What Not to do when Ice Fishing Please share

[dishman]

This is my first post. I've been ice fishing for 35 plus years. Dad started me out when I was three and ice fishing has always been my first love.(Don't tell my wife) I have my share of great ice fishing stories and my fair share of bad ones. I'm sure it's probably already been done, but I thought it would be fun to share some of our worst most embarassing stories just for fun.

It was early ice in the channel on Coon Lake in East Bethel around 1995. I was trying out the coolest, most amazing thing that I had ever seen. My new vexilar FL-8 which I received for my birthday. For me, I knew that ice fishing would never be the same from that day forward. After a day of catching slimers on tip ups and a few small crappies and sunnies I decided to go home. I put my Vex in my bucket and my tip ups and rods in the same bucket. After walking a short distance to shore and loading up my truck I noticed a large amount of smoke coming from the bucket that my vexilar was in. I couldn't believe it. The spring coil from the tip up crossed the positive and negative post on the battery and started the whole bucket on fire. I lost one tip up two rods and a battery. The Fl-8 was the only thing that survived and it's still being used to this day.

Dishman

[motley man]

Unloading 4X8 permanent fish house off trailer my myself, and slid it off back without tilting trailer. The floor let lose of the walls, which fell on it's side when it hit the ice. I did manage to get it slid back together, noticed that it was only held together by about 8 drywall screws on floor that had rotted.

[slipperybob]

I keep thinking about a funny. A buddy always insists on having heater close to ice hole as to keep it from freezing over. Well there's always the chance of the heat burning off your fishing line. So anyway to cut it short. He catches a fish and is a big one that's putting major rod bend. So he's working it, but I noticed that he's too aggressive. When rod bends it's natural to move rod slightly more forward to center rod tip over hole. But when the rod straightens out, rod tip is getting much closer to heat source. Anyway, the mono line snapped because rod tip was much too close to heat source.

He ties on new jig and baits it. Instead of dropping jig directly into ice hole, He gets lazy. He allows jig to swing forward. Jig swings forward right into heat source and line snaps on him again. LOL.

So lesson is, don't put heater so close to ice hole.

[fishing tech]

Welcome to HSO Dishman.

Never jump out of your truck onto glare ice without your ice cleats on. My 72 year old Dad did this twice.

Make sure your auger has gas in it before you leave to go ice fishing and also remember to take it with you.

[goblueM]

Never drive out on the ice just because someone else already has

[BronzeBrother]

Last season I picked up the Eskimo QF3 and took it out on the ice for the first time. While setting it up a nice gust of wind came blowing and off to the races we go, after about a 100 yards or so I finally caught up to my QF3 and had to drag it all the way back... LOL!

Lesson learned that day, put in the ice spikes before popping the hub open. I got a nice little unexpected cardio workout that day and everyone on the ice got a good laugh at my expense...

[FLAG!!]

"this guy I know" started up a propane grill inside his portable... Cooked his eyebrows before the steak. Flip the shack up next time!

[Will]

Never keep your cell phone in your front shirt pocket.

[songbirds]

Can relate to the phone thing. Last Feb at Cutfoot was in the process of taking a picture of a slab crappie, when my Samsung 3G slipped out of my hand-one bounce-down in 20 ft of water. Tried for an hour to fish it out, using my camera and a weighed down Chubby Darter. Funny, but phone lit up with two texts and one voicemail. Now I carry a cheap 40$ phone.

[fishersofmen]

No farting in the shack when others are present with you. Most often we don't mind smelling our own however not others.......

[3pronghook]

No whining...unless its Boones Farm

[HarleyK50]

It was very early on a small local lake, two freinds and I were putting the finishing touches on our setup, when an old pickup drove out to a permanent about 150 yards from us. We did not pay much attention until we FELT the explosion. I looked up to see a ball of writhing, steaming, and smoking human on the ice near the remains of the permanent house the pickup pulled up to. I told one freind to dial 911 the other to follow me as I was already sprinting towards the individual. We gave all the help we could and got the person onto an ambulance. All of his clothes, and hair had melted to his body. All of his exposed skin was blistered and peeling. Turns out the last person in the house had left a wall heater on, filling the room with propane. When the individual entered the shack, and attempted to light a sunflower heater he got more than he bargained for. I never was never updated on his condition, and hope he is alright; it was pretty grizzly.

The moral of the story: Don't take safety for granted.

[servocam]

When with a group and there are kids, no filling in holes you didn't want right next to you and not telling my kids as they step right in.

[bigred1974]

Dont let your dad drink a liter of vodka,, lets just say he had his fishing line tied around his finger by the time we were leaving after getting waaaay too rambunctious about setting hooks and breaking rods in my portie roof, lol

[minnbowhunter]

Hey Servo, Just had to comment on your picture. Priceless, well done.

[leech~~]

The spring coil from the tip up crossed the positive and negative post on the battery and started the whole bucket on fire. I lost one tip up two rods and a battery. The Fl-8 was the only thing that survived and it's still being used to this day.

Dishman

Ok, you passed the test. You will fit right in with the rest of us! Welcome!

[servocam]

Hey Servo, Just had to comment on your picture. Priceless, well done.

Thanks. My son, first time ice fishing, 5yo. He is now 7 and I rarely go w/o him.

[mww24]

Don't set your plano tackle box in your lap when its open. Because you will spill 50 bucks worth of jigs down the hole. Always check that your auger bit is secured to the head. Watched a buddy dump his down a hole when the allen screw fell out. Don't step in a 10 inch hole. Seen a friend do that as well. And most importantly. Don't be a slob on the ice. If you take it out you take it in at the end of the day.

[robert aldrich]

no leaveing trash on the ice.

[Gordie]

Dont jump up and down to check the ice thickness as a couple of guys I watched did last season and one of them went thru yea it was only 2-3ft deep but he was wet and cut that trip short as the quickly drove home.

[FishingFL]

Even though the reg. book does address this, always leave a respectable amount of space between your fellow fishermen and your own set up. Yes, even if they are already right where you thought you wanted to set up.

[pikerliker]

I love using frozen smelt as bait for pike on the ice. The problem is other things like them too. Once I had just purchased a bag of frozen smelt and set up on the ice. Well I set a tip up with one and then was jigging inside my portable. I had noticed this dog hanging around but thought it was a pet of one of the guys fishing near me so I didn't pay him too much attention. That is until he grabbed my full bag of frozen smelt and started running!! :0 I tried in vain to chase him and watched him race across the lake to the other shore and dissapear between some houses. I was hopping mad! I think I asked every guy near me if that was their dog and it either wasn't or nobody wanted to admit it. Anyway lesson learned keep your bait close at hand!

~piker

[Big Country]

Me and a buddy were trailering my 8x10 perm back to the house after the season closed. Buddy say's "Hey, we better tie this thing down". Naaaaaah, I reply. This shack is so heavy theres no way it would come off. Going down the road at 50 m.p.h. and watching it slide on the road behind me was one of the most nerve wracking, embarrisng moments I had ever experienced. No injuries were caused in my [PoorWordUsage] move thanks to the man upstairs. Whew! BC

[Pleasant]

Always cover the holes in your permanent or a muskrat may take up residence in your house.

[Kodiak]

dont try to catch a muskie if you see one on the camera or if you do get into one, please put it down the hole asap, dont be dinking around with it.