south central M&G

[Rdrash]

I was thinking about concetrating on a meet and greet type of thing that was being kicked around last year

Since I live in the valley I'm gearing this toward us folks in south central.

I was thinking of maybe finger lake because it can produce large fish as well as having a decent population of smaller fish and with the ability to use bait it may be more attractive for families with children.. and it is centrally located in southcentral (sorry Fairbanks and Kenai).

I'm going to shoot for a weekend in the begining of december for the following reasons.. with the holidays in the latter of the month and people leaving state the first weekends make sense its also a good excuse for your wife to let you open any fishing related gifts early

this is also the time that the ice is really safe to drive on while thick ice may come earlier the extra ice is comforting for parking 20+ vehicles  wich is what I am going to shoot for...

also it seams at the first of the year the fishing slows way down for what ever reason ( water temps inversion food who knows ) but I do know through experience the fishing slows in january and we shift to Pike for a month or two until the rainbows and char come back out..

also what good would it be to pick up some techniques late in the year. Then you may have to wait all summer to try out something new you learned..


Right now I can offer a Grill for food and three to five burn barrels with wood to keep people warm if the weather turns cold and a quick flip three and probaly can drag out a hard shanty from one of the other lakes tinman and I fish...

what else are on people minds for an Ice fishing seminar/meet and greet day  ( what do you want to see or know about )


maybe while there we can cover

wood/ permanent shanty construction........ti nman and I can probly drag ours to finger lake
vexlar operation.........this is what is really keeping me from buying one
underwater camera demo......... maybe three rivers will bring one out.. once again I would probaly buy one after seeing it work.
different types of rods........ their lengths and uses      once again maybe three rivers will help out
lines and reels.... .....just as important as the rods
portable shanty types........we will need people to show up with their own then we can see pros and cons on different types
bathymetrical maps of popular lakes.......available online but alot easier to get if you can just grab a copy


So comments please....

[Grizzly1]

I'm in for a SC M&G, no vex or hi-tec equipment here though.

[Tinman]

soooo, is Nov 17th out of the question?

looking at the rest of this post it doesn't appear that there is much interest (yet)
I suppose it will pick up with the turning of the seasons and people start migrating back to "the shanty"

Go Aces!!!!!!!

[Rdrash]

soooo, is Nov 17th out of the question?

looking at the rest of this post it doesn't appear that there is much interest (yet)

Just waiting for the people to get back online maybe the ice on the glenn and the ditch divers this morning will be enough ICE to get people in the right fishing mindset.


Just to be clear this is an input thread as much as it is a thread letting people whats going...so lets hear idea's dates, RSVP's,  hell no we won't go's throw it out there and we can make this happen we do this for an offroad club in the summer and its so popular its moved to the fairgrounds and they charge admission... not what I'm looking for ust showing this can be a real good time and something people look forward to every year

[icy mike]

I'll be on the slope Nov 15-29.  A meet and greet sounds like a good time to me!  Finger Lake is just around the corner from the homestead for me. 

[AKanders]

I am in for the November dates.......or the december dates.......or wehenever!!  I have recently moved to Lazy Mtn. so I am gonna be all about the valley this season!  I have a vex that I will be happy to bring and demonstrate/share, although I am no expert yet.  I also have a healthy supply of wood that I would be happy to bring out to keep the heat on!  I would say the 17th of Nov. will be the best time, although that may be a strech for driving a bunch of rigs out on the ice.  I am down for Finger lake. 

To recap (since I am ADD prone today):
Where: Finger lake YES
When: Nov. 17th, or early dec. sounds good
What I can bring: vex, wood, protable eskimo shanty (not high class), fishin' gear, auger, and positive attitude to 40 degrees below zero (and Possibly a nice bath. map of the lake for everyone who comes out??? )

Well, there you have it!  If you would like any help gettin glogistics set up, shoot me a PM and I will do what I can! 

Cheers!

Jake

[greyghost]

I'm in for the 17th or when ever.  I can bring some burger & dogs if its nice enough to grill out.

A couple gear questions / topics   since I'm new ice fishin up here what other gear is necessary ?
Do I need tip ups & which ones work best?  Also do I need an auger extension ?  I have a gas auger but it looks like  its only about 30-32 inches of auger.
Thanks,
Greg

[Tinman]

Greyghost, tip ups are never a bad thing to have around. Most lakes you can run several lines fishing, others are limited to single line single hook so read up on your regs before trying new spots. I use a couple frabil pop ups, they are the orange disk kind but I always catch more fish on the rod  I'm holding.

You might be able to make it a full season without an extension but soon or later you'll need one and it'll be too late or too far to the store. I made mine, it's a but overkill at 16" long but keeps the carb nice and dry. You can get by with the standard 8" or whatever it is, they are cheap. It'd suck to drive an hour or two only to find out you couldn't quite drill a full hole. You didn't mention what diameter your auger is but a 10" auger is almost mandatory once you start getting into the big uns.

Tinman

[Doc Stubbs]

Count me in, I have a frabill and multiple rods/reels and a couple of years at the ice fishing from the midwest to Alaska.  More than willing to do some of the show and tell stuff. Ready for this warm weather to be over.......Doc Stubbs

[Doc Stubbs]

I'm in for the 17th or when ever.  I can bring some burger & dogs if its nice enough to grill out.

A couple gear questions / topics   since I'm new ice fishin up here what other gear is necessary ?
Do I need tip ups & which ones work best?  Also do I need an auger extension ?  I have a gas auger but it looks like  its only about 30-32 inches of auger.
Thanks,
Greg

I would recommend an extension if you plan on fishing around the state, last year i couldn't find mine and i ended up at hte trans or hte auger in the water, I went and bought a new one.  It also makes it easier on your back as the ice gets to the 36" or better mark.

[AKanders]

My calandar is already filling up into December.......

Anyone want to get together at Finger Lake on Nov. 24th(Full Moon!!) or Dec 1st??

Those are the two free weekends I have to do a SC M&G.....

As I said before, I have a 2 man shanty, auger, wood, a Vex, and assorted other gear......

My number is seven-two-seven, 4276 if anyone wants to call me up and chat about setting this up.  It would be sweet to make it happen and post some photos from the first big ice fishing event in the country....make all the other IS'ers jealous....

Lets make it happen!

Cheers!

Jake

[dan_f1422]

Do you think that we will have enough ice for a November M&G? I'm not sure how the lakes in the valley are shaping up but the ones here in Anchorage have a long ways to go before I'll think about setting foot on them. Anyway, you can count me in and can bring all of my gadgets along. Just keep me posted.

Thanks,

Dan

[campingfoool]

Has a firm date and location been decided yet? This is my second ice fishing season in Alaska and I'd like to meet some locals. Looking forward to the M&G!

[Tinman]

The lakes are still looking pretty soft, so much for me thinking Nov. 17th would be good.

I just returned from an extended trip outside to find that we just now got snow, let alone good lake ice.

I'll see Rdrash today and plan to drive around and eyeball some lakes this weekend, pray for a good cold snap so we can get out there and fish before Dec!

It is sure encouraging to see so many people interested. I like the idea of derby fishing South Central too, we've been mulling it over for years now. Have any of you ever set up and managed a derby before?

Tin

[Rdrash]

Okay I am back online now...yes ice is still thin some places are thick enough to fish but not with a large group of people or with vehicles on the ice..... so I was thinking the second or third week of december....

burn barrel or firepit several vehicles lots of people and holes... might not be a good idea on 6 inches of ice rainbow lake had four inches just two days ago....

[garnede]

Has anyone given this meet and greet any more thought?  I am new to ice fishing and would live to meet a few of you and pick your brain for tips and techniques.

David

[darkhousefisher]

Has anyone given this meet and greet any more thought?

I was wondering that myself?  It was a great idea, too bad old Ma Nature wasn't cooperating. Just let me know what I could do to help get this going again.  On a side note, I fish Memory Lake when I'm home and anybody is welcome to come out and watch the "Norwegian T.V." with me.

Darkhouse