This used to be my favorite website. Things really Died down. What happened?

[esox_xtm]

Please and thank you.  Skip BarS.  No love.

Marinate that in some fresh garlic and hang it on a single hook... 

[fishsluggos]

The advantage of the old fashioned forum format is it lends itself to discussion. That's the reason I come here.
That and the chance to maybe put names to faces I see on the local ice.

Sigh  I miss BBS5

[lowaccord66]

Marinate that in some fresh garlic and hang it on a single hook... 

Haha!  More of a sea herring guy for that.

[TheJigginJerk]

So where did all the massholes actually go? It seems like almost everyone posting here is from out of state.

[sebago2jigtima]

here 

[rmoody79]

This is a great thread

[TheJigginJerk]

here 

Attendance please. Can we get a head count? I think there’s now 7 of us. 

[stripernut]

I am from MA, I said my bit, most of the comments have just been whining, I don't need to participate in winning. It is one of the best ways to get a long thread thought, there never seems to be a shortage of people that want to whine and b***h...

[jigmaster5]

I think biggest problem is lack of ice in Mass.  Ppl get all torqued up when they can't fish.

Also, most ppl won't get a license from another state or drive more than 30m to fish (or icefish).  And once there, they won't walk more than 100 yards.

So, between a few of those factors, there's a big drop in actual icefishing & big increase in complaining.

There's ice up north on the small ponds, just have to be willing to drive there + poke around until you find some good ice.   

After this cold snap, I bet alot of ppl will be out + about on the smaller ponds closer to home...and the reports will increase. 

[BJ]

As long as we keep this a positive thread, we can keep it going. If you don't have anything positive to add, keep it to yourself.
                                                                        BJ

[sebago2jigtima]

 

[THE JIGGER]

I only have to say after all these comments, look around today and hope that anything you can find to make your day positive is a blessing.
So for 2022 why don't we try to make it this sight.

[lowaccord66]

I only have to say after all these comments, look around today and hope that anything you can find to make your day positive is a blessing.
So for 2022 why don't we try to make it this sight.

Good call Dick.  We need to meet up for some crappie fishing.

[THE JIGGER]

Sounds good Jon

[basst_]

I don’t ice anymore. Maybe once or twice a year. Being so close to the cape, open water all year!

[tomb raider]

Masshole present and accounted for

[mikez]

I'm a Mass guy still checking in once a day or so but not much to say to current threads and no worthwhile fishing of my own to talk about.

[The Godfish]

Still relevant 

[Rangerboats391]

masshole  here

[SteveTheChimneySweep]

Hi, My name is Steve, and I'm a Masshole.

[RyanW]

I guess I’ll throw some change in the hat too…

No, I’m not from MA. Good thing that’s not the only state with solid water. When it comes to advising ice thickness, many people die every season just trying to enjoy this sport, usually with family and friends. NOBODY here wants to be responsible for ill advice that could lead to someone dying. What a lot of “instant gratifiers” don’t understand is that ice fishing is a truly dangerous activity. The surface of a frozen lake IS NOT the same as the surface of the parking lot. Regardless of experience, NOBODY can identify 100% safe ice in every condition, regardless of thickness or the air temperature. The die-hards here understand this. If you’re someone that gets upset because the responses you’re getting to thickness requests are “go find out for yourself”…. you’re being told that literally for your own safety. No one is trying to be elitist when they say that. It is truly, 100%, a safety precaution. Of course, this implies that that person actually knows how to check for safe ice. A spud is crucial and even a lot of experienced guys don’t use one. Use one. I don’t care if it’s mid winter and ice is 2’ thick. If you haven’t set foot on that particular body of water yet this year, don’t trust anyone but yourself. This is all amplified during early/late ice. Just because you see a few guys out there, doesn’t mean they just strolled out onto the ice. Those early/late guys usually tend to spud their way out to those spots. If someone was to just say “ice is good!”, a lot of people are inclined to just trot out there without a thought in the world about legitimate ice safety. And In this hobby, ignorance can and will kill you deader than crap. I do not take ice safety lightly and neither should any of us. Hence, “go find out for yourself”. It could very well save a life, literally. If you think that random strangers being concerned about your well being is “elitist”, I don’t think ice fishing is the activity for you. However, you’re probably bound to find that out one way or another anyways. Hopefully, it’s not while you’re sinking to the bottom of a 40 degree lake staring at the underside of the ice while your brain begins to shut down. And yes, that imagery is needed to drive home the importance of understanding what the hell we are doing out there. Literally risking our lives to catch a fish… I will not be responsible for your ignorance. However, I am responsible for mine and I will not tell anyone on the internet that “ice is good to go” regardless of conditions. This is especially true if a particular body of water has current, springs, or just had 600 geese land there yesterday and it’s just skim ice surrounded by “safe” ice. So much goes into ice safety to just arbitrarily advise “safe ice”. ESPECIALLY, to an out-of-towner.

Having said all of that, ice fishing is still a very niche subset of angling. Before 25 years ago, it took legitimate work and care to find these spots during winter because the fish act different when they’re capped with ice and darkness. You can’t cast. You can’t troll. Your “strike zone” is generally a 2’ wide 15’ deep sample of hundreds of thousand if not millions of gallons of water. I’ve heard guys say “I couldn’t imagine fishing without electronics and modern gear, how did everyone do it?”. That answer is passion and not too many guys are lining up to give away what took so much of them to acquire. For others that are just as passionate, they’re tough enough to wade through the jerks that just want to blow their load and go home. The jerks last by believing they’re better than everyone else. The passionate last because they know it isn’t always about catching a fish.

[Hardwater2]

Some excellent statements in here^^
Very well said RyanW👍

[MarkN]

RyanW. Best post ever!

[Chawk190]

“The jerks last by believing they’re better than everyone else. The passionate last because they know it isn’t always about catching a fish.”

That quote’s “Thoreau” worthy.

Bravo!, RyanW.

[800stealth]

RyanW gets it... Excellent post sir.

[Rebelss]

That's the best said on it I've seen yet. Excellent post, Sir.   

[DR.SPECKLER]

Yep ryan hit it out of the park with that post!

[Rangerboats391]

well done ryan

[missoulafish]

Solid post dude!

[CL_Outdoors]

Well said Ryan. Going out this weekend to a new area and you bet your ass my spud will be in the sled!!