Ice Fishing-Back in the Old Days

[cold one sd]

I can remember ice fishing with my Dad and we would chop the hole with an axe. It would be about 4 feet in diameter on top and about six inches in diameter when you hit water. My job was to shovel the chips out of the hole when we chopped it. He got a spud bar and things went somewhat faster. I still have an ice fishing rig in my garage that he made from a broken shovel handle. He drove a nail in the end of it and ground the head down to a point, It had two nails in the side to wind the line around. He stuck the pointed nail into the ice so it would stand up. Things have sure changed. I remember seeing an electric auger that a guy made from an old set of handle bars and a starter motor. He used a doorbell button for a switch. When he turned it on he would dissapear in a cloud of ice chips and when he got through the ice it was time to sit in the car and dry off for a while. lol

[JustinG]

Nice post guys, thank you for the memories!!!!!

Yes, what I remember the most was fishing with my grandpa. It was dang cold too...the holes froze almost instantly. I can still feel my hands being so cold that you couldn't grab a minnow. Yup, old spoon auger, pokey ice fishing sticks, and a 1972 Arctic Cat snowmobile was all we had for ice fishing gear. Man, it was alot of fun, though!

Justin

[nytelyter]

my dads first was a starter motor from a 57 chev attached to a maytag transmission. with an ungodly dull chipper blade. the on off switch was weather you had it connected to the battery on the truck. many a busted and briused knuckle came fron this rig as it tossed you into the wall when it got stuck as you were drilling. ... paul

[IBTanin]

Great stories from all! Got my start with gramps as well but did not ice fish till mid teens. with my stepdad. Remember the same stuff sitting on buckets and being cold but not cold enough to leave!

[Scott M]

"Thank God for cards. How else would we pass the time? Not by catching fish after fish, that's for sure."

"And now Billy you're ready to ice fish for life. Numb hands, no fish, and jiggle sticks with ice pick ends...Whoppie!"

"I wish we had something to pull these houses out. A machine that could run on snow and ice, with studs to make sure we wouldn't slip....Hmmmmmmm, this gets me thinking..."

"Pour it on boys, pour it on!"

"So lightweight and fast cutting, I love this thing!"

"Any minute now you should feel a bite through the broom handle....Yessiree, any minute now...."

"A common afflication of the time-waiting for fish to biteosis. It claimed the lives of many young men of the time."

"So I says, 'Why wait for winter? Let's fish in these things all year!"

[Shack]

That last pic reminds me of the stuff we did back when I was young.

Boys will be boys!

My kids have been building a raft for some time now and we do not even live any were near water. Unless then plan on dragging it down road a couple miles to elk lake. Who knows, we will find out when I find this raft gone! Kids!!!! I know they have something brewing!

[blueroof]

da_chise, you should publish a coffee table style book of old outdoor pictures with your subtext, I would certainly buy one... good stuff. LB

[Farley]

I think if I had to go through that much work to get out fishing, when I did catch one I would probably leave it a little further away from the hole (2nd pic).

[ice-man/vexilar-king]

I love seing those old pics. The ones with deer and ducks are great also. The ones where they get in there Sunday best and pose.