A rod to a fish and a fish to a dog!

[FisherPotch]

Funny story

Went to Calling for the last day of the season. Got into some pike in the morning. We had a 5.5lb and 7.5 lb jacks on the ice thinking that they were perfect eaters. Was messing with my tip up and i heard a jingle form the bell on the rod i had sitting in a rod holder. I approached the rod quickly and just as my hand was inches from the rod handle the rod shot down the hole like a bullet. I got a soaker dunking my arm down the hole and just grazed the handle. Was i ever peeved!! My best combo a lightining rod with a mitchel rear drag reel gone like that. Likely a good fish too. Then..........

Apperently we we'nt the only ones thinking that the pike were perfect eaters. Like stated I was messing with the tip up and decided to change it's location. When i pulled the tip up both the pike were on the ice purdy much frozen. Moments later when I went back to where the pike were one of them (the big one) was missing!!!! There was evidence (tracks) that a dog had pulled the perfect stock. He used our ice hut to approach us without us seeing him!! We were like 3 to 4 hundred meters off shore too. This dog had to of done this before or may have been trained even. We didn't even see the dog but we knew he wasn't hungry any more. It was a bit of a shame and i'm wishing that I had released the fish.

2 lessons learned the hard way. Hope you enjoy the story tight lines.

[moosehunter3-0]

[QUOTE=FisherPotch;132493]Funny story

Was messing with my tip up and i heard a jingle form the bell on the rod i had sitting in a rod holder. I approached the rod quickly and just as my hand was inches from the rod handle the rod shot down the hole like a bullet. I got a soaker dunking my arm down the hole and just grazed the handle. Was i ever peeved!! My best combo a lightining rod with a mitchel rear drag reel gone like that. Likely a good fish too.

Same thing happened to us at sylvan with a pike or burbot. What I do now to avoid this is clip a bobber on and put it up on the ice on a mound of snow so its visible. I open the bail and go jig in another hole. When your bobber falls off the ice the fish can take it under as far as he wants and no lost rod lol
that sucks about the lost fish and rod though

[FisherPotch]

ya that is one of many ways to go about it. Could turn down the drag, longer handle with a better holder, etc. I was actually surprized because when the line is pulled downward the butt of the handle is forced upward kinda like a teeter totter. Therefore the holder should have a good grip on the rod so long as the rod holder is firmly fastned to the ice. But there was no teeter totter effect and the rod was yanked rite out of the holder. The physics is there but weirder thigs have happend. I persinaly am against the turning down of the drag thing cause i get excited and go for the hook set b4 adjusting the drag. And if the bail is left wide upen there is no guarentee that a bell will ring. I'ma put some thought into it and devise someway to keep the bail closed and the drag up so that the fish can't inhale the hook too deep cause i have found that with an open bail pike take presentations too deep.

Any other methods out there? What type set lines do you run?

[Shrubs]

My favourite setup is using a baitcaster on a regular medium-medim heavy rod. I put it in just a regular red wire rod holder with a good plywood base fastened to the bottom. You can set the magnetic tensioner on the baitcaster to just keep the bait from hitting bottom but when a fish grabs it they can run with it. Best part is you don't have to screw with the drag just a quick reel to close the bail and bam.

[FisherPotch]

Good call Shrubs! Only thing is that all my ice rods are for spinning reels. How much of a diff would that make? And are there ice rods setup of casting style reels?

Also a good call on the plywoord base for the rod holder.

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

go pick up a cheep 15 doller bait caster at wholesale or Canadian tire im sure they got them there for pretty cheep and put them on your ice rods , spool some 20 lb fire line on there and youd be set.

[moosehunter3-0]

well i guess you could just tie a meter long willow stick to your rod handle with a long cord so you could hear the bell instead of having to watch a bobber

[skykomish sunrise]

I use the bell and a light drag and if the spiced rum isnt flowing i usually remember to tighten the drag before setting the hook

[Shrubs]

Good call Shrubs! Only thing is that all my ice rods are for spinning reels. How much of a diff would that make? And are there ice rods setup of casting style reels?

Also a good call on the plywoord base for the rod holder.

I'm not sure how much of a difference it would make, with the baitcaster I've only used the same rod I use in the summer. I don't know if they would sit right in the holder or not but as long as the rod didn't turn on you I don't see why they wouldn't work.

The long rod has lots of give and I find it works better because the fish will bend the rod a bit before they start taking line, the more give the less resistance the better.