Sad day or not so..

[Phishy]

I finally came to terms with it...the season of trolling is over....I've been meaning to get out one more time but it just never happened, October brought torrents of rain and fierce east winds, my tiny ship isn’t meant for that type of abusive weather. No matter how hard I tried not, I had to endured an envious burning at every boat I saw; it seemed I always had to work on the “good daysâ€. Someday I’ll have a boat that can endure the elements better than my tiny ship.

I ran through the winterizing process last weekend, flushed the motor, fogged the cylinders, pulled the batteries, etc. I then wrapped her in a snug plastic blanket to keep the bird excrement off her during the winter storage in a friend’s barn,hauled her away for the season and put her to sleep. I then loaded the ice shack which had been in storage into the back of the truck.

When I got back home I needed to make room for the shack so I went through my gear and organized it into totes. I left things like the fluro-carbon line, beads and hooks close at hand for the times when I just get the itch and need to tie some rigs, heck I may even start tying some flies, "hmmm now there an idea" , as I went through the gear, I realized I have some 30 spinner rigs left over from last year, perhaps I need to expand my hook tying skills to the tinsel variety. I’ve been meaning to toy with tape and spoons as well. As I went through the gear I realized I really need to figure a way to add a couple more rod holders to the downrigger layout and there are a couple loose eyes on a rod or two that I’ve been ignoring for the most of a season, I thought to myself "perhaps I should fix them as well". I sulked over the gear and remembered those rods and reels that I ran across a couple at a garage sale, so now how am I going to utilize them in the spread? I’m going to have to get on eBay and find a couple more reels. It’s a good thing the season has ended; I got tons of things to get done before next season.

Hopefully ice fishin’ doesn’t get in the way.

[Nailer]

Sad to put the boat away, but fun to get the gear out and tinker, and dream about next year.

Good luck.

[steeliebob]

Don't fool yourself into thinking that salmon and trout cannot be caught through the ice. I target them and have quite a bit of success. My big one last year was a 12 pound steelhead fun fun fun. I hope to be on the ice in about a month or so doing just that trying to get a salmon or trout.

[GLF]

Don't fool yourself into thinking that salmon and trout cannot be caught through the ice. I target them and have quite a bit of success. My big one last year was a 12 pound steelhead fun fun fun. I hope to be on the ice in about a month or so doing just that trying to get a salmon or trout.

That sounds like a hoot! What is your set up for steelhead through the ice?

[Phishy]

Don't fool yourself into thinking that salmon and trout cannot be caught through the ice. I target them and have quite a bit of success. My big one last year was a 12 pound steelhead fun fun fun. I hope to be on the ice in about a month or so doing just that trying to get a salmon or trout.

I plan to try for some browns and steelies off a few harbors this ice season,I saved some spawn from a few kings for just that purpose... kinda hard to troll though

I used to bob for lakers on Lake Superior over 150 fow with braid and 1-2oz beetle jigs, now that my friend... was fun, nothing like a 10 lb laker slamming into your jig almost ripping it out of you hands,

[steeliebob]

I use a very small split shot just enough to get a spawn bag to stay on the bottom and a #14 or #16 treble hook put it into a spawn bag about the size of your fingernail. You can run this off of a tip up or ice rod. On an ice rod I leave the bail open and set it on a bucket w a rubber band in the tip eye. I step back from the hole and when you don't see the rubber band get to the pole. I also use wigglers and wax worms on an orange tear drop with an ice rod. In the UP we fish off any river or stream mouth the L Michigan side can give up some nice trout in the spring. The northern lower penninsula streams can be really hot too. I have the gear ready to go but the rest of Nov looks to be too warm for ice. L Superior has super good ice fishing for trout and it gives up some real nice coho as well but on cold winters you will need an extension to the auger

[GLF]

Thanks for the info Robert!