Dave Barber

I wore Baffin for the first time last year. Other than early ice or late ice... I don't think I will wear another kind of boots again. This was the first ice season where the thought of cold toes didn't even cross my mind. Years past, after a couple ice trips, I made sure to have toe warmers, extra socks, etc in my equipment box. This last year... never even thought about it. They were plenty water proof while putting the Strikemaster Solo Pro through its paces... never felt a single bit wet. And they were extremely light. I had a couple guys try them on and for their size... they were basically stunned with how light they felt. Comfort level was amazing as well... when I tried them on at my house, it was like walking on pillows. When on the ice... I guess I just never even thought about it. It is quite something to never think about your feet while you are out in those elements.

dtro.. that guy on Eagle Lake is my step-son and fishing partner. I was supposed to go out with him that day but got hung up on projects.

All, While I understand that while under normal conditions, it is completely normal to be upset and, sometimes, vindictive against companies or corporations that purchase small local organizations and then uproot them away from their "home", what I don't understand is that by some of the comments made here... it seems that some are blind to what is going on with today's economy. Just as most here have had to, or are, making difficult financial decisions on a daily basis... so are corporations across America. If I don't have enough money to pay the mortgage, I certainly don't have the money to buy tackle. Times that against thousands of Minnesotans, that is a lot of lost revenue from the tackle manufacturers. Now, there are only 2 ways to combat that issue... raise the price of the product or cut back on expenses. Now, raising the price of the product will only server to alienate more consumers. With Pradco already having a shipping facility, the most intelligent choice would be to consolidate resources and cut expenses. Now, I am not happy about those people losing their jobs either. I have talked with many of them over the years... and have built relationships with them. tLndy had to make an unpopluar choice in order to stay afloat... really, people... come on. On a side note... I have previously spoke with those at Pradco that run the Lindy division. I will tell you with 100% honesty that they have always stressed the importance of keeping Lindy's presense in Minnesota alive. The impression I have always gotten from them is that Minnesota is the forefront of the fishing industry and Minnesotans are extremely important to Lindy. Lindy/Pradco find YOU important to them...

I like fishing with good equipment. My time is valuable and I prefer to spend it fishing rather than building equipment. Just me. I buy a couple St Croix Legend rods with the spring bobbers each year... as well as a couple mix and match replacement springs just in case I need stiffer or lighter springs (let the fish dictate that). The HT spring bobbers work as well, but are a bit of a pain. BUT, anything you can do to detect the bites during light times will help you succeed.

Are you talking about a normal utility trailer or wheelhouse? Do your best to be legal. there are always excuses for lights going out... but there isn't any excuse for not having a license. They may give you a warning on the lights, but probably not on the license. If both together, you will probably get nailed twice.

Yup! I fill up my Lindy Grub Getter with what I need for the day and leave the large bait-puck in the fridge at home. VERY convienent and easy to get the waxies out!

I doubt you will find walleyes and crappies in the same place during prime time bite during early ice. For walleyes, focus on the shoreline. Look for weedbeds adjacent to sharp breaks (preferably on an inside turn or point). Fish on top of the break but outside the weedline. For crappies, fish deep but watch for them suspended. Depending on the depth of the hole, 25 feet would probably be sufficient. Usually can be found suspended from 5 feet off bottom to 10 feet below the ice.

Jigging Spoons for Success... And the Lindy Rattl'n Flyer Spoon For years, anglers across the Midwest make the pilgrimage to the most well known or talked about frozen tundra for the winter ice fishing season. Some do it as a matter of tradition. Some because their boat is in storage and don't have much else to do. Others fish through an 8 inch hole in sub zero temperatures because it is one of the most challenging ventures with the most exciting rewards available in the winter time. Ice Fishing has seen an explosion of products in the last dozen or so years. Everything from Shelters, GPS with lake contours, fish finders or flashers, and clothing. Just about everything has been thought of and marketed to keep anglers comfortable on the ice. The advent of electronics provide anglers with knowledge in bodies of water that they are unfamiliar with giving them a much needed sense of confidence. But take all of those items with you without bait, live or artificial, and the only confidence you can have is that you will not be able to land the prizes that sit 20 feet below you. Jigging through ice is the main topic of this article. But to thoroughly understand what it is we are attempting to do, we need first understand the limitations that surround us. Almost every presentation during the open water season bears a striking similarity. It is this single similarity that has been the bane of just about every ice angler sitting on a bucket. Trolling, casting, Lindy rigging... each of these techniques provide a horizontal display to the fish that, until recently, has been difficult, if not impossible to imitate in front of a hole drilled through 12 inches of ice. Even baits below a slip bobber rock below the rolling of the waves. Underwater, there are few meals for game fish that are securely rooted to the lake bottom. There is nothing for those fish worth eating that merely moves up and down in a vertical pattern. Live bait has always been a favorite of the ice angler. A sucker, shiner, crappie minnow... attached by a hook or jig to the dorsal fin provide an attractive, and more importantly, horizontal display to the roaming predator. The movement created by those live baits serve as a dinner bell to those passing by. This same situation occurs naturally with wounded fish. As if by instinct, predators have the uncanny ability to sense the struggling of their awaited dinner. Again, Live bait is a tried and true method for catching fish. But how do we take an artificial lure and create a presentation that looks real and irresistible to those waiting trophies? We need to examine exactly what it is that the live presentation is providing. Imagine for a moment that you are looking at the lucky escapee of a missed dinner. The energy of that minnow has all but been depleted. All that is left is the ability for sharp and short bursts to dart away. After a short burst... a slight flutter back as it sinks back deeper. The energy exerted does not allow it swim to safer shallows. The minnow struggles to keep itself upright or swim accurately in any specific direction. The swimming motions, darting, and fluttering all act as natures dinner bell to any natural predators in the area lucky enough to hear it. Now, most of this is painfully obvious. Tackle companies have struggle every year to come up with new concepts to mimic this very situation. Walk into any bait shop or sports store and you will see walls covered with spoons of every size, color, graphic as well as maybe a few cool logos meant to snatch a few unwary fisherman. Shapes, sizes and colors are very important when selecting a lure. Differing lakes or conditions can and does dictate why some game fish will prefer different varieties. But until recently, none of the tackle on those walls has been able to compensate for that number 1 limitation of horizontal and life like presentation that can turn a good day of fishing into a fantastic one. Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle released a revolutionary new ice fishing spoon for the 2007/2008 ice season that mimics about every life-like motion that an injured baitfish will display. The Rattl'n Flyer Spoon is the ONLY spoon on the market that can boast about the ability to mimic nearly all of those wounded baitfish characteristics. From Lindy: The Rattl'n Flyer Spoon is a lethal break-through jigging spoon hybrid! This new spooner's delight adds Lindy's traditional Flyer's long-proven gliding design to the popular vertical jigging spoon concept—with six fantastic color choices and an extra-loud attention-grabbing brass rattle. Non-lead alloy construction gives the Rattl'n Flyer Spoon perfect weight balance. It's light enough to shimmer, dance, dart, or fly; yet heavy enough for the "feel" and downward momentum skilled spooners prefer. No need to use a swivel as this spoon does not spin on the "drop"! This active lure is a free spirit that still obeys rod-tip commands! All sizes and colors feature Bleeding Bait round-bend red treble hooks, holographic/foil finish with lifelike prey fish scale pattern, and irresistible Techni-Glo eyes! Some jigging spoons out there may be able to produce some of the features that the Rattl'n Flyer Spoon does. But the Flyer's ability to flutter out approximately 3 feet from the center of the hole, giving the horizontal movement that other spoons cannot, provides more life like action, and takes back that advantage that was previously held by the open water anglers. The 2007/2008 season was abuzz with the productivity of this new innovation. Lindy first debuted these fantastic marvels in larger sizes of 1/8, 3/16 and 1/4 ounce spoons. Now, for the 2008/2009 season, Lindy has added a smaller and possibly deadlier size of the 1/16 ounce Rattl'n Flyer Spoon. Not only will these be deadly for the more finicky larger predators such as Walleyes or Lakers... but the panfish are no longer safe as well!

Harvey is correct. What works one day as far as size, bait, color, jigging technique... may not work the next day. Sometimes they prefer a minnow head... sometimes loaded up with waxies. Different colors will be more effective on different lakes as well as different times of year. As the colder water reaches and mixes with the thermocline... water gets a little dark... sometimes brighter colors work better. Give the glow a charge with your Lindy tazer. See if that will bring them in. Another question would be... Were you marking any fish to begin with? What type of structure were you on and at what time of day?

I gave up on the buddy heaters for the Mr Heater/Cooker. Seemed to me that they were much warmer. They Buddy series does have it's advantages... but heat was not one of them in my opinion.

My suggetion would be to check out the classifies and [YouNeedAuthorization]. First and foremost, buy what you need to be comfortable. This encompasses clothing, shelter, power auger, etc. You can get a heater and headlamp for $50. the more comfortable you are on the ice, the more you will like it. If you are cold and miserable, you will give up sooner and would not be doing yourself any favors. A flasher would be the next thing. You can catch fish without one... but a flasher is like an ace up your sleeve. Again, if you are on a limited budget... you may want to stay away from purchasing a few items brand new... and go with buying a ton of items used. You can always re-sell and upgrade later.

Yep, Mr Heater/Cooker. I used the Little buddy for half a season... and ditched it for the cheaper cooker. Plenty warm on the low setting.

I will also add... the above technique is what I start with... You really need to watch your electronics and let the FISH decide what presentation they are looking for. If fish scatter after the pause... you may want to continue the finesse jigging. You have to pay close attention to what is attracting those fish in.

Here is what I prefer: Hard Jig... Pause and wait for the spoon to settle direct center (lure will flutter out to about 3 feet from center of the hole). Lite finesse jigging for about 5 seconds... pause again. If I mark anything, I will pull up slowely to begin the chase by raising the lure up. I will add some finesse jigging a bit while raising as well. I will repeat the hard jig, pause, 5 second finesse jigging, pause, about 3 cycles of this. If nothing is marked, I will move on to the next hole.

As of a couple years ago, yes... they had an entire ice kit for it (ice ducer, soft pack, etc)