Winter Wanderbouts

[leech~~]

13 hours ago, Wanderer said:

Picked up a new to me 4x6 hard side spear shack last week and got it out on the lake this afternoon.  

It’s light but hard to load by myself on a slippery trailer deck so after considering several different ideas to make it safer I came up with the idea of a pulley since I couldn’t work out using the winch on the 4 wheeler.  Well what better pulley system than a block and tackle - or simply a deer hoist.  Easy peasy.

 

First order of business was to swim the big timber my carver friend made me for Christmas!

 

 

At 22 inches and almost 3 pounds it swam pretty darn well.  It’s a pretty good monster in the hole but not so much to get in the way of a throw.  No fish seen in the short time out but I’m looking forward the day I get the first fish off it.

 

Nice little shack. Was that on fb marketplace? I think I saw one like it on there. Did you think about backing the wheeler on the trailer. Strapping it down so it doesn't slide, then use the wench to pull the house on?

[Wanderer]

4 hours ago, gimruis said:

How does the shack slide?  Are there skis or skids on the bottom of it?

It does alright.  2x6 runners on edge with hyfax on the bottom.  I test ran ran through the yard with the hitch in the typical low mount on the wheeler and plowed snow like a weight sled at a tractor pull.  I changed the connection for the hitch the back rack on top of the wheeler and had instant improvement. 
 

The combination of the higher lift on the house and added downforce on the chained wheels made all the difference.

[Wanderer]

3 hours ago, leech~~ said:

Nice little shack. Was that on fb marketplace? I think I saw one like it on there. Did you think about backing the wheeler on the trailer. Strapping it down so it doesn't slide, then use the wench to pull the house on?

Yup, that’s the one!  No other one like it.  Home made but a professional built job.

 

I did try the wheeler on the trailer and backing the wheeler up the ramps into the bed of the truck so I could use the winch.  No dice either way for various reasons.  I just put the wheeler in the bed of the truck going forward up the ramps the normal way, then connected the trailer and loaded the house.

 

By the time I got to the lake I had another idea that worked even better.  Just put the ramps into the trailer…. Had to have enough clearance though and just barely did.  I’m golden now.

 

 

I showed the deer hoist technique cuz I thought it was kinda cool.  I wish I’d thought of it before for a few other loading issues I’ve had in the past.

[leech~~]

I thought may be you had room on the trailer for both the wheeler and the house.  Thus the back on the wheeler-winch from front thought.  Looks like No.  

 

Post some inside shots of the house when you get a chance.  The guy did some clean work for sure!  

[Wanderer]

Out to the shack today.  Holy slush since Tuesday!  What a mess!

 

Had a friend coming out to fish crappies but I got there before him so I sat in the shack over a decoy for about an hour.  No sign of life for the second sit; time to move.

 

I wanted to get a little time with the new spear - The Hammer, made by Wayne Becker.  Deep water model that’s a pretty heavy spear.  Handle doesn’t show well in the pic that’s what it is and how I hang it at the ready.

 

I didn’t take pics of the slush or the journey to a different spot.  Miserable and had to be done in tandem with 2 chained up wheelers when the slush got bad.  Otherwise the house pulled through pretty decent.

 

@leech~~ just quick pic of the inside as requested.  Clean but simple on the construction.  I hung a pair of old green curtains along the walls to block the light from the windows.  Adding other hooks and hardware as I figure out what I want where.

 

Finally got moved to an area with some hard packed snow and called it good.  Managed to snap up a quick limit of keeper crappies.  Nothing huge.  Took the first 10 I brought up since they were deep and popping in the hand when removing the hook.

Had to quit anyway to help my friend get out slush he got buried in when he went looking for gills.  Happy to be off the lake safe and sound and hoping conditions get better instead of worse.

Edited January 9, 2022 by Wanderer

[smurfy]

 I dispise that slush word 

Edited January 9, 2022 by smurfy

[Mike89]

despise ya mean I'm thinking...  

[smurfy]

22 minutes ago, Mike89 said:

despise ya mean I'm thinking...  

yep, fixed it.

[leech~~]

19 hours ago, Wanderer said:

 

 

@leech~~ just quick pic of the inside as requested.  Clean but simple on the construction.  I hung a pair of old green curtains along the walls to block the light from the windows.  Adding other hooks and hardware as I figure out what I want where.

 

Nice!  

Looks like you might have to do a little air vent-ilision to get some of them dippy drops out?  

[Wanderer]

2 hours ago, leech~~ said:

Nice!  

Looks like you might have to do a little air vent-ilision to get some of them dippy drops out?  

Funny, I was expecting just that comment from you.   It was pretty frosty in there when I got it and have wiped some of it down with a towel but not all.  I keep the window behind curtain #1 open when I use it and the heater on pilot light after it warms up.

 

It’ll take a few heat/thaw cycles but will get there eventually.

[leech~~]

41 minutes ago, Wanderer said:

Funny, I was expecting just that comment from you.   It was pretty frosty in there when I got it and have wiped some of it down with a towel but not all.  I keep the window behind curtain #1 open when I use it and the heater on pilot light after it warms up.

 

It’ll take a few heat/thaw cycles but will get there eventually.

 

Nothing I hate more then a wind flapping porty, is a dripping one!  

[Wanderer]

11 minutes ago, leech~~ said:

 

Nothing I hate more then a wind flapping porty, is a dripping one!  

Meh, I towel dried the ceiling so I wouldn’t get drips in the spear hole and the rest will work itself out.  Wet sux but I hate wind more.  Been more concerned about getting it on fish.

[leech~~]

9 hours ago, Wanderer said:

Meh, I towel dried the ceiling so I wouldn’t get drips in the spear hole and the rest will work itself out.  Wet sux but I hate wind more.  Been more concerned about getting it on fish.

You could pop in 2 of those little open-close circle type vent jobbies on the top on 2 sides. The heat flow will pull out the drippies!

[tinker]

Try the old way of 1 vent mounted high and 1 vent mounted low. This should give some cross ventilation. 

[smurfy]

4 hours ago, leech~~ said:

You could pop in 2 of those little open-close circle type vent jobbies on the top on 2 sides. The heat flow will pull out the drippies!

I put 2 of them in my spearshack. I hate them.  Drives me nuts when sunlight comes on like a Lazer beam.

[Mike89]

1 hour ago, smurfy said:

I put 2 of them in my spearshack. I hate them.  Drives me nuts when sunlight comes on like a Lazer beam.

I have them in mine but where it won't reflect to the water...  

[smurfy]

37 minutes ago, Mike89 said:

I have them in mine but where it won't reflect to the water...  

i have them like that too........still hated them things........made ya wonder if it somehow did reflect........naw i got fish!!!!!! still..........

[leech~~]

1 hour ago, Mike89 said:

I have them in mine but where it won't reflect to the water...  

Sounds like you installed them right!

[Wanderer]

10 hours ago, leech~~ said:

You could pop in 2 of those little open-close circle type vent jobbies on the top on 2 sides. The heat flow will pull out the drippies!

I run as little heat as I can get away with.  I mentioned maybe needing a vent to the builder when I picked it up but he just referred to the window.

 

I haven’t really been in it enough yet with it sitting in the same spot.  So dealing with cutting spear holes twice and moving it through a couple hundred yards of slush and sitting with frozen bibs on hasn’t really helped! 
 

I’ll be in it tomorrow but if I don’t see the action I want, on again to the next lake actually.  Crappies are nice but I can only keep 10 more until we get eatin’ em and I wanna stick some more pike and get some pics of it!

[leech~~]

I've heard of guys running little computer fans off a vex battery up by the ceiling just to move the air and moisture around. Guess it helped. 

[Wanderer]

33 minutes ago, leech~~ said:

I've heard of guys running little computer fans off a vex battery up by the ceiling just to move the air and moisture around. Guess it helped. 

I have a couple and brought one out there, just haven’t connected it yet.

[Mike89]

they help some, I did that too..

[Wanderer]

Pulled the house today.  2-4 more inches of snow tomorrow and I don’t need the headache of worrying about something that’s over a half hour away from home.

 

Fished a little but they weren’t too excited.  Only caught 1 crappie and marked just a few others.  Had one pike at about that 22 mark get interested in my decoy but I didn’t get to poke him.

 

Back to Winnie tomorrow morning….

[Wanderer]

Man it’s busy on the lake.  The resorts keep plowing chutes and they stay full.  Beautiful morning after a quiet night fishing.

 

Maybe over thought the tough bite reports yesterday and went deeper than normal, 28 feet and only produced a couple perch and a 25 inch eelpout.  Marked some tullibee that wouldn’t even chase.

 

I did spend a lot of effort to cut a spear hole at the top of the break in the afternoon.  Saw one but no dice.  Decided to to move the south shore stump field today but did one last drop before packing up the spear gear.  About 5 minutes is all it took to get a 24.

 

The move to 20 feet has been a good one with the bite picking back up on the third day after the big weather change.  Perch and walleyes are both more aggressive and jigging has out produced the set lines so far.

 

Transitioned to all rattle reels, kicking back with our favorite ice fishing movie and waiting for the next wave - if it comes. 

[leech~~]

What kind of ice thicknesses are you finding?  I need to get the sled and porty loaded up and get my butt out there next weekend.  

[Wanderer]

24 inches.  I think you’ll be safe if you don’t over pack the porty.

[leech~~]

1 hour ago, Wanderer said:

24 inches.  I think you’ll be safe if you don’t over pack the porty.

Thanks. Not sure which way I'll be Wandering just trying to get some gauge.  Walleye Dan did an on ice report last Wed on Gull and was hitting spots of only 5-7" inches still.  Good stuff to know if I head that way!  

Edited January 16, 2022 by leech~~

[Wanderer]

8 hours ago, leech~~ said:

Thanks. Not sure which way I'll be Wandering just trying to get some gauge.  Walleye Dan did an on ice report last Wed on Gull and was hitting spots of only 5-7" inches still.  Good stuff to know if I head that way!  

Yah, Gull has been a little sketchy this year but more for driving trucks and slush problems from what I heard.  I didn’t hear Walleye Dan’s report though.
 

I pulled my spear shack for slush reasons around home.  Haven’t seen or heard of any slush up here but also haven’t been off the road system much.

 

we definitely got back on the cigars overnight.  Pulled the rattle reels at about 2am so I could sleep.   Running low on bait this morning too.  2 weeks ago shiners out produced overnight.  This time fatheads and rainbows.

[leech~~]

My son in law is up on LOW right now and said they have 24" inches of ice with about a foot of snow on top. I'll stop making this an ice report, back to the happy wandering!

[Wanderer]

4 hours ago, leech~~ said:

My son in law is up on LOW right now and said they have 24" inches of ice with about a foot of snow on top. I'll stop making this an ice report, back to the happy wandering!

Nuthin’ wrong with ice reports!
 

I’ll add: I started this thread just for getting some discussion going again.  It’s not meant to be all about me!  I just thought I’d share some activities and learning while I have time to be out.  
 

VERY open to other comments and suggestions; kinda like Moose’s reports thread.  Share away!  And it’s fine if you tell me I could do something better.  I sure as heck don’t know it all.   I figure if I’m not learning, I’m not paying enough attention.

Edited January 16, 2022 by Wanderer