First Ice and the Spud Bar (Chisel)

[HotToddyTipUp]

Hey everyone.

Not trying to ruffle any feathers here, but I thought I would vent a little about the use of a spud bar. There is nothing worse than sitting on thin ice, (dare I say, catching fish?) and along comes Johnny Fisherman with his spud bar testing the ice.

Here's what I KNOW about fish. THEY DON'T LIKE LOUD NOISES! THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD CLINK THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD!....And so on.

Thin ice is a time for super quiet stealth movements (ninja style) if you actually want to catch fish. Even setting down the bucket too hard could spook fish from the area for a while. By using a spud bar I feel you are stressing these fish (That just went through a severe cold front and are lethargic anyways). Should we add to the lethargy?

Do yourself a favor before you post about how the fish were "not hitting". Put away the spud bar and the 30lb test you use for Gills. If you're that scared to go on the ice... DON'T GO! Spare the rest of us so WE can enjoy the first ice bite.

I feel so much better now. Thanks for reading.

Feel free to comment how a spud bar saved your life and you use one to be safe on three inches.

Again.... That scared? Don't trust it? First time out? Wait a day or two PLEASE!

Save us from your First Ice Thunderstorm. The weather is bad enough.

Oh boy here we go!

Toh! Ha

[icefly]

If YOU don't like the NOISE of someone being (SAFE) Then you should find somewhere else to fish!! All by yourself,All alone with no one to help when you (SUPER FISHERMAN)falls through!!!!!!!

Spare comment about noise I used to have your(I AM SUPERMAN)attitude until

I took the icy bath that almost took my life..........

Yes I still fish early ice THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP CHOP CHOP CHOP.......... LIKE IT OR NOT

I think your answer will be NOT.......

[KidMoe]

Hey hotime, Can you make sure and mark the boat ramp when you go fishing?

Everyone else, If you see that hotime is on the lake go find your own because it would be terrible if we disturbed his time with our presence.

[kfk]

I don't think anyone has taken you the wrong way on this post.

[Alagnak]

As they say "common sense is not so common". Thanks for proving that several times over. Wow.

[Nydds]

Guess I've learned to "call in" fish with my spud bar.Get them on skinny ice every year. And live to go again,,,

[Hawg]

I always just call them over to look at the ice in my hole, then thay can go where they please. Even gets me a free beer once in a while.

[LunkerCity]

Hey Jigginislife. I love Ice fishing. Just don't like unnecessary noise is all. If you see some one out in a spot, would you be the one to scare all the fish away?

For me (when I go fishing) I would like to catch some fish. Just like when I go bowling I would like to get a strike. When I do anything that I put allot of effort into... I would like to succeed.

Dave Genz has a great video on first ice using the VEX through the ice without drilling. Pretty quiet with the electric drill. This is an old technique that is being brought back up. Only his video was shot on 9 inches of "first ice".

If he were fishing and taping a show and you just felt like being really safe at this moment, do you think he would have caught as many?

So you're saying that the engine noise from the auger will spook fish!!???!!! LOL I have speared fish while my uncle was chopping his hole 20 feet away. This thread sounds like you are just whining... what a joke. You are really going to rip on someone for being safe?

[chad austin]

The best test is to walk out. If you hear it crack under your feet...Turn around and go home. If it doesn't, LIGHTLY bounce harder and harder. If it doesn't crack under your feet at this point you can move on doing the same thing over and over till you get to your spot. Walking cracks = no good. Jumping up and down (lightly) cracks? Move away. No cracks under your feet? Drill.

This is just my experience for the past 28 yrs. Do not follow this as a guide. This is just what I do. Starting weight 90. Now 235.

I think I'll take my chances making noise with a spud. I would rather have the spud go through than myself after "jumping up and down" on a thin area. This is the most rediculious thing I have heard of.

First I had to get rid of my radio, then my generator and now my spud bar. I'll be back later, I need to go back to lab and finish up my new FIRE auger so I don't disturb anyone else on the ice.

Good Grief

[cichlid_baby]

Hotime... you sound like a spud bar without a sense of reason.

There I said it.

Now get off the ice if everyone else's activities bothers you so much. It's a public space. Get use to it.

What a joke.

On the other hand.. there are some lakes around here where I could use a spud bar like you to go jump up and down and test the ice for me.

[fishergurl]

I am trying to figure out when ya'll sleep? Posted comments all night long! He knew it was coming! I think he was looking for confrontation! Ya'll just obliged! Everyone be safe, I don't think anyone wants to see someone get wet this time of year!

[nofishfisherman]

There I said it.

Someone had to do it.

[clm]

I totally agree hotime! i also don't let people wear life jackets in my boat because the clicking of the buckles scare the fish away too!

[KC612]

I could give a you know what if I scare YOUR, or Dave Genz's or whoever's fish away while trying to stay warm and dry. Don't like it? YOUR problem not mine. Good luck!

[CrewJones]

ill be alive and using my spud bar, I would love for you to come over and raise a complaint with me

[PurpleCatMan]

The best test is to walk out. If you hear it crack under your feet...Turn around and go home. If it doesn't, LIGHTLY bounce harder and harder. If it doesn't crack under your feet at this point you can move on doing the same thing over and over till you get to your spot. Walking cracks = no good. Jumping up and down (lightly) cracks? Move away. No cracks under your feet? Drill.

This is just my experience for the past 28 yrs. Do not follow this as a guide. This is just what I do. Starting weight 90. Now 235.

Now that's funny! Don't use a spud bar, just jump up and down and listen for cracking!

[Gordie]

Hotime ?

Saftey before fish in my book and the spud bar has been a way of ice fishing since it started.

Good luck and I hope you stay dry.

Time to go grab my spud bar and check some ice

[Alagnak]

Just remember- when you're in your sleeper house and hear that big crack in the middle of the night you better get in your truck and head to shore- it's not safe!

[Rod Woten]

You are all taking it the wrong way. I haven't been out yet. But Isle bay is sounding appealing this weekend.

You are gonna HATE Isle Bay this weekend. There will be about 90 2-man teams competing in the NAIFC Championship there this weekend...should be spud bars galore! As well as lots of augers, and snowmobiles & ATV's zipping around. Lots of noise out there for ya. I'll see ya out there!

-Munchy

[Selmer]

And if you think that the environment underwater is dead silent or that a general noise will specifically spook "your" fish, then you're sadly mistaken.

[Zenit]

You are all taking it the wrong way. I haven't been out yet. But Isle bay is sounding appealing this weekend. My point is not to go if you need your baby blanket. A really loud baby blanket.

Good luck operating in stealth mode on Isle bay this weekend, seeing that there will be 80+ two man teams in the NAIFC Season Championship running around on Isle all weekend.

And regarding your "point" about going out on 3 inches of ice without your "baby blanket" - could not disagree more. If you've encouraged just one person here to go walking out on 3 inches of ice without a spud bar, you've done the entire ice fishing community a disservice by disparaging one of the basic safety techniques on ealy ice, just because it happens to bug you.

[blackdog1101]

I'm not at all concerned for Hotime and his fish. I am concerned for the safety of myself and those I fish with. I would think anyone in this board would want to teach safety first and be a good ambassador for the sport. So I well continue to use a spud and teach other new comers to do the same.

[fishnowworknever]

I'm not at all concerned for Hotime and his fish. I am concerned for the safety of myself and those I fish with. I would think anyone in this board would want to teach safety first and be a good ambassador for the sport. So I well continue to use a spud and teach other new comers to do the same.

Agreed.

If you want peace and quiet you need to head to a remote location, not lake Minnetonka.

[eyedr]

I would use my spud bar to check to see if the ice was safe enough before I saved him.

[cichlid_baby]

The best test is to walk out. If you hear it crack under your feet...Turn around and go home. If it doesn't, LIGHTLY bounce harder and harder. If it doesn't crack under your feet at this point you can move on doing the same thing over and over till you get to your spot. Walking cracks = no good. Jumping up and down (lightly) cracks? Move away. No cracks under your feet? Drill.

This is just my experience for the past 28 yrs. Do not follow this as a guide. This is just what I do. Starting weight 90. Now 235.

Some people you just can't convince to "change" their ways...... all you can do is wait them out.