Panfishman awesome pic !!!!!;

tbern · « **Reply #79 on:** Nov 10, 2017, 01:43 PM »

Very nice panfishman!!

newbie on the ice · « **Reply #80 on:** Nov 10, 2017, 11:58 PM »

Nothing like ice fishing with my boy!!

tbern · « **Reply #81 on:** Nov 11, 2017, 05:17 AM »

perfect shot, love that expression on his face!!

Papa John · « **Reply #82 on:** Nov 11, 2017, 09:05 PM »

That picture is SOoo cool! Looks like my grandson. He's a fisherman too.

s.ziegler · « **Reply #83 on:** Nov 12, 2017, 12:28 PM »

Closing day of 2016, walked around the ice in a t-shirt and my fiance got a sunburn on her face.

tbern · « **Reply #84 on:** Nov 12, 2017, 12:40 PM »

Looks like a beautiful day! Nice picture.

FishDSc · « **Reply #85 on:** Nov 12, 2017, 09:14 PM »

First time taking my son ice fishing just after Christmas last year. Had a great time!

tbern · « **Reply #86 on:** Nov 12, 2017, 09:29 PM »

Very nice picture, looks so peaceful!!

Papa Sly · « **Reply #87 on:** Nov 13, 2017, 04:28 PM »

Love ice fishing with my grand son

tbern · « **Reply #88 on:** Nov 13, 2017, 04:34 PM »

Love that smile on his face. It's great that you get to spend time with him out on the ice!

IceholeFisherman · « **Reply #89 on:** Nov 14, 2017, 09:17 AM »

This was taken when my wife nominated me for the icehole of the year award. At least I THINK she said icehole.

News:

Author Topic: [2017 Ice Fishing Picture Contest] (Read 18853 times)

Squarehog