~1st Icefishing Experiences~

[Lisa Almquist]

That is exactly what I would be interested in too. Watching these fish in their own habitat, doing their own thing while we just look on.

[glenn57]

lisa, you can. the next time you fish in shallower water have mr, lisatealz drill a couple holes side by side. thats what i do in shallow water after spearing closes.

[Lisa Almquist]

I am proud to say that since we bought a Nils auger I am officially drilling ALL my own holes! I know this sounds like a shameless plug but I was so noodle armed with the Jiffy that I couldn't do it! Isn't that exciting? glenn that is great advice because then when I try to pull in my next MONSTER fish there'll be TONS of room!

[glenn57]

if thats your story stick with it. i have a jiffy legend and dont have issues starting it.your a gal after a mans fishin tackle drilling your own holes. hehehe. have a good weekend.

[soldoncass]

First time posting on the "ladies forum"

I've never been ice fishing...but I'm going with a friend to LOW 24-26th so I'll let you know when I get back. Keep tuned

[Lisa Almquist]

Welcome to the Women's forum soldoncass! This is where the "honest" fishing stories are told! A LOW trip is an excellent 1st time icefishing trip! I've NEVER been skunked up there. Fun place to fish. Come on back and post your "1st Icefishing Experience" because as you can see it isn't always about the fish you catch, it's about how much fun you can legally have on the ice AND maybe bring home dinner!

[soldoncass]

I survived my first time. Got quite a few fish (dinks to eaters, no big ones), and we ate all we could handle twice. A successful trip, but it didn't meet the HIGH hopes. Got several "firsts" :first ever saugers, tullibee, and pout

first eye, perch, sauger, tullibee, and pout thru the ice. A tough bite for sure, required major downsizing, and "finesse".

I'll try it again . With almost 3 ft of ice, plowed highways, and snow cover , it wasn't intimidating like clear, uncertain ice depth would be.

[PerchPounder]

 Originally Posted By: soldoncass

With almost 3 ft of ice, plowed highways, and snow cover , it wasn't intimidating like clear, uncertain ice depth would be.

If there was much less ice I would prefer to see what I was walking/driving on. Especially if its thin ice that way you can always tell when you've gone far enough and need to turn around and go back where you came from.

[soldoncass]

Here's an HONEST story for you.....We went to the fish cleaning shack, on Sunday night, and had an "unusual" conversation. There was a LADY in there all by her self cleaning fish. She started the conversation by saying " she's cleaning them ,had to bait her husband's hook, and take the fish off for him". He was in the cabin....not cooking supper.

We just wondered what WE were doing wrong.... ha

Not to bash anyone, to each their own , but we thought it was quite unusual.

Maybe there are more couples like that on this thread?

[Lisa Almquist]

It's funny you should be mentioning this since I just had a conversation like this last weekend with my husband! I don't EVER clean fish because of the "ick" factor but have to start doing some unsavory dissecting in school soon. We've agreed that I need to start cleaning fish to get acclimated to all that slimy stuff or I'm not going to deal with this class that well! I'll post how it goes when we get some fish!!

[Iambjm]

I would rather clean fish than change diapers. My husband will not clean fish. He can't even bring himself to watch me. Although he used to put my leeches on for me until I got over my fear of them.

[Iambjm]

My first experience---I have always been terrified of the ice, when I was 12 I was goofing around with some other kids and walked out on a pond in early April. Went through the ice up to my chest in freezing water, then had to walk a mile home in wet clothes. I will never forget the feeling of that cold water, it sucks the breath right out of you. Hubby begged me for years to go ice fishing, I told him it would be a cold day in you know where when I would ever venture out on the ice. But after watching him and our friends from the cabin window every weekend, out there catching fish I finally ventured out very slooooowly. After I got my first big northern on a tip up I was hooked. Now I am the one out there all the time and he sits in the house and watches, mainly due to his poor health. I have not been having great luck this winter, but I keep going. Must be cause I am a stubborn Swede.

[Lisa Almquist]

Falling through would totally stink! I feel for you. There's alot of stories out there like yours-I'm just glad you were ok! It's been a slow year for me too!! I won't quit because I'm scared I'll get the name Skunky Lisa or something! At first I didn't totally love ice fishing because I would get sooooo cold. But now I have nice gear so I stay out longer and enjoy it more.

[caseynewberg]

Figured I would add my story to this thread too...

Even though I don't remember much of it, I've been in the sled behind the snowmobile, on the little mini kids sized cross country skies, in boats, trucks in muds, trucks on ice, four wheelers tipped over, snowmobiles also tipped over, since I was a kid a very young tiny kid. There's pictures and stories of my first times in the boat and my first times in the ice house, like when my dad brought my training potty in the ice house and snapped a pic of me sitting on it catching a fish. And when he backed the boat in on vermillion and forgot the plug I was still in a carseat splashing my feet in the water, lol, supposedly these are a couple of the interesting stories I've been told.

[reelemin]

great stories !!