its all about respect...

[coldcreekchris]

seeing a bit of angsts lately...coming from both sides... its understandable....the reason for having a RACPage...to me is obvious...there are so many bodies of water in this state....don't cloud up the main page with asking how the fishing is here and there...I understand if you are a newb..I think most of us have kindly navigated individuals to the proper page where they can get more than enough information to make their heads swim...so please understand some of our frustrations...when people call us bullies and such..ya might wanna rethink that...the people that you are calling bullies..have day in and out provided some of the best advice over time...maybe some of us are frustrated....obviousl y we aren't gonna hold your hand and bait your hook for ya..but darn..sometimes it feels like people almost expect that nowadays...what is wrong with putting in the time and figuring things out for yourself?..when I was a kid in the 70's...I would have to cut holes every so often round the intake in the irrigation source for the cows...yes..my introduction to ice fishing came the same way...walked a little further out and axed thru a foot of ice..to catch some crappies on the Kansas/Nebraska border...so my point is...us so called bullies..have been beyond fair...and if you are fortunate enough to find a spot that fills your bucket..or keeps your peace...might be best served to keep it to yourself..and for god's sake if its an outta the way special place.. don't post it out on the internet....just my 2 cent..

[Quantoson]

I got spanked again.   

obviously we aren't gonna hold your hand and bait your hook for ya..but darn..sometimes it feels like people almost expect that nowadays...

Thanks for not holding my hand, (not my style) but baiting the hook would be appreciated....

[BackCountry Kyle]

Some people really like getting spanked. Pay for it even... so I'm told. For real tho ccc summed up how I feel from time to time.

[missoulafish]

Some people really like getting spanked. Pay for it even... so I'm told.

Good post CCC.
There's nothing wrong with some hand holding but expecting your hand to be held is a different story.
It seems this new generation of fishermen think the primary goal of fishing is to catch fish every time. News flash..
It's not.
The Montana Facebook ice fishing pages have become a joke. You can't even post a picture without the first comment being "where", followed by "how" etc.
Many of the pages I follow will boot people for posting specific water bodies because they've seen what social media does to fishing.
But now we have a MT page scolding people for not shairing all your hard earned information and success...
Get off your butt and make your own success....

[Quantoson]

What is this Facebook thing?  Where is it?  Is it just a bunch of faces?

[BigSage]

Thank you Chris!  I went a Saturday to a local unnamed lake. I could have asked for an update. Instead, I knew I wanted to fish there. So I thought I would "make my own report."  I got the truck stuck 3 times, walked 1/3 of a mile through knee to waist deep snow. 8" of slush on the ice.  Ended up icing about 30 perch and two small northerns. Great day on the ice. With a new baby, it was only my 2nd time out this year. Didn't need my hand held. But I would really appreciate someone to bait my hook!

[SpitzoMT]

Excellent post CCC !! 

if you are fortunate enough to find a spot that fills your bucket..or keeps your peace...might be best served to keep it to yourself..and for god's sake if its an outta the way special place.. don't post it out on the internet....

^^^^ This part is as true as can be.....I LEARNED THAT THE HARD WAY !! ^^^^

It seems this new generation of fishermen think the primary goal of fishing is to catch fish every time. News flash..It's not.

Yep...As stated on this forum many times, "IT'S CALLED FISHING.....NOT CATCHING" !!

Get off your butt and make your own success....

It may take some time, but figuring it out yourself is by far a more rewarding hardwater fishing experience !!

[Rainman935]

I like to adventure as well. It's not uncommon for me to drill 30-60 holes a day in search of fish. Most of the time I don't find what I'm looking for. But I learn from all the hard work and time put in. it will eventually pay off. Next winter I will have a flasher and a new arsenal of rods and lures.

I personally want to thank all the moderators and active members here on ice shanty. This is my first year of doing any real ice fishing. It's addictive and I can't get enough. I have learned lots from searching articles on this site. Some of them are many years old but contain great info.

I have one suggestion or just call it an idea.
A buy and sell section? For example

"My wife and I are moving to Florida and I will not be needing our ice fishing gear any longer. Propane auger, flasher, 6 man shelter, 12 rods, one sled and all my secret lures must go. PM me for price"

Or

"Looking for a used flasher. anyone have one they wanna sell?"

Is it ok to make posts Like this on the main page? If not a place to make these ppst would be awesome! I would much rather buy/trade/sell used gear with local fisherman then on ebay.

[missoulafish]

there is a buy/sell section but you have to be a militia member to utilize it...

[Rainman935]

How many posts required for militia? I promise I won't go post crazy

[SpitzoMT]

Hey Rainman. I called upon one of the site moderators a few years back with this very question because at the time I was seeing a few new members stating that they were on a budget & wanted to know where they could find used equipment. I was told these posts would have to be in the "FOR SALE" sub-section of the Ice Shanty Main section & the original poster has to be a registered member of IceShanty as well as being a IceShanty Militia member which you have to pay to be part of.

I then asked about getting 2 sub-sections added to the Ice Fishing Tips section or the Miscellaneous section. I'm on roughly 13 different forums & almost all have the 2 sub-sections I asked for. Craigslist/eBay Finds & Buy/Sell/Trade. I was shot down on this request. Reason being that it would take money away from the sponsors of this forum. The reasoning made no sense to me since most the forums I'm on have these topics. It is what it is.....Didn't hurt to ask I guess !!

[SpitzoMT]

How many posts required for militia? I promise I won't go post crazy

You must purchase it. There are 5 different packages that vary in price.

http://www.iceshanty.com/iceshanty/iceshanty_store/militia

[Rainman935]

Thanks for the info guys.

[SpitzoMT]

Thanks for the info guys.

No problem sir !!

[SpitzoMT]

I found this thread in the ID section & had to chuckle because it's what we've been discussing in our section.

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=343659.0

The statement below interested me most because it's something I never even thought about & it was never touched on in our discussions.

however I would like to point out that any and all of the info we as a group post to the main page is public knowledge for anyone and everyone to see. if you google anything about icefishing in Idaho this page is always near the top of the search results. we might as well put an article in the paper.

That info is protected from the public in the Fishing Reports & Conditions section because you have to be a registered member to see it. Definitely something to think about !!

[MT Tag Filler]

Back in my day, we had to walk ten miles to the lake, in 5 ft of snow with just a stick and string, and pops ol trusty dull ax to split open the ice. I appreciate all of the information on this site, you guys have opened up the ice fishing world to me. I admit, I was the new kid to ice fishin and had to ask the dumb questions, but I got the little bit of information I needed to get me rolling and I went out and figured out the tips I was given from this site. now I can't go out a time without hooking fish. There are days that are slower then others, and I don't expect to "catch" everytime. It's called fishin, not catching. Tight lines and May your beer be cold out there on the little time that we have left to fish the hard stuff!

[coldcreekchris]

Back in my day, we had to walk ten miles to the lake, in 5 ft of snow with just a stick and string, and pops ol trusty dull ax to split open the ice. I appreciate all of the information on this site, you guys have opened up the ice fishing world to me. I admit, I was the new kid to ice fishin and had to ask the dumb questions, but I got the little bit of information I needed to get me rolling and I went out and figured out the tips I was given from this site. now I can't go out a time without hooking fish. There are days that are slower then others, and I don't expect to "catch" everytime. It's called fishin, not catching. Tight lines and May your beer be cold out there on the little time that we have left to fish the hard stuff!

actually it was 10 miles ...uphill..both ways...obviously the times are different...I don't feel like I had it hard cause at 12 yrs old my introduction to ice fishing was an axe a few feet out from the irrigation intake...actually quite blessed I had such an opportunity..and that Christmas there was hand auger and pole under the tree....sounds like you have made good use of the site tagger...best of luck in the future..sounds like ya got the ice fishin fever....

[SpitzoMT]

Tight lines and May your beer be cold out there on the little time that we have left to fish the hard stuff!

Right on !!

[Born Late]

As much as I enjoy this site, I’ll admit there are a few things that make me scratch my head.

Probably the biggest challenge for newbies is that most of us here are guys.  What's the percentage of guys who actually read the instructions before operating anything?  I'm guessing it's a pretty small number.  I can’t imagine many people go straight to the Help and (FAQs) link the first time they visit the site.  Understandably, they instead go straight to the page for their home state, and not yet having answered the bridge keeper’s three questions, they have no idea a separate FR&C page even exists because it’s invisible until you’ve graduated.  Hopefully the "New Members please read" and "There are TWO Montana boards" stuff at the top of the IFM page is helpful but they move up and down the list depending upon who commented on what last. So at least some of the frustration is a function of how the site works. 

Personally, I think the three post thing is a needless source of confusion and contention here but I guess it is what it is.  It really makes no difference to me if a newbie makes three blank posts, three grunts or three constructive full-page posts to gain access to the FR&C pages if they are unwilling to participate beyond what seems like a weird fraternity initiation ritual.  It quickly becomes clear where individuals fall on the give-versus-take scale and if they are likely to be a participant or a lurker. 

I think it's safe to say the public sharing of specific location info is the biggest hackle-raising concern to most here.  Even if you don't plan to return to a lake for the rest of the season, if you have mentioned doing well 100 yards west of the boat launch in 38 feet of water, guess where a lot of people will be focused the next day or weekend?  Say it and they will come. If you want to share your spot with someone else, cool, but consider sending a private message rather than erecting a billboard. 

Now everybody do their freeze dance! 

[PerchPounderMT]

I hear the perch are biting at Holter.... Those posts have vastly reduced the pressure on spots we do fish,it works both ways.

[bigredonice]

Good post CCC.
There's nothing wrong with some hand holding but expecting your hand to be held is a different story.
It seems this new generation of fishermen think the primary goal of fishing is to catch fish every time. News flash..
It's not.
The Montana Facebook ice fishing pages have become a joke. You can't even post a picture without the first comment being "where", followed by "how" etc.
Many of the pages I follow will boot people for posting specific water bodies because they've seen what social media does to fishing.
But now we have a MT page scolding people for not shairing all your hard earned information and success...
Get off your butt and make your own success....

100% absolutely true, same here in the northeast and even on the midwest facebook pages too.    And then they get mad when you won't give them every loving detail.   

[Born Late]

I hear the perch are biting at Holter.... Those posts have vastly reduced the pressure on spots we do fish,it works both ways.

True enough.

[gf hardwater guy]

Couldn't agree more with what cold water and others have said in this thread. Be respectful of the people on this forum. The words please and thankful will get you a long ways. Once you have your three posts, take the time to read the fishing reports and conditions links. There is a wealth of information in there and if something peaks your interest, as BL stated, use the PM function of the forum. I honestly don't mind sharing tidbits of this and that but I am surely not going to put your line in the water for you. Earlier this morning, I let basically a total stranger take my auger and drill several holes with it. He was polite, cordial and asked as one should. He asked how I was doing which I told him as far as fishing goes, terrible, but that the worse day fishing beats any day at work.   LOL!!! The PM function works great. A fellow poster did just that with me earlier this year and I answered his questions as well as I could. I went as far as to offer the next time I was out to let him know where I was going to give him some time behind a flasher. I'm a sucker for a poster that states in their post that they took a kid ice fishing. 

People should double check their messages before posting to ensure that they don't sound demanding and that a third party can actually understand what it is being asked of those on the forum. My mother to this day would slap me if I came off as some recent posters have made their requests sound to others.

Tight lines everyone!!! and yes everyone should be out doing their freeze dance. It is badly needed.   

[Mtwolfer]

What is this Facebook thing?  Where is it?  Is it just a bunch of faces?

I dont know what it is but I've heard its where 14 year old girls go to b***h about their boyfriends?

[bigredonice]

I dont know what it is but I've heard its where 14 year old girls go to b***h about their boyfriends?

thats what all the old guys say, thats for sure.

[hoofer]

when i look at the reports page i am looking for ice thickness,where pressure ridges are how the roads are etc. i do not expect fish catching reports as they are not important .you may post fishing was not good and me being a better fisherman than you i limit out.there for catch reports are to be taken with a grain of salt.i do not mind posting what bait,lures or what ever i use you will still find the right color and where on the lake to go and jigging or dead sticking. hell i will even tell you what i caught. that doesn't mean success.bottom line just get out and fish.

[doublehaul]

I rarely get on I.S. Anymore due to the reasons discussed on this thread. I have witnessed internet fishing reports have a direct impact (negative) on a few bodies of water. Although you may have your own personal ethics regarding selective harvest, you can bet the other 500 fishermen that read your report do not share your passion for conservation. We are in the age of instant information-before you post that photo or write that epic report, scratch your head for a moment on what short term and long term impact it may have on your local honey hole.

[Mt_opie]

On the 3 posts deal!
I just joined for the single reason of finding out if there was still good ice on Newlan before making the 3 hour drive there today. When I signed up it took me a while to figure out I needed those 3 posts to get access to that section, to which I was slightly irritated at first. It did however make me actually get into reading the stuff going on first and thus appreciate the site before using and abusing it. This is my 3rd post and I'm glad the feature is there.

[oleike]

I grew up fishin and a huntin thinkin that there is bigger fish and animals over the next hill so not knowing a lk. is what i love the most. I can get on the lk. and explore the **** out of it. Half the fun is in the exploration. Having said all this...my knees/shoulders hurt as ive been doing this for 40 yrs. now.

[SpitzoMT]

I rarely get on I.S. Anymore due to the reasons discussed on this thread. I have witnessed internet fishing reports have a direct impact (negative) on a few bodies of water. Although you may have your own personal ethics regarding selective harvest, you can bet the other 500 fishermen that read your report do not share your passion for conservation. We are in the age of instant information-before you post that photo or write that epic report, scratch your head for a moment on what short term and long term impact it may have on your local honey hole.

It's sad.....but very true DH.....Something we should all keep in mind for sure !!