thanks!

[dmichaelm]

... to the guy in line behind my son and I at Cabelas in Rogers today. He handed off a save $20 coupon and got me out the door with my new 6x6 hub for a pretty price!

What's the nicest ice-fishing related thing someone has done for you?

[Stick in Mud]

I guess the easy answer for me is that my dad took me out when I was a kid...now it's my turn to take him out.

But apart from the cheesy answer, I'd have to say the guy who chased us down on his snowmobile after we left our bucket of ice rods on the ice one night.

[fishersofmen]

I had a guy come over to my son and I last week as we were getiing on a lake and tell us he was leaving with a limit of crappies and we could have his spot. Thought that was pretty cool.

[shortfatguy]

Wasnt ice fishing related but my wife and 2 sons and I were standing in line at valley fair and some guy walked up and handed us four passes for entrance to the fair. There are still some decent people out there! Glens Army navy got me out the door with my new thermal 6x6 hub house on saturday for 149$ + tax. That was nice!

[ilovehardwater]

I have had my SUV pulled out of the snow on the lake numerous times by strangers. This year I got setup and was in the process of firing up my Big Buddy when I smelled gas, I had a bad spot on my hose. I decided to go back and talk with a couple of fisherman I had spoken with on the way out to my spot and see if they happened to have a extra 1 lb. tank they would sell and just by chance they did. It saved me a 45min.- 1 hr trip to town and back to get a new hose or a 1 lb. tank. I have pulled people out of the snow and given bait,lures,ice anchors and other things one needs on the ice. Last week I was fishing and some younger guys (16-17yo) set up next to me. After watching them struggle with drilling a hole with a dull 8 inch mora I let them use mine. After a few hours I stopped by to see how they were doing they had 1 small sunfish. I asked if they ever used spikes and they looked at me wierd and said "no" so I gave them quite a few to try out. A few more hours go by and its getting kinda late, I'd guess around 6pm I decided to pack it up and headed over to see how they were doing. They had a few more sunnies and were using a cell phone for a light because they forgot to bring any sort of light sorce out with them. I happened to have a extra headlamp with me and just gave it to them to keep. The young men were very appreciative and were very thankful of my generosity, I just hope others will take the kindness and spread it around.

[KrabbyPatties]

Great thread. I have a couple of "thank yous" worth putting out there.

- When I first started, I had only a few borrowed items. I was struggling with punching some holes through 2+' with a beat up old hand auger. A guy who was at the business across the street saw me, walked across with his power auger, and proceeded to punch a line of holes at various depths for me to work.

- Before I had a portable, I had walked all the way across a large local lake in deep snow to fish a particular spot, carrying a bucket with my gear and my auger. (I didn't know there was an access on the other side of the lake, hence the long walk.) Even though it was a really cold day, I was sweating like crazy when I got to my spot. I was freezing my rear off sitting on a bucket when a guy in a nearby permanent invited me to fish out of his shack with him. Had a hour or so of good conversation and I learned a lot from him since I had no electronics at the time.

- Last year I misjudged some snow on a lake and got stuck badly. I tried to dig myself out for a long time. A guy with a plow on his truck saw me out there and plowed a track to me, then gave me a pull. Probably saved me another hour of shoveling.

- Just this weekend I was on a popular local lake with my son. We weren't out there to fish, we were just there to get my little permanent off the ice so I could move it elsewhere. I didn't feel comfortable driving my truck on the lake, so we tried to push it across the ice to shore. We were moving it, but the glare ice made traction difficult and progress was slow. There was a guy there on a 4 wheeler who not only hooked up to my permanent and pulled it to shore, he did the same for another person out there removing his permanent, then he helped a guy who was dragging a heavy portable on the glare ice get his sled out on the lake.

I haven't had a lot of opportunities to do much for people out there, but I try when I can. I've put a few people who were out looking around on decent bites, lent out some equipment, helped push guys who were stuck in slush (one was a minivan on Red Lake at around midnight), and have given leftover bait to other people on the lake who looked like they would make better use of it than I did!

[CrewJones]

thanks to the guy who came up to me 4 years ago sitting on a bucket fishing with wax worms and nothing else. You showed my your flasher your hut, how to mark fish and what lures work for ice fishing.

you changed my life

[BronzeBrother]

Last year while out on the lake fishing I saw an older guy fishing out in the open, nothing out of the ordinary but the winds kicked up and when I stepped out of my hub house to have a smoke I saw the guy shivering like crazy. I spoke with him for a minute and realized this guy was suffering from hypothermia as his speech was slow and slurred, no smell of alcohol or appearance of narcotic use. His coordination was shot and he didn't realize how cold he was so I had him hang out with me for a few hours in the shack. After awhile he came around and we had a blast talking about fishing and hunting. I ended up giving the guy a ride back to his truck as he walked out for some reason instead of driving.

I was raised to help others in need and it was more gratifying for me to help this guy out and have company while he warmed up.

[amateurfishing]

i am usually on a spare metro lake with not much action or people on it, usually go fishing alone or with sons.....but i am extremely grateful for the wonderful ppl on this site with the tons info i have learned regarding ice fishing, open water fishing, & boat issues. hopefully i will have the honor of meeting some of u.

[hamms-scooter]

I talked with a vexilar pro staffer,ice team member who also works for pure fishing one day at Gander. We ended up exchanging numbers and addresses and I ended up getting a box from him in the mail with all kinds of things in it. A few spools of vanish fishing line some jigs, plastics, and other stuff. There was also a nice letter saying there would be some products coming out that need hours of testing and to expect some things in the mail.Pretty neat guy and I am gratful for everything.

[mww24]

I was fishing on rush with my then 5 year old. of course he didn't listen and stepped into our holes as I packed up. we had a long haul on foot and his snowpants froze solid pretty fast. A young guy on a wheeler stopped and pulled me all the way to the door of my truck and wouldn't accept any cash. That guy may have saved my kid from frostbite. So to you I am in debt. I always drill holes if the ice is thick and someone has a hand auger. Offer up leftover bait or donate if someone runs out. Ice fishing is a great way to chat up people and have a good day.

[bobbymalone]

thanks for all the dudes that have punched holes for me and saved me some trouble with the hand auger. now that i moved up in the world, I've paid it back several times over.

[nofishfisherman]

I've had guys punch holes for me a few times, and I've also had guys help dig me out once or twice. I was always thankful.

2 summers ago I was in New York city with my wife and mother in law. We each purchased a week long pass to use the subway even though we were only there 4 days since it was the cheapest option.

On the 4th day after our last subway trip we went to the ticket machine and offered our tickets to people who were waiting in line to purchase tickets. We figured we might as well save someone a few bucks since we didn't need them any more. I handed mine to a girl in her 20's and told her that its good for 3-4 days still and to enjoy. She was blown away that someone would do that and was so thankful, she was almost crying. Her reaction was over the top for someone who just saved $10-20. I obviously don't know her story but maybe she was just about to spend her last dime on a subway ticket that she really couldn't afford. I'll never know but I guess that's the point. You never really know how big of an impact a little kindness will have.

[mww24]

This is one of the best threads I've seen on here. You do see a lot of dinks on the ice but the good ones outweigh the bad ones 10 to 1.

[Boar]

Had some forum freinds help me out of tight spot last winter wen I hurt my back real bad tyring to pull it out of slushy snow with fouled plugs. I sat in my house with my kids, one had brought me some fresh plugs from town, an onother came an hauled me out with his track vehicle, kids gear an sled all loaded up, then I headed to the E.R.If it was"nt for getting to know people on Fishing MN i really dont know wat i woulda done. I couldnt even stand up an was a two miles from my truck.

[dustin85]

Another member of this site was generous enough to give me a free hand auger when i was just looking to get into ice fishing, as long as I agreed to pay it forward when I got a better one. Thanks to all kind people like that! By the way, that hand auger is currently available to someone who might need it. Check out the classifides section if you are interested!

Dustin

thumpwagonp @ hotmail

[smeese]

I always pic up others trash left behind.....last winter I was stuck at the French lake access and a guy pulled me out and when I offered him 20 bucks he refused and told me to help someone else I saw in need sometime.....which I did a couple times since if your reading this

[mr.z 1972]

My fateher-Inlaw got me started ice fishing years ago. As he has upgraded his house, auger, electronics ect... he has past the used equipment down to me. He is more than a father-inlaw; he is a great friend!

Thank you Richard!

[usmcjsy]

I have had people pull me out while stuck on the lake in the snow. I also had boat motor trouble once and a guy towed me all the way back to shore. There is some god sportsman out there. I always try to help when I see someone in need as you never know which day will be your bad day out.

[Down Deep]

About 30 years ago I was sitting on a bucket on a really cold day trying to keep a hole open by kicking it open with my boot. I had walked about a mile out to the fishing hole and the bite was on, but it was a bone chilling cold windy day and the temp was dropping. There was a older guy fishing in a perm who invited me in. We sat there for the next 8 hours shooting the bull, catching pan fish and having a great time. At the end of the day he gave me a ride back to my car. I never saw the guy again, but I have never forgotten his hospitality. He enabled me to have a full day of fishing and a lot of laughs.