[CONTEST] What is it about ice fishin' that is just so darned addiciting?

[Bean]

Good one tip-up. That picture is classic and I love that you didn't put any words under it. Good job.

[TJG]

I wrote this last night for post on My Fish Finder. This was from the heart before I seen this contest, but I could use a new touque!!!

Re: What's so cool about Ice Fishing anyways?
« Reply #14 on: Today at 02:32:57am » Reply with quote Modify Remove 

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Just picture this:
The alarm goes off at 6am, it's pitch dark out, you start the coffee, start the truck, check out the wind chill on the Weather network, watch a few minutes of Teenage Ninja Turtles, make some lunch, fill the thermos with coffee, grab the bait, grab the auger from the garage and drive to the lake. Pop the truck into 4X4, undue your seatbelt and drive on the lake to the shack. It is still dark as you light a fire in the stove and punch some fresh holes in the ice. As you scoop out the slush from the holes, the fire is starting to warm the shack. You bait an already rigged up rod and drop it to the lake floor. You flip the radio on and set up the sonar as you take a swig of coffee. As you see the mornings first light sneak in through a warped board in the roof, your ice rod starts to bounce up and down, you look at your sonar and it looks like a monster, you set the hook and there's some weight on the other end! Your drag is set just right and as she tugs, it lets out a little scream, the radio is play some long forgotten tune, the sun is invading every opening you have in the shanty. As you look down the hole you catch a glimpse, it's a walleye, 4-5 pounds by the look of her, she takes another short run just under the hole! As you reel in you reach down the hole an grab her by the scruff of the neck, she relaxes to your touch and you remove the hook. She’s beautiful, giving a wiggle as she tries to go free and as you slip her back in the water, you can't help be notice the grin you’re sporting, from ear to ear.

[skulldugary]

The answer is in the question......"JUST SO DARNED ADDICTING"

[Fat Boy]

Tip up, now I have to type 1,001 words to keep up with ya!  I like that by the way, very cool, but there's only one problem with it, LOL.  It's a wind flag!!!  HEE HEE   HAW HAW!!!!  (OK, I'm kidding, still love the pic)

Cider, I'm not posting my answer until October 31st!  I think that the rest of the 9,000 might do the same!!!!

Guess I better start writin' soz I can get to my 1,001 words by then

[Bean]

  You know...there aren't any saplings in the middle of a frozen lake!! 

But there are tip up flag arms that find a way of snapping somehow when bubblehead is around!!!

[grumpymoe]

Darn hard time staying out of this post....hopefully, will have pics of the shanty set up on hardwater, and my story to go along with it by Oct 31st...grump ....should take of pic of that dawgie....                                                                                                                 

[scuba]

You know Grumpy told me I should come out and check out this site and this contest. This is my first post here, but I have recently joined Myfishfinder.
What is so addictive about icefishing? As I watched team Canada defeat the Slovacs 5-0 , I kept finding myself pondering this question over and over.
To me the appeal in icefishing lays in two forms, serious and simple.
In my boat every trip is serious. The waking up real early, charging batteries, gassing up boat and loading it up with everything you can load into a boat. All to beat the deadline of the rising sun which comes up a heck lot earlier in the summer months.
However once the ice comes sealing away the outside world. I come to my first appeal of the ice. Just as the ice seals the water from the outside world. I find also that the same ice seals me away from the outside world. I enjoy the peace and the serenity that I get sitting on the ice alone. Sitting in my little tent with my eyes glued to my flasher. It is like my eyes, my thoughts, my heartbeat all become insinc with the little flashing lines on the sonar. Catch a walleye here a perch there. You than find that you are smiling to yourself. It is then you are ready to follow your footsteps in the snow back to the world you just tried to leave behind.
My second appeal to icefishing is almost the complete opposite to the first. Sometimes I awake and have found that the social being in me has awaken too. This is the side of me that like to be surrounded by friends. Cooking deer sausage, we even ordered pizza once from the ice.  This is the less serious side of me. I feel the periodic glance at the rods is ok, as compared to the eagle eye stare. I can visit fellow anglers, joke around and form the long lasting friendships that I enjoy and cherish as I write this.
When everyone cries about the snow coming. I find myself getting excited as I know a part of me is about to be released and free.
 
 
 
 

[TJG]

Right on Scuba and welcome, I read ya on the Loony beaver, glad to have ya here too.

[fishingonly2002]

I think it is awesome how it can be such a laid back sport, and with the click of a tip-up it can be the most heart pounding adventure of your life. the variety of the different colored gummy bears  and the different depths you set your traps at. the anticapation of what the next colored gummy bear could be, and what the next fish could be. the harsh days are my favorite. proving to myself I can withstand natures cold crisp nights.

 the variety, the anticipation the pride, is all in a days work.

[Mugz]

I'll make this short sweet and simple..........What else would you be doing in the dead of winter as an outdoorsman? To get our "fixes" we bundle up, load up the
"gear and beer" (I think I'll copyright the phrase) and head out onto a local lake or pond with a few buddies. When else can you eat Buffalo Wings on the grill for breakfast at the crack of dawn, watching your tip-up flags go off during the morning bite? Pure Bliss.............it takes a rare breed to be serious about the sport, which is why I think the ICESHANTY has been so succesful. We don't get much accolades for doing it but we are true outdoorsmen.......bott om line. It's in our blood.

[BJ]

You just brought tears to my eyes man!!

[baginwal]

Winter:  That time of year when the bulk of the population stays indoors, huddled under blankets, watching the tube and gorging on carbohydrates until the green grass of spring appears.

For those brave souls who refuse to allow snow, wind, rain and cold from preventing their favorite pastime, icefishing was born.  Simply put:  Good friends, good times and an experience that can only be appreciated once tried.

Personally, I think Tip-ups entry (pic of flag) says it all.  When i saw this I could sense the wind and snow and the feeling one gets when the flag raises.

Bring on Winter!

[camo_fish]

(Image removed from quote.)

[livesnorth]

In the north its the only time of the year in Alberta that we can get into many of the lakes that never see a lure unless you can afford to fly a float plane.We build winter roads made of ice that lets us drive and r.v. into some beautiful places and at the same time allow us to expose our children to small communities of native ppl who have not had the influences of the day to day rush of life that revolves on money.Besides who can resist 15" or larger perch,20lb + northern pike,10lb+ burbot and the true gold of the north WALLEYE!!


          Shel

[BushMaster]

The sun setting over a ridge of pines and solid tug on end of your lines. A flag goes up and a bobber goes down all of which makes the world go round. Because only here where the eagles fly and crows can cry can a man look up at a clear blue sky and see that only he can catch the 'eye.

[nunzio]

 
Tip Up's pic is very hard to beat!! I don't use tip-ups much but that photo really got me going!!

For me, Ice Fishing is so addicting because it has everything you want/need/crave in a sport/hobby. Excitement,anticipation, phycical exhaustion, mental relaxation, joy, sorrow....... all of the highs and lows or extremes that make any endeavor worth while. The best part is that you can "adjust" the intensitity of your experience any way you wish. From "camping out" in one spot, to "running and gunning". The choice is yours. You can even choose to share the experience or go it alone. Besides, I just like doing it!!   

[peple of the perch]

first of all u can go anywhere on the lake and fish it.also it is in the middle of winter and ur walking on the lake.its also the only fishingu can do in the winter.and u can be one with nature.fishen on the ice on a 5 gallon bucket. and u can get away form all of the stressfull things in life.and it only comes 2-3 months of the year and it is the only thing to do during winter.and it is a great way to bond with ur family. because it is just u and them(and all of the other fishermenon the lake).

[fishincrazy]

Man I can not wait until the season starts.  I pick up my 4wheeler this week and it is just in time for hunting then it will be turned into my ice shanty limo.  Man I can not wait until the hard ice is here, waiting sucks.

[icy mike]

You must be patient 'grasshoppa'.  Just as a watched pot never boils, an open lake never freezes.  Here in the extreme north we received an early present... about 3 inches of snow.  Winter's rush is gaining momentum, but we must patiently wait... patiently wait.  And in the end, Mr. Fishincrazy, you are correct- waiting sucks!

Icy Mike
Palmer, Alaska

[NAD42]

 Lake George lakers slamming my offering. Good Luck out there this year... most.

[ajwiez2]

It is like better than going to church you can't help but feeling like your closer to GOD as when I go I am able to walk on the water and be able to feed the people too,it is like heaven on earth it really does not get any better.

[killitandgrillit]

I'm from wisconsin. I was born wearing a packers jersy, and the first place I walked to was the Weber grill to brown a venison backstrap to perfection. Wonder how this ties in? Tailgating. That's right my friend, tailgating. There's nothing better in the world than fishing...OTHER than fishing AND tailgating. Try making the perfect Brat while on a bass boat. It cant be done my friend...if it could, wisconsinites would do it. Friends, Food, Beer, and FISHING!!!! Hardwater is the goods bro.

[missfishylicious]

tip ups picture says it but I'll put it in words
icefishing renews my soule

[Thriller]

icefishing renews my soule

Shouldn't that be sole 

[penna]

 Ice fishing is great ive been at it for 26 years and the longer im married the better it gets its a sport that where im from people dont get up set if you fish to close no one bothers you  but the main reason I CANT STAND INSECTS and their not arround!

[oakorchardfishking]

for me, i would have to say that the two best things about ice fishing are... the solitude if you want it, but on the other hand the people you can meet and friends you can make!
the solitude of ice fishing is unique! unlike being out on a boat... you can find a little piece of ice if you want your own privacy! people usually see the lone shanty and dont bother it! you can relax and enjoy the scenery all by yourself if thats how you want to be... where as if you are on a boat, it almost never fails that if you are in a lone space of the lake, it is inevitable that someone will come by just to investigate.
and on the other hand... the people you can meet and friends you can make are amazing! if you are in a cluster of shanties, someone always says hi, how are you doing? someone always offers a little conversation! the best part of it for me was the day my friend and i were on conesus lake here in NY... we have always said on here to use channel 7 on the radios for iceshanty contact... so i called out! buckshotjon responded back, being only about 25ft. away from where we were! my friend and i walked over to him to talk, it was great to finally put a face to a name i had chatted with often on iceshanty! from this meeting with buckshotjon, arose the so-far anual conesus lake iceshanty party! it has been a success both years we have had it and has grown stronger the second year running! cant wait to see if it grows even more this year!
but who would have thought that walking on ice to go fishing would have created such an opportunity to meet so many people (about 88 the first year and about 165 the following year at the ice party) and be given the great chance to make friendships out of a situation like that!
cant wait for that day again this ice season! hope it grows to an even higher number this year!

[hali-man]

It will, Oak. Those are great times...
(Especially when you pull a huge pike through the ice, heh?)

[oakorchardfishking]

that was a nice pike! i have the picture hanging right here over my desk! but fish aside, the people we all got to meet and become friends with is much more valuable to me! just to sum up how NY fisherman come together... in a matter of 3 weeks after talking with buckshot and deciding to do the first ice party, we accumulated 88 people (roughly)! thats a true show of sportsmanship in my opininon, especially considering how everyone came together to donate and help coordinate things for the parties both years! its absolutely incredible!

[billditrite]

(Image removed from quote.)

Scott and Cider,this is definately the answer you are looking for.send the man his new hat.awesome pic tipup ,just beautiful,the tranquility of this photo is stunning,yet anyone who loves icefishing,as we do,know the excitement that flag brings with it so you have the best of both worlds in one pic.

[smitty]

There's nothing like the sounds of power augers cutting through the ice off in the distance first thing in the morning. The mystery of what's beneth the ice when a flagggg goes up. It's like the surprise in a cracker jack box.You know there's something down there and you can't wait to see what it is.The crisp cold winter mornings,a bright sunshine,a cold breeze an excellant excuse for that early morning Irish coffee to warm you up.
I like to check out other icefishing shanties/set ups to see the different ideas people come up with to make icefishing a bit more interesting .I swear icefishermen are the most intervative people on earth!!
oh and one more thing just getting outside with your buddies sharing some "stories" ,some beers and yell out FLAGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    now how can you beat that?

smitty