O/T - Hardwater Fix

[Species8472]

Nip opened on the 1st of January for ice fishing but due to the weather was only suitable for walk-on. I like to fish the south shore and there is no way to walk as the areas i hit are 10 to 20 miles from the nearest access at Wade's Landing on Fish Bay at the bottom of South Bay. So decided to give it a try this weekend. I knew there were still some dicey spots in South Bay due to the all the islands and channels with current but was hoping the forecast cold would address some of that. So the plan was to head up Thursday at lunch and go over gear on Thursday and than fish Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Well work took longer than expected and than the jack on the trailer was pooched so had to run buy a new one and install it and than the lights on trailer didn't work. Was positive the lights were a ground issue so did a down and dirty quick fix by bonding some #12 twist cooper to the trailer frame and than bonding it directly to the bumper - had no plans to unhitch the trailer for the weekend anyways. Ready to go - new jack and extra ground wire:



One minor issue on the mile long ride in to the cottage:



Did not get to the cottage until midnight so did not finish going through the gear until noon on Friday. At noon i headed over to Callander Bay as i knew the ice there was good enough for the sled. Never fished it before but parking is easy and free and looks to be very popular as can you walk on and be over fishable water in less than 1/2 mile. Staked out my 100 square feet in the seasonal shanty town and was fishing by 2 pm. Later than planned but got sidetracked helping and older gentleman pull out his seasonal hut. His trail sled wanted no part of pulling it. Skandy pulled him out no problem. Friday's view:


.
Fishing Friday was slow with just 2 walleye in the last 30 minutes. Both were +/- 14 inches. Saturday morning it was cold and clear. Decided to head back to Callander as I was hearing reports of 3 to 9 inches ice in South Bay. 9 inches is fine but 3 inches was not something i was happy to hear. Temperature Saturday morning in the parking lot at Callander:



A few pike and lots of perch were hitting steady all day. About mid late afternoon walleye joined the party and managed 6 eyes. Most were again right around the 14 inch mark but one was 16 inches and in the slot so he came home.

Sampling of Saturday's fish:







Saturday night as i was packing up a young lad approached me and explained his tracked Honda ATV had broken down and he and his girlfriend were stranded on the ice and was wondering if I could help. I said sure just let me finish packing up and we will head over and take a look. Got over there and the uber reliable Honda was not happy. I hooked up the Honda to the back of the Skandy with a tow strap, hooked my toboggan to the back of his ATV and than hooked his two Smitty sleds to the back of my toboggan. Than told him to get on the ATV and said his girlfriend was riding with me (she was not happy with him and frozen solid). Towed the whole conga train all to his truck. Tried to take a pic in the dark but didn't really turn out:



Sunday morning dawned sunny and -24 so i decided to head to Fish Bay and talk to some of the operators. I saw a post on Facebook indicating they were hauling bungalows out so that made me optimistic. Operators indicated that they had 9 inches on their haul route and as long i followed it out past the islands and channels i would be fine. So that's what i did. Headed 14 miles down the south shore (actually 16 miles as staying on the haul route added 2 miles). The last 7 miles i never cut another track or saw any other huts or fisherman. Peace and quiet like that is priceless - different world than the Callander shanty town. View along the shore:



Fishing was very slow to start with just one lonely perch and one walleye by 4 pm. Between 4 and 430 2 more walleye. Than nothing until 510 pm than all hell broke loose with 7 walleye in 20 minutes. Included 2 double headers a 17.5 inch slot keeper. And lastly a 24 inch tank that tangled my jigging rod line with my dead stick line. Got him back in the water looked at the tangled mess and called it a day. Sampling of Sunday's Fish - the 17.5 inch slot eye and an 11 inch perch that both came home:



So weekend totals:

18 walleye - two slot keepers and a 24 inch, balance were +/- 14 inches
4 pike - all 15 to 18 inches
8 perch - one 11 inch kept
1 tracked Honda ATV
1 seasonal hut

Ice thickness:

- Friday 9.5 inches, 8 black, 1.5 white
- Saturday didn't measure
- Sunday 13 inches, 10 black, 3 white

[Normous]

In the back of my mind yesterday I was thinking we should see a Nip ice report soon and Voila ... your 23 Nip Ice Fishing report right on time.
Never a dull moment because you never know what you might run into. Good Karma on you.
Cheers!

[PaulSpain]

You didn't get bored!!

I have never fished on ice, this way of fishing has always seemed curious to me. What do you do jigging with? with jigs like those of the sea? spoons? vinyls?

How delicious are the walleyes!! I never got to enjoy the pike, a strange taste for my palate. How did you cook it there?

[Carnivorous]

Traveling on the ice really puts a strain on our machines!

Looks like we won't have any ice down here on Lakee st clair once again and I'm out of perch!!

[Species8472]

You didn't get bored!!

I have never fished on ice, this way of fishing has always seemed curious to me. What do you do jigging with? with jigs like those of the sea? spoons? vinyls?

How delicious are the walleyes!! I never got to enjoy the pike, a strange taste for my palate. How did you cook it there?

For jigging on this particular trip i was using a 1/3 ounce spoon called a Little Cleo. The spoon was tipped with a live minnow (emerald shiner) about 3 inches long. Plastics (i think that is what you meant you said vinyls) are also used as well as lip-less crankbaits that make noise and imitate minnows.

Walleye are very delicious and a favorite among many freshwater anglers. Meat is white, flaky and almost sweet. Some people do eat pike here as well and taste varies depending on size and water temperature. Myself i don't bother i just put them back but will eat them when served to me. Perch is similar tasting and texture to walleye.

Cooking wise i like to pan fry fillets in bacon fat.

[PaulSpain]

For jigging on this particular trip i was using a 1/3 ounce spoon called a Little Cleo. The spoon was tipped with a live minnow (emerald shiner) about 3 inches long. Plastics (i think that is what you meant you said vinyls) are also used as well as lip-less crankbaits that make noise and imitate minnows.

Walleye are very delicious and a favorite among many freshwater anglers. Meat is white, flaky and almost sweet. Some people do eat pike here as well and taste varies depending on size and water temperature. Myself i don't bother i just put them back but will eat them when served to me. Perch is similar tasting and texture to walleye.

Cooking wise i like to pan fry fillets in bacon fat.

Spoons are my favorite lure, used well they are infallible.
My best pike have been with them:


By lipless crankbait I suppose you mean the Lucky craft LV or Rattlin Rapala type? I have seen these used in vertical fishing from a boat but not on ice. I thought they don't work in cold temperatures, I've only used them when the fish were very active.
I used them a lot in fast fishing for Smallmouth Bass, but horizontally, from shore or float tube.

I signed up for the trick of frying in fat, I'll try it, thanks. I always did it with sunflower or olive oil.

[Normous]

Pablo, I suggest making your own Bacon Fat .

Take my arrows and your Excalibur and GO Bacon Fat hunting.

[PaulSpain]

Pablo, I suggest making your own Bacon Fat .

Take my arrows and your Excalibur and GO Bacon Fat hunting.

Yes, Norm, as soon as family and work give me a break, with a bit of luck I'll land a piece of bacon on my hands.

Also, as I say, the good fat, I suppose it has nothing to do with the one they sell in the supermarket.
I have always savored the difference in flavor from animal fat fed with natural foods, to that fed industrially, only with feed and straw.

[grouse]

I used them a lot in fast fishing for Smallmouth Bass, but horizontally, from shore or float tube

Do you have smallmouth bass in Spain?

[PaulSpain]

Do you have smallmouth bass in Spain?

Not!! I have expressed myself badly, I was not very sure what you call him there, I thought he was a smallmouth, but looking on the internet he is not the smallmouth.
Specifically, this is what we have:


Apart from that type, which is the most abundant, there are in certain areas that our Basses are more similar to Alabama bass than to largemouth.
I don't have any photos of those on my mobile right now, I would have to look for them on my PC.

Anyway, I'm not very clear.
Could you tell me what type of bass do you think it is?

[grouse]

That looks like a largemouth bass, a close relative of the smallmouth bass. Smallmouths are browner in color and have a slightly smaller mouth (their mouths are still big). I'm not sure what an Alabama bass is, but the third most common bass in North America is the spotted bass which are similar in color to largemouths and similar to smallmouths in other physical characteristics.

All three are black bass (members of the sunfish family). I didn't know that you have them in Spain. They are very popular in North America.

[papabear1]

You didn't get bored!!

I have never fished on ice, this way of fishing has always seemed curious to me. What do you do jigging with? with jigs like those of the sea? spoons? vinyls?

How delicious are the walleyes!! I never got to enjoy the pike, a strange taste for my palate. How did you cook it there?

For jigging on this particular trip i was using a 1/3 ounce spoon called a Little Cleo. The spoon was tipped with a live minnow (emerald shiner) about 3 inches long. Plastics (i think that is what you meant you said vinyls) are also used as well as lip-less crankbaits that make noise and imitate minnows.

Walleye are very delicious and a favorite among many freshwater anglers. Meat is white, flaky and almost sweet. Some people do eat pike here as well and taste varies depending on size and water temperature. Myself i don't bother i just put them back but will eat them when served to me. Perch is similar tasting and texture to walleye.

Cooking wise i like to pan fry fillets in bacon fat.

Ate many fish fried in home rendered (lard) fat,
shake them in a bag of yellow corn meal and
drop them in a cast iron skillet of very hot lard
fry till done, eat tail first then eat the flesh around bones.

Delicious
Dave

[Species8472]

Do you have smallmouth bass in Spain?

Not!! I have expressed myself badly, I was not very sure what you call him there, I thought he was a smallmouth, but looking on the internet he is not the smallmouth.
Specifically, this is what we have:


Apart from that type, which is the most abundant, there are in certain areas that our Basses are more similar to Alabama bass than to largemouth.
I don't have any photos of those on my mobile right now, I would have to look for them on my PC.

Anyway, I'm not very clear.
Could you tell me what type of bass do you think it is?

Yep looks like a largemouth bass to me, Same as this:

[PaulSpain]

That looks like a largemouth bass, a close relative of the smallmouth bass. Smallmouths are browner in color and have a slightly smaller mouth (their mouths are still big). I'm not sure what an Alabama bass is, but the third most common bass in North America is the spotted bass which are similar in color to largemouths and similar to smallmouths in other physical characteristics.

All three are black bass (members of the sunfish family). I didn't know that you have them in Spain. They are very popular in North America.

Yes, fishermen introduced it to Spain (from the USA) in the 50s.
It is currently abundant in all Spanish rivers and reservoirs in central and southern Spain. In the north (colder) the pike abounds more.
Here the bass does not grow as much as in your country, the national record is approximately 9 pounds. and it is very rare to catch specimens over 5 1/2 - 6 pounds.
Right now it is the 1st sport fishing species in Spain. In second place the pike, carp and catfish completing the most fished and with competitions at the national level.

The catfish we have them very fat in Spain, with specimens over 200lb/7ft.

[PaulSpain]

Yep looks like a largemouth bass to me, Same as this:

Good fish!!
But I like the beard and the hair better!! Cool!! Aren't you the owner of Bubba Gump?
Outside jokes I like it, seriously!!

If you look at the bass in your photo, it has a bigger mouth than mine (or that feeling it gives me), and that's why my confusion always gave me the feeling that Spanish bass have smaller mouths than American ones.