How would of you handled this?

[MnShooter]

So its Sat. 6 AM. We get things packed up and head out to the lake for a day of fishing. The thing with Lake X here in SD you can not drive on it due to it being a water source. Anyways the spot we fish is 3/4 of a mile at least from the landing.

So we pull two shacks, a R2tec and x2 loaded to the gills. Kinda sucked but we have had good luck there before. As we get there, about to drill holes, we look behind us and theres a truck headed our way. No fricken way???

Anyways guy gets out asked hows the fishing, to which we said um just got there and he should probably get the truck off the ice, before the GW that lives down the road comes out. He still has no clue on why and so we explain to him that its a water source and the only ones allowed to drive or boat on is the city.

He high-tailed it out of there. We all laughed, wondered how the [PoorWordUsage] he got on the ice, because the ramp was pretty snowed in. But whatever went on drilling holes and setting up. Not more than 25 mins later i am drilling tip ups and i see him coming down the hillside carrying a bucket and two rods.

He comes up to me and asks how the fishing is again, and asks if he could use one of our holes. Mind you i have the auger in hand and still drilling. I said you need to ask the guy who owns the auger.

So he does to my buddy replies, you walked down here with a bucket and rods. No auger no ice pick, or no bait. No heater, or nothing. He told him that we are using all our holes we drilled that morning. The guy got the picture and walked back to his truck.

So we sat there and talked about it all day? Does anyone just go out and expect someone to drill a hole for you? Give you bait and shelter? Yea theres one thing to be a fellow fisherman, where as if your hand drilling next to me, i will quick zip some holes for you. Or you run out of bait and need some, [PoorWordUsage] you need some beer i throw that in too. But to walk out to a spot where some guys obviously busted their but to pull to and ask for handouts?

So that was my sat, 5 northern later, walleyes didnt want to bite, but something snaped 4 of my lines.

[Cold_blood]

i would have handeled it the same way but i maybe would have been like i'll drill you a hole but not on our spot but if your walking i don't know its a tough situation

[DTro]

I would've said, "Sure, but in exchange you need to agree to stay here until we leave and pull one of these shacks back by yourself."

[bdafisher]

I would have drilled him a hole, but far enough away that he got the picture that you weren't there to give him bait, beer, or conversation. Drilling a hole is one thing, asking for bait would be another.

[aanderud]

LOL. That's a crazy story. A bucket and 2 rods. That's enough to fish with, right? As long as someone else works their butt off pulling gear through snow to get the shelter, bait, heater, auger, etc to the same spot!

I don't know how I would handle it. I'm usually ultra-friendly on the ice, lending out an auger or asking folks if they want to fish with me if I have room, but honestly, that guy sounds like a mooch. Prolly would have drilled him a hole off about 50 feet from us and let him fish there. Maybe he planned to go all artificial

[Sandmannd]

I woulda said you can't use a hole we drilled already, but you can use the auger and drill your own hole.

[fishandshroom]

I woulda let him use the auger and then explained to him that he is nuts.

[fishandshroom]

there musta been something wrong with the guy.

[Sifty]

I would of let him use the auger and then see where it went.

Sifty

[BpAki987]

I would've said, "Sure, but in exchange you need to agree to stay here until we leave and pull one of these shacks back by yourself."

LOL

I would have probly offered the use of my auger and asked if he would drill a lil bit away from us.

[Phred52]

I can't say I agree with you Sandmannd, I did that exact thing over on Lake Washington last winter. I finished drilling my holes and this clown asks if I'd let him use my gas auger, I reluctantly agreed, he walk over by his truck about 75' away, started the auger and as I was setting up my house I glanced over and he was trying to POUND the auger through!! Lift and drop, 3 times before I made the long run across the ice and shut it off! And he was mad at ME!! I took the auger, told him to go sponge off some other sucker and went back to my house. That incident alone was the "final nail" to borrowing my equipment out! My gear is mine, I worked hard to buy it, I take care of it, if it needs repair, It's because of something I did wrong. It's NO different if you were sitting in your boat, a clown came down to the shoreline and called you in, asked how the fishing was and then asked to borrow a rod. Only to drop it into the sand. If you want to get out and fish, buy your own fishing equipment! You can't icefish without a hole, so 'equipment' includes Augers!! Fishing with 'Buds' is different... I know where they live !!Phred52

[Northlander]

I would have offered to drill him holes far enough away so you werent fighting over the same fish.

[croixflats]

I would have also offered to drill holes for him. Not everyone has access to augers. I can see not lending out the auger because you just don't know how it maybe treated but a few minutes of my time wont hurt me and I get the pleasure of meeting someone new and I wont get a scowl from someone on the street if I ever run into him again.

[stumper]

More than once I have offered a seat in my shack to somone that isnt equiped.So, yah I woulda punched him some holes,probably even offered him a flasher to use. I remember the first time icefishing ,I and a buddy were out trying to open an old hole with a tire iron. This old boy walked about a 1/4 mile over to us and not only opened the hole for use with his spud bar,buy GAVE it to me.

Now I keep a spare bar in my permy,have even given a couple kids a hand auger and a couple combos that were out there with an old post hole diger and a couple old wind up poles.

I have 2 older shacks that will some day belong to somone less fortunate than myself.

Some of my best friends were met on the ice,so yah....There is always an extra hole to use by me.

[kstruck]

It's easy to speculate after given the time to think about the situation, but I can see where you're coming from MNshooter, I probably would've drilled him some holes far enough away. But this man sounds like a beginner, and I know how I began. I didn't have an auger either and would go out hoping that someone had recently left so I could use their holes. If the man had that much gusto to ask you for help, he was probably a nice guy just looking for some help from somebody "who looked like they knew what they were doing". I think we can all admit that we have learned a lot by trial and error, but when I think about it I have probably learned more by watching others and taking advice from others. So I try to share my knowledge whenever somebody asks or when I see someone on the ice that doesn't seem to know what they are doing. But being thrust into that situation is not only awkward, but somewhat rude. A few kind words asking for help before he returned with the bucket might have solved the whole situation.

[hopeforfish]

I'm sorry but did he ask you for bait, heat shelter? Is it too much to help a fellow angler? My nephew and I had a situation similar to this the power auger was broke so he busted out the hand auger that was doing nothing. We ask some guys of they could drill us a hole, we did not ask to fish with them or if we could be in their spot we just wanted to fish. What is the big deal with helping some one out? Arn't we out there for the fun and for just being out there? You gave up the chance of meeting someone new who maybe could have shared some thing new to you. Lets stop being so protective of "our spot" and just be open. Yes I did rant here but dang this just makes me mad. By the way, no one would drill us a hole that say and we went home wondering what is wrong with people.

[JimmyJames]

I totally agree with you hopeforfish.Very well said.

[TiNK3R]

Agreed... everyone's so darn grumpy about fishing. Why even go if you're going to be a buzzkill in every aspect. Do these people even enjoy it anymore?

[cold one sd]

I met a guy one afternoon on the ice and asked him if I was too close to him. He said it wouldn't bother me if you drilled right next to my holes. I drilled a few holes about 30 feet from him and was enjoying a bit of conversation when a guy came walking onto the ice with a bucket and two rods. He asked if he could use one of my holes and I told him it was ok. All he had was a jigging spoon on one rod and a small jig on the other. I drilled a couple more holes for him and gave him a few wax worms. The guy I was fishing next to told him to feel free to use his minnows. I left about a half hour later and gave the guy the rest of my container of wax worms and you would have thought that I had given him a new auger. It cost me a couple of bucks and a bit of effort to make two new ice fishing friends. If we run into each other on the ice, we end up fishing together now.

[pdk511]

I would have drilled some holes for him and gave him some bait if he needed it. I have been out there and my auger has broke and someone offered to drill holes for me. I would not be mean to him just because he dident have everything that I did, I know that when I started I dident have a power auger or a portable, so I would have put that into consideration.

[Dave]

If you're reading your post again before bed, I suspect you might have trouble falling asleep tonight. I agree with others who would've drilled him some holes and maybe made a new friend. And, how much would a few wax worms cost ya. Would I expect that from others, no, but, I would hope I'd get some help if

1. I couldn't afford the gear

2. I didn't know what I was doing

3. I just started ice fishing

4. I wanted to meet some new friends and learn how to ice fish

Helping others is what life's suppose to be about......

[rcotton]

don't get so down on them for not setting someone else up i had a guy drive up on a snowmobile with not much equipment asked to use a auger drilled his holes came back and complained about our equipment. the hand chisle i carry with is what they will get with a smile next time 3 feet of ice have at it

[croixflats]

To each his own I guess but I still would drill holes for you if yours broke down.

[maxx rpm]

I dont think this had anything to do with drilling a hole for the guy. Say a guy comes out with a sled with gear, and his auger doesnt work-anyone would drill him a hole. But if a guy comes out, with really no gear, and doesnt care where he fishes(depth, structure, etc.) and doesnt seem to know the lake(driving onto it is illegal from the post), that would just freak me out. Dont know what i would have said, but probably no to the using a hole.

[pdk511]

if u drill a hole and it is 10 ft away from ur tip ups and house and truck, u really cant say no to them using a hole u drilled