Keeping your hole open

[wired]

Take twenty feet of copper tubing and make a coil just small enough in diameter to fit in a two pound coffee can. Then drill a 1/4" hole about 1" up from the bottom of the can. Then poke about 1" of tubing through the hole. Clean all paint off of area and skuff metal on both sides of hole and solder in place so it is water tight. Pull enough tube from top to make a horizontal spout about 15" long. Drill partial hole in ice next to your fishing hole. Fill can with ez light charcoal briquetts. Light charcoal and in a few minutes the hot coils will disperse hot water in fishing hole keeping it ice free. Does not work at high altitude 7000 ft or so. This is excellent for windlass jigging tip ups.

[SDfisher]

I like it, Old School, I talked about this with my old man the other day. And told him my plans. He said fisherman have done this for years, but has long been forgot in many fishing circles.

My only change up was, I dont predrill a hole. I just set the can a 1/4 the way over the hole. Put a few golf ball sized rocks in the bottom, and light the coals. The heat from the can will melt the ice fairly quick down to water level. once there it keeps the whole open. After a while the can melts further into the ice. And the rocks pull the can down keeping it perfectly level and buoyant in the water.

Sure makes checking tip ups at night a heck of alot easier.

[wired]

Yea I forgot to mention that it does need weight I melted some lead and poured it in there. Watch out when it starts thumping steam comes out pretty fast. DNR was checking some other guys and saw me pouring charcoal from the bag he didnt see my contraption and thought I was pouring it down in the water. You should have seen face when it started hissing. He left us alone after that. He knew we were hardcore And didnt even check our licenses. When adding molten lead use enough to cover tubing at the entry hole. I put it in a pail of water to keep it cool enough so the molten lead doesnt melt the solder this is very important!

[Big Oly]

Next time your out or think about it could you take some pics?

[rgfixit]

You really need to post some pics of that contraption. Best I've read about on here in many years. 

RG

[jaklakmak]

This is what I use. Works darn good too!

http://www.edgebyexpedite.com/store/quiver-magnet-h2o.html

[IDbasser]

This is what I use. Works darn good too!

http://www.edgebyexpedite.com/store/quiver-magnet-h2o.html

I have some of those from when I did a lot of duck hunting, I might have to try them out.

[jaklakmak]

Yup keeps the water rippled just enough not to freeze as fast.

[himby]

Solid idea, I might have to try that!!

[adkRoy]

or you could just buy a $4.00 foam hole cover.

[SDfisher]

tried them, work OK in some conditions.

but with late Jan and Feb temps right around or below zero at night. The last thing i want to find is a frozen down hole cover, a frozen hole that i have to chip with the possibility of having a lunk walleye on the other end.

or the inevitable, hole cover blowing away across the ice, in the oh so common, SD wind.

[rgfixit]

I still want to see a pic of the spitter in action. Sounds great.

RG

[mdrobny]

I still want to see a pic of the spitter in action. Sounds great.

RG

x2

[wired]

I cant do pics. It works. If I can make one I'm sure you can too. I build these for the work they do,and because its fun to see it work. I like even more when other guys see it because they don't believe how well it works and it usually gets a laugh out of em.