technical questions.

[pushbutton]

Anybody else here a "fish witcher"?

I witch fish, I use a willow branch.

I can't be the only fish witcher on LOW?

Utility flags for me. Not as readily available in the ditches during the winter, but I always stock up in the fall. Just bend them into an L, hold one in each hand, and they will cross over when fish are below......

[northerndave]

Sweet, yeah I've seen the wire method before. Do you bounce the wire after they cross to estimate depth?

[pushbutton]

No, in the wire method, depth is essentially calibrated by the resulting angle of the crossover, which can be determined with a simple and cheap protractor........ have found the see through blue ones do work best though......and ends up calculating to 1.315 ft for every degree.

[eyeguy 54]

I just build a baseball diamond on the ice and the fish show up...

:>)

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

I have been known to pull out my special fish whistle every now and then. 60 percent of the time it works everytime.

[northerndave]

excellent.

[Boar]

Too truly attract walleyes, one has to be on a reef an execute "The dance of the fish" 100% effective.

[pushbutton]

I love that dance! Very effective by the way. Going to practice it some more right now. If your not familiar with it.....

[lakevet]

Can I walk on snowmobile trails that ban studs with my Sorels that I studded with sheet metal screws, or do I need to go stocking footed til I get on the lake?

[northerndave]

Depends on if you ran the screws in from the bottom of the boots or if you ran them through from inside the boot.

[Mid-Lake Rock]

Dave:

Last year it seems Twisted had good luck using gummy bears to catch walleyes. Have the folks at Rapala or Berkley come out with artificial gummy bears? Sometimes the grocery store or gas station is out of gummy bears and it would be nice to turn to artificial gummy bears if the real ones are unavailable. I've had good luck with the artificial leeches in the summer.

[WhiskeyPete]

If the ice roads open to truck traffic bu Thursday, will it be safe to stay on the ice overnight with the apocalypse coming Friday?

[lakevet]

Yep, you'll be fine. Just be sure to set your clocks back before bedtime.

[WhiskeyPete]

If I can drive my 2500HD on the ice, do you think it will be safe for ATV and portable traffic by this weekend?

[WhiskeyPete]

Does the Roseau County Sheriff have any "special permits"?

[northerndave]

LMAO!!

Oh now you've done it!!!

[Spicoli]

Does the Roseau County Sheriff have any "special permits"?

Now that was funny right there!! Lol

[northerndave]

I kept losing my special ice captain's permit so I had it tattooed on my arm in case I get pulled over by the sherf for being on the ice.

(Mine is the lifetime license)

The test for the license is brutal.

I had to watch 3 seasons of "ice road truckers" on DVD and take a written test inside a reefer van with a frozen bic pen, handwritten on lake road day passes.

They were so impressed they made me an instructor.

[WhiskeyPete]

I called for ice conditions today and during the conversation we started talking about the amount of houses on the lake this coming week. After calling 6 resorts I was able to reserve a spot on one of the ice roads. I'll be on Ice Spot 4B. I have to wait until 3pm to check in and it's no smoking, but at least I have a spot!

FISHING'S FREE! BAIT EXTRA!

[Boar]

Uh oh 4B? Im right abouve you in 5B, I got alot of animals, an were shoot a nature show.

[northerndave]

Pete, how big is your ice camping site? Mine is a primitive site, no electrical hookups but it's a double lot. The owners of the ice camp ground I use did a really good job of freezing things this year. I rent my spot by the day, I need to call and see when check out time is so I don't accidentally stay too long and get charged for an extra day.

Some people are still stuck in the past and think that the lake access fees are for crossing a person's private/commercial property to get onto the ice. Those people also assume that once they are miles out on public waters they could stay for days on end free of charge. (Just because they pay taxes or something ) They might think that it would be fair to pay a land owner along the shoreline once again upon departing the lake and that this would be fine. Those people are simply stuck in the past and they do not get it. Like wayyy in the past, like 2 years in the past.

The correct way is to pay that point of entry for each day you are out on the ice. For every day you are out there, miles from shore, minding your own business, watching your bobbers with your truck parked next to your house with a cold engine....... on public waters.

It's the new way.

It's catching on too.

I hunt state forest areas, but I always make sure to find a mailbox of a private land owner that borders the state land and I stuff a fist full of 10's in his mailbox. How much? Depends on how long I plan on being in the state forest that borders his property.

Basic common sense, common courtesy.

It's Minnesota nice, get with it people.

[Spicoli]

Great info Dave, thanks for the heads up, I guess I was unaware of this change in the regulations as I'm sure a lot of fishermans are. I sure don't want to be in violation so to clarify, if I get the special sherf's permit that is now needed to use public waters, do I still need to pay the neighbors to use their piece of the public water, or does that permit exempt me? And if it doesn't exempt me, why exactly do I need it again?

On a side note, and this may just be a rumor, but a buddy of mine was trying to tell me that he heard from his cousins friend that they're considering putting in toll booths out there near the public access' just in case someone thinks they can access the lake off of one of them and avoid paying their rent. Apparently its happened, and it only takes one bad apple pulling some crazy stunt like that to spoil the whole batch. Idk though, most likely a rumor.

[northerndave]

I need some time to correctly address these questions. (I actually need to lay down because I feel light headed suddenly) In the mean time, just do like me. If you are ice fishing, and it feels like you are getting by to cheap.... Reach into your pocket, grab some cash, open the fish house door and throw the money out into the wind. It may take years for someone to find the money, but whoever finds it probably deserves it for some reason or another.

Keep doing this until you start feeling a bit of regret and “buyer’s remorse.”

If you don’t feel conflicted, violated and foolish, you’re not doing it right.

[WhiskeyPete]

Dave, it's Obama law.

[lakevet]

With a permanent fish house is it city sewer and water or do you need the special permit for septic?

If so do you usually need mound system or can you get by with drain field?

Does the perk test vary with time of year/ice thickness? Want to know when it is best to have inspector out.

[northerndave]

Ever see a snow making machine at a ski slope?

I'm hooked up to one.

Look for the brown snow storm on a clear day, that's my sleeper house.

[lakevet]

Thought it was a little to sticky to be snirt blowing in from Dakotas. Took some extra scrubbing to get it off the portable.

That explains the two tone pattern on your house. Musta be a bummer when it was pointed up wind during last New years eve party.

Assume permitted under a crop duster application permit, or is it below the volume threshold.

Any DNR violation since that stuff really draws the mud minnows and might be considered baiting?

[Twisted]

I'm not sure about mud minnows but the crows & ravens sure like to flock to ND's area!

The brown snow helps keep the neighbors away. No worry about the 10' rule with him!!!

I hear he likes to fish alone anyway!

[Twisted]

Anyone have any luck on LOW with different live bait options besides chubs & the elusive shiner? Ice fishing of course.

I've tried nightcrawlers before but no luck.

leaches?

wax worms?

[northerndave]

Bed bugs.

They stopped hitting the gummy bears and the mud minnows late last week. So, I tipped a pink glow stop sign with a bed bug and WHAM!

Gotta switch it up every now and then ya know?

Think outside the box.

I can't even see the box from where I'm at.