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oh yea.....like your a picnic on the beach!!!!!!!

Hey, he seems to like starting pissing matches, everywhere!

Hey now, that one is all you! Haha! Don’t make another thread septic. Yup, the Looper Bug. I couldn’t remember that catchy name for it. 2lb test is a little crazy, especially for the line quality back then but I can see that being a thing too. Such clear water. Looking down the hole watching the fish swim around and them looking back at you. The further out I got, the easier it was for them to see me. My one looper charged in when my jig was just below the ice while I was laying face down like you said. It hit basically right in front of my face. The fight was me rolling over and pulling it out of the hole. That was shortly before the guys in the shallows packed up their little black shelters and left with their fish. So, by the end of the day I learned: black looper bug; light line; conceal movement; and/or fish shallow. And then never went back.

Cuz like I said, he was breaking off a lot and they were like gold at the time. Guys an't giving up anything when combat fishing, I'm sure he pissed off some folks running around jumping in and out of open holes.

why didnt ya "leech" some of them black flies from the guy!!!!! awe come on....wanderer would of said it too!!!!

Au, yes the black fly, aka the looper bug. I remember the first time I was introduced to it. There must have been 20-30 guys out in front of the French on the ice. This one guy was running from hole to hole and pulling fish, but he was also breaking off a lot. When I finally got close to him, he said he had 2lb line and just the bug on the end and jigging. I think I had about 6lb line and some jig with waxies. I jumped in my Suv and buzzed up to the bait store in Two harbors "which is closed now" to get new line and bugs. By the time I got back and fishing again the bite must have been over! Spent the rest of the day laying on the ice staring down the hole, ton's of fish went by but not bite!! I used to get up at like 3:00am to drive up from Brooklyn Center, fish until dark and drive home. When I had more of the wander spirit. Heck I remember when I had no brains or money in the spring, getting up at like 2:30am, driving up and fishing every stream for about an hour that I could get to from Duluth to Grand Marais. Then driving all the way home the same day.

Last day of myself hunting before I help my friend with new clients. Back on the bigger marsh, mainly teal but 5 fulvous whistling ducks. A medium size duck but they fly and decoy like Canada geese, big circles and glide in. They are noisey birds

Kettle, sounds like an awesome trip. Never see drake bluewings in MN during the season. For the bridge my pucker factor would've been 11, and that's walking across both ways!!

Gotta love META, right???? Naw, they ain’t tracking’…

I did the looper steelhead thing in front of the French River once. It was fun. I got one looper but the sight fishing aspect of it was the most fun. We saw a couple guys limit on steelhead up close to shore and learned the black fly was the way to catch ‘em. We didn’t have any. My first 40+ hour day that I can remember. Went to work Friday morning, Van Halen concert Friday night, too jacked up on the way home to call it a day so we loaded up for the North Shore. Fished all day, drove home Saturday night. Those crazy kids… Chequamegon Bay and the Apostle Islands have always been a want but an undone deed. The wander spirit has faded from my old traveling buds. They like to stick to what they know now.

Oh, he knows….

About 20" of ice in Black Bay., although that's just based on how far my auger went before breaking through.

I would love get the cohos through the ice.

sheez Wanderer.......why dont you tell him how you really feel!!!!!!

I say this with the utmost respect: You suck….. What a sweet azz day.

Let's just say my smaller balls then I used to have, keeps me closer to shore and not jumping cracks with my porty, anymore.

Their breast meat is a little more than teal, very light in color. Similar to the color of meat of a sharp tail grouse. They do taste quite good for waterfowl

Pucker factor was at a 10 crossing that bridge.

had to look the first 2 ducks up, good lookin birds!!! and yes that bridge looks better than it sounded!!

that bridge dont look much worse then some of them in northern Mn!!!!!

I've never had the guts to fish superior in the winter.

Went to a place my buddy had never hunted but heard of. 90 min drive, had to put the truck on a barge to get down a river in the jungle then through farm country and across a sketchy suspension bridge. Followed by a mile walk through a jungle marsh, it was worth it. We got black bellied whistling duck, vulgus tress duck, teal, widgeon and pintail. 20250121_105951.mp4

On the South Shore... Ice fishing is in full swing on the south shore of Lake of the Woods and fishing is good. Resorts and outfitters are reporting thickening ice conditions with over two feet of ice in many areas and on many ice roads. Ice road operators continue to increase weight limits and many are now open to 1 ton vehicles pulling a wheelhouse. Every road has different weight limits, check with each resort for details before traveling up and out on the ice. Very good fishing this past week despite some windy days, cold and fronts. Lake of the Woods is special this way. As a rule, fishing activity is happening in 26 - 32 feet of water. Resorts continue to move fish houses to stay on schools of walleyes and saugers. Most groups are having plenty of fresh fish to eat along with bringing fish home. A wide range of sizes of walleyes and saugers are showing up, which shows a healthy fishery. Anglers are sorting through fish, releasing small fish and walleyes in the protected slot between 19.5 - 28.0 inches. Anglers are allowed to keep one walleye per day over 28 inches if they so desire. It continues to be a very good year for jumbo perch with good numbers being caught. Other fish in the mix are eelpout (burbot), pike, tullibees and an occasional sturgeon. punch of jigging in one hole and deadsticking the second hole. A jigging spoon or lipless crankbait in the jigging hole and a live minnow on a hook or small jig in the deadstick hole. Electronics are very helpful to see suspended fish, know when fish are coming through and adjust your presentation to the mood of each fish. Most resorts, outfitters and bait shops in the area rent electronics by the day. On the Rainy River... The Rainy River is still producing some nice walleyes and saugers, primarily in the mornings and evenings. A jig and minnow working well. Catch-and-release sturgeon fishing continues to be good for those targeting them. An oversized hole, or three holes drilled together, with nightcrawlers or frozen emerald shiners on a sturgeon rig fished on the bottom are what anglers are using. Ice conditions on the river can vary significantly due to the current. To stay safe and maximize success, always work with a local resort or outfitter familiar with river conditions. Up at the NW Angle... Ice continues to thicken and fishing continues to be very good up at the Northwest Angle. Resorts are spread out on a variety of areas, some on the structure, some set just off of structure in the deep mud. A nice mix of walleyes, saugers, jumbo perch, pike and tullibees are being caught. The ice road from Jerry's on the mainland (Angle Inlet, MN) to island resorts is open to 1 ton vehicles. Guests drive right to their island resort after picking up a road pass at Jerry's or Point North Services. With thickening ice, an ice fishing season through March is shaping up nicely. Lake of the Woods enjoys an extended ice fishing season through March 31st. Walleye / sauger season is open through April 14th and perch, crappie, and pike season never closes.

Nice! I got a Eskimo Wide 1 thermo a few years ago. It's nice have a hand putting together.

I helped bring that into the house. The wife painted it. It does have e etched wood ducks on the glass.