Hit the wall of ice

[hot tuna]

Hit the ice wall today.
16 week's straight, 30 plus days and well over 400 hrs, I'm toast.
Captured every species I targeted.
Walked new waters. But I gotta say, I'm tired.
Ready to start thinking on the farm and garden as well as pulling the boat out to prepare for stripers and possibly back to the great lake Ontario.
Could easily again put another year of 20 plus weeks in but the fat lady is starting to warm up the pipe.
I may pull off a nice pre spring day trip and see some fellow iceman out there but I just need a break to relax.
Good luck to everyone and stay safe.
I'm sure I'll miss it when its gone.
2018-19 was a hell of a ride
Peace and tuna

[Yotecatcher]

Almost done myself, been a great year for myself also just need that pike and a waldo or two. Times running out on those. I've gotten some nice trout,perch, crappie and bluegills and a few bullheads. Happy boating

[hot tuna]

I actually enjoy farming and gardening.
We raise pigs, chickens and cann most all our garden harvest. That's the focus right now.
Aside from the annual striper run , boating took a back seat last year. Now that we are well established,  I'd like to get back to just relaxing on the boat more

[got em]

  say it ain't so tuna .  . . Nobody likes a quitter .  . . Didn't fish today  .   but I am messing with my striper stuff in the garage. . Gardening ? . . Yup gotta get started . . Tight lines brother. . 

[hot tuna]

say it ain't so tuna .  . . Nobody likes a quitter .  . . Didn't fish today  .   but I am messing with my striper stuff in the garage. . Gardening ? . . Yup gotta get started . . Tight lines brother. . 

True that.  I'm not quitting,  just burned  out. As they say, " it's better to burn out , than fade away "
If we were able to do the open water trip this week things might have been different.
Right now I need to recharge.

You surely have to jump on the good ship lollipop with us for stripers this year 😉

[fullThrottle]

Lol probably burnt out from walking so much. That’s why I fish with an atv  . I’m big into boating. I get a stock pile of upgrades ready to go into the boat. All new simrad electronics going in this year. Planning a couple trips to cape cod , Plymouth , and south nj. Maybe lake George for a weekend and it sits on the great sacandaga for the remainder of the season. Oh yeah and the Hudson slip in the spring .

[hot tuna]

Waking keeps me in shape instead of fat and lazy. I walk our 863 acres atop a mountain all hunting season,  ATV only comes off truck when brown is down.
I'm a VERY active person.
I personally prefer to walk a stream than boat a lake. 
My boat was docked on lake Ontario for 5 years right after stripers were done but trolling got boring every week so I took last year off, maybe I'll get back there this year so the grandkids can have some fun

[fullThrottle]

Me and my wife and Rowan sleep on the boat every weekend. I wouldn’t keep the boat at Ontario, that’s a haul. If I’m driving that far I’m going to salt water !

[hot tuna]

Me and my wife and Rowan sleep on the boat every weekend. I wouldn’t keep the boat at Ontario, that’s a haul. If I’m driving that far I’m going to salt water !

I also sleep on boat,  we've slept 3.
You mean 4 hrs plus dragging a boat to salt is better than 3 hrs leaving it a marina and the commute to fresh water by car. nahh,. we go to Rhode island on foot and clam for our good eats

[Yotecatcher]

Well ya know what they say about Boats
Break
Out
Another
Thousand
Just kidding. Y'all have a terrific rest of the yr.. I'm looking for a trailer for my ATV so I can get a little further back in the woods trappin this fall. Pm me if anyone knows where I can find one that won't break the bank.
                             Thanks

[hot tuna]

Obviously craigslist would be a start.  Also look for a junk pop up.
I stripped my old pop up
We also bit the bullet and got one at tractor supply too,  it really wasn't that bad at under 600 considering it's new and no worries. Only regret there was I should have threw down a grand instead to fit 2 atvs

[fullThrottle]

I also sleep on boat,  we've slept 3.
You mean 4 hrs plus dragging a boat to salt is better than 3 hrs leaving it a marina and the commute to fresh water by car. nahh,. we go to Rhode island on foot and clam for our good eats

Lol yeah I love salt water fishing. I have a ram 2500 with a Cummins. The towing isn’t an issue. My boats only 27 feet 11k.  A 3 hour drive to a seasonal dock is pretty far. I dock at the great sacandaga it’s  less then an hour.

[Jakemanges123]

I’ve been at it hard since first ice. 3-4 times a week. But I’ll be out there till it ends. I know I’m gonna miss it in August so i make the most out of it now. Best part of the season is just starting.

[SSmokinn SS]

I agree. The ice needed to melt about a month ago. Not sure why it’s still solid out there 

[hot tuna]

I agree. The ice needed to melt about a month ago. Not sure why it’s still solid out there 

3  months ago I was on ice and not wishing it would melt.  I don't now either but I'm beat from actually fishing

[hot tuna]

Lol yeah I love salt water fishing. I have a ram 2500 with a Cummins. The towing isn’t an issue. My boats only 27 feet 11k.  A 3 hour drive to a seasonal dock is pretty far. I dock at the great sacandaga it’s  less then an hour.

Depends on if your fishing or just playing on a boat.  I can easily dock my boat within 10 minutes from the house but I prefer fishing

[Yotecatcher]

Obviously craigslist would be a start.  Also look for a junk pop up.
I stripped my old pop up
We also bit the bullet and got one at tractor supply too,  it really wasn't that bad at under 600 considering it's new and no worries. Only regret there was I should have threw down a grand instead to fit 2
atvs

Yes I've looked for some seems as though everyone wants almost as much as a new one. I'm probably gonna get one there just thought I'd check around on here because ya never know.

[fullThrottle]

Yeah your best best is to get a new small one at tractor supply or Lowe’s they are pretty cheap and will last a few years. If your looking to get one to last get an aluminum trailer. They last forever and are super lightweight but they  12-14 foot is a good size for Atv’s. You can fit 2 plus gear.

[Yotecatcher]

Thanks FT never thought about aluminum 👍🏼 but yeah you're right about that. I've got a little time yet.

[fullThrottle]

Yeah the aluminum is the way to go. Less weight the trailer is the more payload you can haul on it. That trailer is only a few hundred pounds. Rowan can roll it around. I added a salt shield and cargo box on the front for straps and what not.

[Yotecatcher]

Now ya got my wheels spinning 👍🏼

[hot tuna]

Aluminum is 3xs the cost.
Not everyone is inherently endowed.
Aluminum does rot as well  especially with the recycled tin cans they are using today, you just do see it until it's a disaster.
My 1963 pop up trailer is still standing to this day.
Granted,  we will see how long the 600 TS utility trailer lasts but I think I could by 2 in a lifetime at less than 1 aluminum would cost

[fullThrottle]

The steel trailers will be rust buckets in a few years if your using it all winter with the salt. That’s why snowmobile are mostly aluminum . Aluminum trailer with aluminum floor is the way to go. No wood or steel to rot out and it will still look good in 20 years.

[Yotecatcher]

Both good points I'm still looking 😂😂 until I'll be walking in the woods and on the ice 🤣

[hot tuna]

The steel trailers will be rust buckets in a few years if your using it all winter with the salt. That’s why snowmobile are mostly aluminum . Aluminum trailer with aluminum floor is the way to go. No wood or steel to rot out and it will still look good in 20 years.

Not really,  so many of those snowmobile trailers are junk . They were made and used for weight purposes.
Aluminum will pit and rot from the inside out turning them to pure dust.
If you clean and keep steel covered with paint it will last as long if not longer.
At least with steel you can see and. Take care of the cancer before it progresses

[fullThrottle]

Not sure about that tuna. I trailer every day. Steel trailers don’t last at all. That trailer in the picture is a 1996 aluminum I haul 100+ snow blowers a month with it and it still looks new. It’s got a little pitting on the underside but that’s about it. I’ve had my fair share of steel trailers and they just don’t last as long. Also why most big rig trailers are aluminum. Just makes a better trailer.

[got em]

  Steel vs. aluminum. . If you take care of both they should last forever. . Actually did get out today for a couple hours. . Local res. Near me. . Two perch. . Got checked by the man. . Very nice fellow. . Asked for license . . No prob. . BS for a while. . Gonna have a few cold ones now and do some work in the garage. . . 

[T-Rok]

Tired of ice fishing..Haha! I dont think so. I also have a nice trolling boat and get a lot of big trout/ salmon and pike all year. But the best is ice fishing. I look forward to it all year. Something about it makes it the best. I'm not exactly sure what "it" is but ice fishing beats boat fishing. Even if the fish are generally smaller. Winter is my favorite season. Someone once told me if you live in NY you need to participate with winter or you will hate it. In which case you should move out. But if you have something to look forward to winter is awesome. Ice fishing makes winter awesome for me.

[sodussut]

It's the beautiful lakes we have in New York for sure! And the fishing is great; sometimes not the catchin'.Who cares especially if you don't eat fish like me.See you on the streams with the fly rod for the next 9 months.

[Clint S]

I have 2 trips on my tractor supply trailer and the fenders are already pitted and rusty. I am not impressed. Will repaint this summer and see.