Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: DanaM on February 06, 2010, 08:05:25 pm

Title: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: DanaM on February 06, 2010, 08:05:25 pm
Myself , the wife, my son and his girlfriend hit the ice today the weather was cold but with clear blue skies so in other words a beautiful day.
The perch didn't co-operate but we managed to get 3 nice ciscoe, which are a type of whitefish, delicious when broiled :) If anyone has some ice fishin pics please feel free to post them :)

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Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: ricktrojanowski on February 06, 2010, 10:47:01 pm
Dana
Great pics.  Man I wish I was there.  Ciscoe is some good eating.  That looks like an excellent day.
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: mullet on February 06, 2010, 11:21:31 pm
 Cool pic's, Dana. This is probally as close as a Fla. Cracker is going to get to ice fishing. And the lake in this picture is acidic, no fish.

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Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: El Destructo on February 06, 2010, 11:53:45 pm
Who's Ski Doo Racer you got there  Eddie??

Dana...I thought that Cisco were a member of the Salmon Species...... ???
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: adb on February 06, 2010, 11:54:15 pm
I went ice fishin' once, and I caught some, but damn near drowned cookin' it.  :D :D :D.

Kidding. I like ice fishing, but haven't been out this year.
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: mullet on February 07, 2010, 12:05:23 am
 Mike, We rented it from one of the NDN's in Northern Manitoba. The day before the ice broke there was two feet of slush. We needed one with paddle tracks.

 Those Ciscoe's look kinda like a mullet.
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: recurve shooter on February 07, 2010, 05:44:18 am
looks a little bit chilly for my taste!  ;D
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: DanaM on February 07, 2010, 06:35:26 am
Looks like some beautiful country eddie.

Mike I don't know about them being in the salmon family but their a type of whitefish :)
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: El Destructo on February 07, 2010, 12:30:22 pm
                            Aint nothing better than Smoked Whitefish....besides maybe....Chubs.......... ;D
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: DanaM on February 07, 2010, 01:05:29 pm
These are destined to be broiled, little butter and lemon pepper :)
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: TBod on February 07, 2010, 01:34:53 pm
Nice catch!
They are part of the Salmon family, got that extra fin on the back. IME they are hard to get stuck on the hook, cause their mouths are like jelly. At lest on a fly. They are good smoked to.
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: FlintWalker on February 07, 2010, 01:35:37 pm
Reminds me of a skipjack herring or an overgrown shad.  Neither of which are good table fare.  Them perch look mighty tasty though!
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: PeteC on February 07, 2010, 01:42:56 pm
Great pics fellas.Looks like a large time,but a might chilly for this Texan.I just don't have enough anti-freeze in my blood as I used too.  ;D God Bless
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: kylerprochaska on February 08, 2010, 01:18:24 am
Here's a nice bass I got about a month ago...20" right around 4lbs....Im upset though...our ice isn't safe anymore...snow covered and milky white..guess I'll have to wait till spring



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Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: stickbender on February 08, 2010, 02:29:58 am

     Dana, those Cisco's look like squaw fish in Montana.  They don't eat them, and use them for bait.  Not exactly supposed to...... ::)
There is another name they are using now, politically correct horse poop!  It's a Squaw fish!  Like the Goliath Grouper.  As far as I can remember they were called Jew fish.  I hate it when they nuts, with the touchy feelly name changing .  If they want to change a fish's name, how about Scrod?!  It sounds like a part I don't want to eat!  But anyway Dana, looks like a fun day fer a bunch of Yoopers hey?
                                                                          Wayne
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: DanaM on February 08, 2010, 08:50:18 am
Kyler dats a nice bass :) Our ice is really strange this year, warm days and cold nights are making heave and buckle creating unsafe ice for trucks.
I don't drive on the ice anyway but theres been lots of vehicles thru the ice this year. My son had to pull a guy out off the landing yesterday the front of his truck broke through.
We should have ice through March into April but not sure this year
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: John K on February 08, 2010, 02:24:02 pm
Here's one for ya Dana, a monster Crappie !

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Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: DanaM on February 08, 2010, 02:29:21 pm
whollywuheh :o dats a beauty John :D
its bigger den dis one do eh ;)

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Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: John K on February 08, 2010, 02:54:01 pm
Ha ! I caught one like that this weekend, and was thinking about you   :D
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: Jude on February 09, 2010, 04:23:39 am
Reminds me of fishing a lake up around Fairbanks AK, when I discovered the trout were too small for my #4 hooks.  Only managed to snag one 4" long monster the whole morning, while the rest of them nibbled the salmon eggs off my hooks >:(
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: Steve Cover on February 10, 2010, 07:52:57 pm
Reminds me of fishing a lake up around Fairbanks AK, when I discovered the trout were too small for my #4 hooks.  Only managed to snag one 4" long monster the whole morning, while the rest of them nibbled the salmon eggs off my hooks >:(

Back in the 1980s when I was flying the bush in Alaska, we were working a camp on the edge of Wein Lake about 60 miles West of Fairbanks before the spring melt.

We never caught a trout in our attempts at ice fishing.... A couple of the crew did catch a Burbot or two.  Ugliest fish in the lake, but fried up pretty well.

Also, there is a reason, Ice Fishing is not encouraged in salt water...

(http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t175/SteveCover/Fishing/th_IceFishing.jpg) (http://s160.photobucket.com/albums/t175/SteveCover/Fishing/?action=view&current=IceFishing.flv)

Take Care,

Steve



Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: John K on February 10, 2010, 07:58:59 pm
LOL ! Nice one Steve   ;D
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: DanaM on February 10, 2010, 08:09:49 pm
Seen that one on youtube :D Burbot are damn good eating ifin ya know how to cook them, they are a fresh water cod
and therefore very oily, we always boiled em and ate them like lobster dipped in butter mmmmmm :)
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: El Destructo on February 10, 2010, 09:37:00 pm
Well Dana...if you would have called them Lawyer's ...I would have known what the hell you were talking about..... ::)...never in all my Years back Home...heard them called Burbot...heard them called a lot of bad Names...but not that.... :P...and they do eat good...if cooked tight...and the Caviar is quite good too....and I bet the Hide would look good on a Bow too........ ;D
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: Jude on February 11, 2010, 01:35:34 am
I found out the problem was that the Chena lakes are so shallow that they pretty much freeze solid every winter, then they restock every spring.  Tried fishing the streams up there, but saw more grayling than anything else, and you can't keep those.  Heard there's good pike fishing up in Tanana Flats, but never made it up there.
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: El Destructo on February 11, 2010, 04:22:04 am
I ain't seen a Grayling since the One My Great Grandfather had mounted fell apart from Age...Michigan used to be loaded with Gayling...but they are now Extinct to the State due to Overfishing...Logging....and the Introduction of Non-Native Trout Species wiped out the only chance they had to Survive...and what a Shame that is too...They were such a Beautiful Fish to see
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: Steve Cover on February 11, 2010, 05:04:06 am
I ain't seen a Grayling since the One My Great Grandfather had mounted fell apart from Age...Michigan used to be loaded with Gayling...but they are now Extinct to the State due to Overfishing...Logging....and the Introduction of Non-Native Trout Species wiped out the only chance they had to Survive...and what a Shame that is too...They were such a Beautiful Fish to see

Grayling are tasty too.

(http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t175/SteveCover/Alaska/Noatak/Alaska-MonsterGreylingTrout.jpg)

One of the handy coincidences of being contracted to supporting a survey crew in Alaska, was that we went to areas that few people ventured into because the great hunting and fishing areas were hundreds of miles closer to the populated areas than we were.

Also, there was usually about an hour and a half wait for the surveyors to mark out and set their monuments.  In the Brooks Range, the safest landing areas were usually gravel bars on a stream.

So, while the surveyors toiled, I would catch an release fish.  Several areas I had to bend down the barbs on my hooks, because I was catching fish on every cast and was looking for an easier way to release them.

Occasionally, I would keep one for dinner, but most fish were released.

Trying to get as much out of a season as we could, we would follow the melt off north in the spring and follow the snow line south in the fall.

We tried Ice fishing in several lakes, but often had no luck in the smaller ones.  Like Jude said, I believe they froze solid during the winter.

Steve
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: DanaM on February 11, 2010, 08:12:25 am
Beautiful fish Steve, the Michigan DNR tried reintroducing the grayling but it failed >:(
Someday I will get to Alaska :)
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: Jude on February 11, 2010, 03:09:35 pm
Grayling were catch and release only in the management area around Fairbanks, so they are even having trouble up there; very sensitive to environmental disturbance.  I left AK in 2007, cause the Army wouldn't let me stay >:(  Wish I could get back up there, despite the -40o and lower temps.
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: stickbender on February 11, 2010, 06:31:33 pm

     Hey der Dana, they have dem Burbots in Montana too ya know......So what is da best way ta cook em hey?
How bout broiling dem with butter (real butter) and lemon, or lime juice, salt and pepper, and a Little garlic, and onion powder?
Ya tink dat would suit em fer dinner? I wonder where they get the names for some of these fish?  Burbot......sounds like a tribe on the steppes of Russia! ::)  Scrod, mmmmm, doesn't that sound delicious  :P......hake.....mmm huh, yeah, that sounds likely to taste good, was that the name of a fish, or did you just cough?   ......Hey, what kind of fish is this, ......Hake.   what ?.....   Haaaaake, snorrrt, awwggghh, patootie!  Oh, Hake, never heard of it....are these fish good to eat?  Huh? I didn't hear you, I was busy clearing my throat....oh, those, yeah, you can eat em.....I wouldn't, but you can..... ;D                                                                                Wayne
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: HoBow on February 11, 2010, 09:18:55 pm
I'm heading to Milwaukee to go ice fishing for the first time next weekend!  This should be interesting- a southern redneck used to fishing in the warm Gulf waters - ice fishing....
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: mullet on February 11, 2010, 11:17:38 pm
 Jeff, when the Canadians in Alberta were going to take me, they were having an ice house delivered and set up, warmed to 80 dgs. and a camera that was near the bait that would turn 360 dg's. When you watched the bait being swallowed on the screen, you set the hook. Now, that wouldn't be bad for a southern boy. :)
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: DanaM on February 12, 2010, 07:58:58 am
Wayne, mom always boiled em with bay leaves and then we ate em like lobster dipped in butter, we mostly called em lawyers ;)
So a thing on tv that hake is the new cod and what get in yer fish sticks and fish patties, but they are also getting over fished so they are looking at burbot as another source.

Jeff have fun ice fishing and stay on top of the ice eh ;D

Eddie I have a portable shack and marcum sonar unit ;D
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: stickbender on February 12, 2010, 05:54:36 pm

     Thanks Dana, if I catch any in Montana I will have to try that.  I have never caught any, or seen any, but they are in the regulations book.  It is funny, that there is no minimum size limit, just a maximum. ???  In the streams, I think it is 14 or 15 inches, I am not sure, but in the lakes, there is no maximum.  Down here they have screwed up the fishing so bad, it is ridiculous. >:(  They now have required you to have a salt water license to fish any body of salt water, on land, or pier, not just boat, like before. :(  Also, just about every species of fish that live in the ocean, now has a certain, size, and limit, from minimum to maximum.  ::) They have completely destroyed the snook fishing >:(  I think it is now from 28" from tip of the tail, squeezed together to the tip of the snout to 34" max, and you can only keep two.  ??? There are "school" snook, that normally don't reach 28", that are very plentiful in the inlets.  Needless to say, if you are going to be law abiding, they don't make it easy on you :(  I just quit fishing.  >:( I will be in Montana, shortly, and I can fish all I want, without such Draconian measures.  Plus the Montana Fish, Parks, and Wildlife, commission have a modicum of common sense unlike the Florida Game and Fish commission down here.  Next they will want you to use rubber hooks, so you don't hurt the fishies!  Our hunting Regs, and game management is not exactly great either.  I will miss the ocean, and fishing it, but what are you going to do, you have to be a marine biologist to recognize each species, and any variance of each species of fish, this one can be this long, but not this one, which looks just like it, but has an extra caudal fin, etc.  Nah, they can pack their salt water license, and regulations, ......well you can figure out the rest.  ;) Thinking about moving down to sunny Fla.  If you don't mind crowds, and silly regs, and don't like to hunt or fish, and don't mind high, and rising taxes, then, this is the place for you. ;)
It just keeps getting more and more silly. :(  Thanks for the recipe. :)

                                                                               Wayne
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: Gordon on February 12, 2010, 06:56:53 pm
Quote
Dana, those Cisco's look like squaw fish in Montana.  They don't eat them, and use them for bait.  Not exactly supposed to......
There is another name they are using now, politically correct horse poop!  It's a Squaw fish!  Like the Goliath Grouper.  As far as I can remember they were called Jew fish.  I hate it when they nuts, with the touchy feelly name changing .  If they want to change a fish's name, how about Scrod?!  It sounds like a part I don't want to eat!  But anyway Dana, looks like a fun day fer a bunch of Yoopers hey?

Those are not squawfish (also referred to as pikeminnows), they are a type of whitefish, which are related to grayling and trout. Squawfish do not have an adipose fin (the small fleshy fin on the back just in front of the tail) nor do they have a small head with a delicate mouth. I used to catch the Rocky Mountain variety when I lived in Alberta and can atest that they are both excellent sport and eating. A lot of folks around here (Pacific NW) think whitefish are trash - they probably mistake them for squawfish...
Title: Re: Ice Fishing Eh
Post by: DanaM on February 12, 2010, 09:01:44 pm
Heck call em what ya want but their dang good eating ;D