short videos from last season, modified more augers and open discussion

[logicallycompromised]

hello good sirs and misses,
i have some, unedited connecticut yellow perch footage i never shared publicly from 10-11 months ago and will open a discussion to help pass some time till ice fishing.  the first 5 minute video allows one to see the fish finder screen much better and there is more to glean from the video compared to the second; i make mistakes and adjustments to catch more fish.  there are two connecticut trophy perch caught in the second 4 minute video.  there are some tips offered and one can see how parts of the system work in both videos.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R0QYrbMxLZdvjyyoXA8Zw5w3viIk0643/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RbPQrCDmfHTWI9rNxIcYYFsMi1lSQ_LT/view?usp=sharing

i fish the same vertical system year round i use for ice fishing.
what i learned in the off season?
i was able to try out some outstanding fisheries this year and gained some resolution where the wall is with the smaller jigs; fish a 5mm tugsten jig 95% of time, 6mm and added 3mm.  simply put, one needs to match the hatch of what the fish predominately eat.  can you catch some large fish on small stuff, yes, but if you size the presentation correctly you will catch more and larger fish; error on small side rather than larger size until you have information to suggest otherwise.  poorer fisheries will fish much better on the small side; why do you think?  the better you can suggest life (food) the less likely size and color play a role in the presentation.

i pushed my personal best yellow perch back 1/4" to 14.25" in september.  during the same trip,  i landed my first lake trout and did not have the rod nor line to close the deal on a larger laker in about 90 foot of water; too much line stretch and rod deflection, had the fish "hooked" for about 15 seconds.  i suspect it was in the 24-28" range; the 3 i landed were ~21".  it all happened in about 15 minutes and the trout were happy to eat the 6mm jigs without much coercing.  although this experience went okay, i underestimated the effects of a good fishery and overestimated how successful the normal system i use would be outside of winter.  upon reflection and discussion with some people, we made sense of it all and i hinted at the conclusion in the previous paragraph.

i came up with a resent solution which will allow me to present an up-scaled dressing on the 6mm jigs.  i had a positive experience with it already but needed to make some additional changes.  i am likely moving to upstate new york soon and will have added chances to evolve the system which do not present themselves often in connecticut.

of the handful of people i have shared the system with, my brother has hit the ground running this year.  i have a new fishing buddy who's passion approaches mine.  we went for 200+ fish (mostly crappie) in middle of october and he bought me the upgraded finder i wanted because the experience; striker 4+.  the slightly larger screen with little interference is a godsend compared to exposed and corroded transducer wires had been using. he also bought some nice gear which motivated me to build some better rods.  i use the same blanks i previously did but i added them inside of other broken blanks i had.  these are solid carbon and i sand them as they are spun in a drill to create a softer tip action but with stronger back bone of the hollow, lower rod sections ; similar to a tickle stick?  the added flex helps keep the fish hooked and the back-bone allows one to put more pressure on larger fish.


the auger diameters are 4.5", two 6" and 8".
in the newer design of the global warming augers, i drill and tap the end for a "pilot bolt" which i then sharpen so that the auger is more controlled in use.  simpler, more efficient design without the added welding process.  i think i will need an 8" auger this year so i recently bought one and made another 6" to give to my father and brother.  as you may recall, these attach directly to a milwaukee 1200in/lb drill with 9/16"-18 output thread shaft after you remove the chuck; saves weight and tightens as you use it.

peace and long life!

[Hooking]

Thanks for sharing, and congrats on your first laker. The only issue here is that you use Milwaukee instead of DeWalt Merry Christmas and good luck this season.

[logicallycompromised]

thank you!  be safe and may the laws of probability be in your favor as well!

i recall the dewalts at the time were 2nd most powerful and had a better chuck.  i knew i would be removing the chuck and attaching the auger directly to drill output shaft so having a worse chuck was a non issue.  i have no allegiance to a brand and found a couple reviews stating the oem m18 batteries preformed better in cold weather.  the choice was easy at the time and i do not regret it yet.  sounds like, in the professional environment the milwaukee's may have a poor reputation?  so long as i get a couple more years out of it i will not be disappointed and will favor them again when i need to replace unless there are more powerful alternatives.  i do not use it much outside of ice fishing so that should help extend the service life.  my first ice fishing season i hauled around a model 30 jiffy which weighed 38 pounds by itself.  it feels much better to use the cordless drill and global warming style augers now.

i still need a better system to carry rods as i suspect at some point in near future i will break one in transportation.  for the poorer fisheries i am content to bring just 2 setups but when i start getting into minto pinto fisheries i will be reluctant to bring the extra 4-6 rods until i can manage them better and not worry about breaking any.  now that i am talking about it, i will look into solutions tonight.  i think a hard case rod holder offers better protection but will be too heavy and bulky for me to justify. i will look into making or buying some soft fold-able case.

i also needed to replace the first 7ah lead acid battery this year, new ones go for about 17-20$ and a LiFePO4 was only 31$.  the LiFePO4 will last 1000's of cycles longer, up to 10 years and saved close to 3 pounds for similar amp hours.  it all adds up and makes it easier to backpack into remote places or walk further to locate fish.

this 3 pounds i saved will probably be replaced by an underwater camera so that i can get additional feedback on the experiments and learn more about where some of this fish call home.  the more feedback one gets and the better questions they ask can allow them to gain resolution quickly.
be safe!

[V Menzone]

In my older age I got into going to the gym to carry extra weight around so I would practice carrying an extra 30 lbs on the ice with you if you plan on having kids. Didn't take me long to get used to the extra weight.

[logicallycompromised]

this active mind which helps me solve problems in fishing, creates immense anxiety outside of those things i enjoy.  it will take a special set of circumstances for me to have a child and as i have watched life play out, i am not holding my breath.  i will be getting back into the gym to rebuild the little muscle i did have, which has atrophied over the last 10+ years.  the weight training will make tasks easier but i will still find joy in refining things with a clear purpose.

i received an update about the dream job in upstate new york today and solid traction is being made, still have a couple hurdles to clear but the bulk are behind us. i will have access to some of the best fisheries and have 4 days off each week if i want to fish or pick up additional hours.   i am excited to learn about all these other species i have little experience with; walleye, muskie, northern pike, freshwater drum, lake trout, great lake brown and rainbow trout, burbot, bowfin, carp, smallmouth bass, steelheads. 

if i am still around in two weeks i wanted to try for 200 jigging fish on public ct water.  i feel confident i can get about 150 but that last 50 are a large question mark as i will probably need to catch many under low light.  the last time i was there i went for 120 with 93 being crappie but the days have gotten shorter.  i will have an underwater camera to record more experiments by then but the place i really want to get on will probably not be safe.  i may travel back home in about a month to see family and fish that water.

based on the forecast, eastern ct will have some options to fish within 2 weeks.  so long as i am around, i will push the boundaries to get out before most.

be safe, peace and long life!