What do you do with your spear?

[reproman]

I know it may be a little early, but I'm about ready to trade mosquitoes for shoveling! I've always just rested a tine in the ice under the surface and the shaft on my shoulder. But, I was watching The Frozen Chosen, and they seamed to have theirs hanging from the ceiling of their shacks. Do they use a peg, a hook, magnet, or what? Just curious what others are doing. My method works fine, except when adding wood to the fire.

[Highball]

Lean mine against the wall on my right.

[runout]

I have a 1 1/2"X  3/16" length of round stock welded to a plate that I have screwed to one of the roof 2X4s and hang the spear from it. It hangs over the right corner of the hole. Keeps the spear off of the floor, out of my hands and out of the way when not in. It also minimizes movement when a fish comes in. In my old darkhouse I kept it on the ice or the floor next to the hole leaning on my shoulder until one day (it was about -15) and I stuck one early and then didn't see anything for about two hours. When the next fish came in I hit him right behind the gills, and I say hit him because he was only stunned. After about 4-5 seconds he swam off! I was at a loss. Until I checked my tines and there was a small ball of ice on the point of each tine. I made the hanger the next day and have kept my spear off the floor ever since. I will say that my old darkhouse was uninsulated and drafty and I don't believe that the same thing would happen in my new house. 

[reproman]

I have a 1 1/2"X  3/16" length of round stock welded to a plate that I have screwed to one of the roof 2X4s and hang the spear from it. It hangs over the right corner of the hole. Keeps the spear off of the floor, out of my hands and out of the way when not in. It also minimizes movement when a fish comes in. In my old darkhouse I kept it on the ice or the floor next to the hole leaning on my shoulder until one day (it was about -15) and I stuck one early and then didn't see anything for about two hours. When the next fish came in I hit him right behind the gills, and I say hit him because he was only stunned. After about 4-5 seconds he swam off! I was at a loss. Until I checked my tines and there was a small ball of ice on the point of each tine. I made the hanger the next day and have kept my spear off the floor ever since. I will say that my old darkhouse was uninsulated and drafty and I don't believe that the same thing would happen in my new house.

I like that idea.I may try something like that. The hanger, not the bouncing off a fish☺!

[Martian]

although I never have, I was thinking of fabricating a piece of metal,( less then the width you the tines of you spear),to be shaped like half a swastika and figure a way to affix it to the floor of shanty,( in a permanent, this would be easy) I was thinking more about how to hook it to the ice. then the spear would rest on the bottom part and actually hang suspended in the water. If the middle part is long enough, the head of the spear would be under water. I was even going to make it in 2 parts, drill a hole in the middle so it could slide up and down to make the center part longer to accommodate  the ice thickness. Then, a fish comes in, I am sitting right behind it , grab it and push forward, boom. For now, it just stand against the shanty to my right. I may think about doing this this year