02/26 & 02/27 Multi fishin' AGAIN got2loveIT

[camofish]

02/26/07: 9am-215pm = Pike, pumpkinseeds, and perch.

We'll start the day off with our 1st flag of the day, nice perch.
2nd flag got a little pike. And now it was Arthur's turn at the next tipup.
I set up 8 tipups today for Arthur and I. Arthur's 1st time out on the ice, was hoping for a flag popping day, but the flags weren't so happening today. But the jigging was prime.
Arthur started out kicking my butt with the jig pole. (my spare one)

We got some nice colorful pumpkinseeds, no bluegills.
Then a nice batch of perch came swimming by and got some of these.


Then it was back to the pumpkinseeds, they were thick and fun today.

Back to the tipups.
After 2 flags, 1 perch and 1 small pike, it was Arthur's turn on the next flag.

Flag! We got there and it was just sitting still, open trap all the way, pull it out and feed a little line then it was fight on! Arthur got it up for a closer look and starts saying, it's a real nice one. 1st try to get the head out of the water and up the hole didn't work, back down it went. Then, Arthur gets the head out of the hole with just the gill plate above the snow and what a fish, and THEN the stink'N line breaks.

I was standing, help feed line and saw it break, the pike starts sliding back down the hole. I drop to my knees and shove my hand down the hole after it. HOLLY COW, I got my fingers down into it's mouth and gut my glove stuck onto it's teeth, which was just under the bottom of the ice hole. Can you believe that! With my fingers in it's mouth, I grabbed the bottom of the lip and pull the pike up onto the ice. Now, this pike had my fingers in it's mouth and Arthur starts to grab it behind the head and it clamps down, "LET IT GO", I yell. I had to slowly pull it's mouth open so I could get my hand out.

And here is the team affort 33" northern with a 15" fat girth.

Not to shabby for his 1st pike on the ice, 1st flag and 1st attempt on a tipup.

Arthur was just in aaawwww to see me go down the hole all the way up to my elbow and come back out with the fish. I told him, "I'll fish all day with a cold and wet arm as long as the big fish make it onto the ice."
I ended up with a few teeth slashes on my fingers and lucky Arthur had a bandaid, I'd forgot my FirstAid kit, but had some electrical tape which I put around the bandaid to make it tight and stay on.

Next nice fish was another little pike on this "jawjacker", little jig pole and 8# mono.

We gut over a 15 a piece pumpkinseeds, 4-6 perch a piece, and the 3 pike, no darn crappie today.

Then as I was picking up, a few flags go up with these fine perch, both on big #6 trebles and medium shiners, our pike setups.


So, being Arthur's 1st trip out on the ice, we would love to come back up and do it again. Can you blame him?
Fish On!

[camofish]

02/27/07: 9am-1045am = Gills and Crappie Galore

Got out for a short power ice fishing trip today. Mike was on the ice at sunrise with non-stop action from sun up to 9am when I finally got on the ice. I fished with Mike until 1045am and we didn't move once. Only 3 holes drilled, 1 for the vex, 1 for Mike and 1 for me. Started out, Mike had 4 gills up out of the ice before I gave up with the rod I was using and switched to the lighter gear. I even chanced to small jigs too. The bite was hot, hot for the little tackle today. As fast as you got your jig down there, there were 2 or more fish homing in on our jigs.

Here one of many double that we got this morning. A nice purplish gill with a smaller orange-ish gill.


Here is picture of a nicer crappie and the set up we were working with.

We had to turn off the heater for a while cause it was just roasting in the shanty too, including the bite.

Now, check out the awesome purple haze of this slob-o gill.


Can't make it thru the day without getting my ugly mug with a slob gill, notice my poor little fingers, hehe.

Not to self, stop putting your hand into 33" northern pike's mouth.

We got several little ****s, Mike was calling them "taters", so I thought I'd share a picture of a spotted little tater.


And again, we can't go thru the day without Mike getting his ugly mug too. Here is a nice speckle.


Then, to close the day, here is a picture of another double that we got. The larger crappies love little taters, too, hehe.


Hope you enjoyed the little play by play of our little 1 hour and 45 min. outing.

Fish On!

[wrwest]

WOW looks you're having a good time ice fishin. What an adventure with the pike. Thanks for sharing the pics, really enjoy them...