Confessions of a DarkHouse Spear Fisherman. ( airing of grievances)

[Neighbor_guy]

High, my name is Matt and I'm a Darkhouse Spear fisherman.... It's been 3days since I last sat in the Darkhouse....

I don't like traditional red/white decoys. In fact I hate them. I don't like using them. I don't like making them. I don't like when people walk up to my table and ask for them. Don't get me wrong. I don't have an issue selling them. But they are soooo boring .... 

 

 

(Feel free to join in the airing of grievances. Please only one per post)

[Mike89]

this ought to be interesting!

[aquafang]

But they work.....

boring.... Maybe...

[SpearPike]

Hi Im SpearPike,  It has been 5 days since I have had a spear in the water.

I hate dirty water!!!!  It ruins the day!!

[mwal]

Its been 20 hours and I also hate red and white but it works like magic sometimes. That being said I do own a red and white decoy and spoon

Mwal

[jvm1]

Not a grievance here but an observation. The amount of spearing holes in the 3 lakes around my house is crazy this year. Last year I saw a few more, but we have more already marked than the whole last season. 

I guess the complaint is that they are not all mine... curse you Powerball! You crushed my dreams of fishing daily again!

Edited January 15, 2016 by jvm1

[mwal]

Chock up all the holes to the convenience of spearing out of hub houses. Best invention since the spear lol.

 

Mwal

[Neighbor_guy]

Perhaps it's because everyone is doing a better job of marking their holes???

BTW... 6days since I sat in the Darkhouse. 

That is another thing mark your dang holes. Push your blocks back in the lake or bust them into smaller pieces. It just takes a few more minutes of effort when you are going home. For crumb cakes....

[SpearPike]

I have also saw more spear holes than ever on the lakes i have been on.

[mrklean]

On ‎1‎/‎15‎/‎2016 at 1:20 PM, Neighbor_guy said:

BTW... 6days since I sat in the Darkhouse. 

 

I'm going on 15 days

[Wanderer]

Its been since the Winnie GTG since my last consession...

[MJ1657]

11 hours ago, Wanderer said:

Its been since the Winnie GTG since my last consession...

Please turn in your spear.

[Wanderer]

19 hours ago, MJ1657 said:

Please turn in your spear.

Oops, I left out the "Please forgive me" part.

But if I must, you can have it when you pry it from my cold, dead hands. 

[tca12]

OK, I realize that I only get out on weekends which means more people on the ice, but do people really have to drill holes and set up tip-ups within 20-30 yards of my darkhouse?  I fish with tip-ups on occasion too but would never get that close to someone else, besides, someone on a snowmobile always drives through between my tip-ups and I wouldn't want to get someone else's equipment run over.

At decoy shows there are tanks so that you can see how a decoy swims, but having read this forum for a few years, it seems like many spearers drop a decoy down and let it sit...

[Neighbor_guy]

I sat in the shack both Saturday and Sunday this past weekend. The lake Saturday was cloudy as hell and though I saw fish it was very difficult and gave me a headache. Sunday I was on a crystal clear lake, but saw no fish. 

The gripe is that it's getting harder and harder to drag the stuff out, set it up, and haul it back. Much nicer to be able to have the shack set out and just druve up to it and fish. Skipping lakes because the walk is too dang far... Arghh...

what a strange year. 

[mrklean]

I know the feeling driving to spots is so much easier and goes so much faster then dragging all junk out setting up and cutting a hole.

[Neighbor_guy]

Based on my experience from last night...

Please don't drive your full size pickup truck on 10" of ice. If you do, please don't drive past me and my kid or between our tip ups. It's not funny that you are breaking through the ice. Not the first time and definately not the third time. I'm glad you were able to get you vehicles out when you did break through. I would also like to say that the sticks that Darkhouse fisherman use to mark their past holes are not intended to be slalom poles or targets. 

I would like to thank you for providing me with a teachable moment. Now my daughter understands why we were on a snowmobile or have been on foot all season instead of driving. She also has a firm grasp on how you need to pay attention to the other guy as well. You can't fix or legislate stupid you just have to make sure you don't get in its way. 

[bowhunt]

Amen!

[Bdeanpete]

As a guy still relatively new to spearing, I could confess to multiple ignorant mistakes but rather than trot out the litany of goof-ups, I will just share my most recent. This was a first for me. 

After a broken auger kept me off the lakes for a bit before the repair was complete, I was excited to get back at it. The very first hole I attempted to cut, I dropped my saw through the hole.  

I spent a considerable amount of time before I finally hooked it with a jigging spoon and ended up getting wet to the shoulder in order to get it back on the right side of the ice. I did stare down the hole now void of any living creatures for a while but never saw a thing. I need redemption!  

I hope you're all having a better season than I am. 

[Neighbor_guy]

a "rare earth" magnet and a 15' peice of para cord is a lifesaver. It doesn't take up much space and will retrieve most of the things that fall down the spear hole. Chisel, saw, tongs, even some decoys. 

Its cheap insurance. 

[Mike89]

I have used the magnet more than once, good investment!

[jvm1]

Where does one get one of them magnets?

I've seen more hammer handles this year than i can shake a stick at. I've done my part and taken quite a few of them, they are tasty little guys after all but a big tank would be a welcome sight in the hole just to break the routine a bit. Time to move from the metro and look for bigger water I think. Been fishing only small lakes this year. 

[Neighbor_guy]

The ones I have came from granger. 

They are also available from Home Depot. 

[shamalex72]

On Tuesday, February 02, 2016 at 11:21 AM, Neighbor_guy said:

a "rare earth" magnet and a 15' peice of para cord is a lifesaver. It doesn't take up much space and will retrieve most of the things that fall down the spear hole. Chisel, saw, tongs, even some decoys. 

Its cheap insurance. 

Those magnets work good for retrieving lucky duck decoys too. Stupid wind. Haha

[Mike89]

northern tool I think was where I got mine