To ice-fishermen who like to talk instead of fish...

[Artist]

Dear fellow ice-fisherman who would like to talk or socialize instead of fish.

I love to socialize, I love people, and I love hearing and sharing stories. I'm positive you have many experiences to share, but exchanging information is what people do in living-rooms and around campfires. We are not in a living room or around a campfire, we're on a lake.

To begin with, if I can see your hook on my fish-cam, you are waaaaay too close.

When I'm fishing, this is my little world. I've come here to get away from the busyness of city-life, and enter into a tranquil quiet atmosphere. Woe to you if you step inside uninvited! In fact, I am tempted to ribbon off a 100-foot radius around my shack with some yellow CAUTION DO NOT CROSS tape, but, I don't know if that would be legal, and it would likely draw the attention of you looky-loo types even more!

I know you might interpret me as seeming a bit unfriendly or selfish, but anyone who really knows me would disagree. I am a super-friendly happy-go-lucky guy who would under any other circumstance, engage you in a deep and meaningful conversation. But ice-fishing is not about character analysis; it's about CATCHING FISH! Catching a fish is hard enough without having to listen to you, just because you possibly haven't had a meaningful conversation in the past year. If you like, by all means, let's meet at Tim Horton's afterwards for a coffee, and I'll share anything you'd like to know! I’ll listen to your stories until the cows come home. But for right now while we're on this lake, I've come here to FISH, not to be your private therapist or your personal Google source of information on all the latest fishing secrets, locations, regulations and technologies!

No I do not want help unloading my gear; I loaded it myself before I left home, and I can unload it myself here.

No I do not want half of your sandwich; if I wanted to be eating, I'd be at a restaurant right now, not on a lake.

No, I don’t want a beer; if I wanted to be drinking, I’d be in a bar; not on a lake.

If you fall through the ice, scream loud, and I'll definitely come rescue you; after all, you are my fellow ice-fisherman. But if you stick your head into my shack, you're liable to get a black eye.

If you leave the lake before I do, and get stuck in the snow, I’ll gladly come pull you out. Unlike you, I’ve got shovels, sand and a tow-strap, but you’ll have to wait until I’m done fish’n. I’ve come here to fish, not be your on-call towing service.

To avoid the possibility of having to orchestrate my ice-fishing experience around what you think an ice-fishing experience should be, I pick the coldest days, and the most unpopular lakes to go ice-fishing! When I go ice-fishing...I go ice-fishing.
:sign0111:

[RedHeadedFisherman]

:sHa_sarcasticlol:Dear fellow ice-fisherman who would like to talk or socialize instead of fish.

I love to socialize, I love people, and I love hearing and sharing stories. I'm positive you have many experiences to share, but exchanging information is what people do in living-rooms and around campfires. We are not in a living room or around a campfire, we're on a lake.

To begin with, if I can see your hook on my fish-cam, you are waaaaay too close.

When I'm fishing, this is my little world. I've come here to get away from the busyness of city-life, and enter into a tranquil quiet atmosphere. Woe to you if you step inside uninvited! In fact, I am tempted to ribbon off a 100-foot radius around my shack with some yellow CAUTION DO NOT CROSS tape, but, I don't know if that would be legal, and it would likely draw the attention of you looky-loo types even more!

I know you might interpret me as seeming a bit unfriendly or selfish, but anyone who really knows me would disagree. I am a super-friendly happy-go-lucky guy who would under any other circumstance, engage you in a deep and meaningful conversation. But ice-fishing is not about character analysis; it's about CATCHING FISH! Catching a fish is hard enough without having to listen to you, just because you possibly haven't had a meaningful conversation in the past year. If you like, by all means, let's meet at Tim Horton's afterwards for a coffee, and I'll share anything you'd like to know! I’ll listen to your stories until the cows come home. But for right now while we're on this lake, I've come here to FISH, not to be your private therapist or your personal Google source of information on all the latest fishing secrets, locations, regulations and technologies!

No I do not want help unloading my gear; I loaded it myself before I left home, and I can unload it myself here.

No I do not want half of your sandwich; if I wanted to be eating, I'd be at a restaurant right now, not on a lake.

No, I don’t want a beer; if I wanted to be drinking, I’d be in a bar; not on a lake.

If you fall through the ice, scream loud, and I'll definitely come rescue you; after all, you are my fellow ice-fisherman. But if you stick your head into my shack, you're liable to get a black eye.

If you leave the lake before I do, and get stuck in the snow, I’ll gladly come pull you out. Unlike you, I’ve got shovels, sand and a tow-strap, but you’ll have to wait until I’m done fish’n. I’ve come here to fish, not be your on-call towing service.

To avoid the possibility of having to orchestrate my ice-fishing experience around what you think an ice-fishing experience should be, I pick the coldest days, and the most unpopular lakes to go ice-fishing! When I go ice-fishing...I go ice-fishing.
:sign0111:

Hmm all I have to say on this is I won't be seeing you out on the Artic Ocean, where you can be ALL ALONE!! in Alberta Ice Fishing is about catching fish, sure, but! if your THAT Homophobic! go to the Artic.. no one will come up and offer you half a sandwhich.. well maybe the odd Poler Bear!!!:sHa_sarcasticlol:

Sheeeesh!! :snapoutofit::angry3:

[Artist]

:sHa_sarcasticlol:

Hmm all I have to say on this is I won't be seeing you out on the Artic Ocean, where you can be ALL ALONE!! in Alberta Ice Fishing is about catching fish, sure, but! if your THAT Homophobic! go to the Artic.. no one will come up and offer you half a sandwhich.. well maybe the odd Poler Bear!!!:sHa_sarcasticlol:

Sheeeesh!! :snapoutofit::angry3:

Are you SURE there won't be anyone else there???:)

[Braun]

Are you SURE there won't be anyone else there???:)

well the russians have been more active up in the artic pass as of late. so if you dont mind them then your set :thinking-006:

[Jimboy]

Had a group of Gypsys pull up beside me 30 ft away, and told me they forgot to bring their auger , and wanted me to drill 3 holes for them , then when l said my shoulder was a bit sore from just hangin on drilling my own 4 holes , he laughed and called me an idiot , l said well , ya sure wont get any holes drilled now after ya call me names , and walked away , he hung around for a few minutes , down lookin me as we sat in the truck , then they left much to our pleasure , didnt want them beside us anyway ,and you know how thease people blabber in greek all day steady.:fighting0030:

[crazyfish]

At least they left, , i've had a group of 4 decide that i had too many holes for just myself, and just start fishing in mine ! :argue2:

I also had a very nice fellow drill a couple holes for me ....after pulling til my arms were ready to fall off, i realized i was out of gas....:thinking-006:

I also helped a single mom at Carson lake show her son how to catch a few trout , and left them with two of my extra set ups! A very cheap way to make a great impression !(she had brought full sized rods)Watching that 5 year old boy scream and jump with his first fish was priceless !:sHa_shakeshout:

So take the good and the bad, it's busy out there on the lake sometimes, but on a good day you can meet some nice people! IF you have a minute to actually talk to someone ! :snapoutofit:

[RedHeadedFisherman]

Are you SURE there won't be anyone else there???:)

Well,. if there are,.. lets hope they see his yellow DO NOT BUG ME tape lol hahahah:sHa_shakeshout::sHa_sarcasticlol::sHa_sarc asticlol:

[pickrel pat]

Dear fellow ice-fisherman who would like to talk or socialize instead of fish.

I love to socialize, I love people, and I love hearing and sharing stories. I'm positive you have many experiences to share, but exchanging information is what people do in living-rooms and around campfires. We are not in a living room or around a campfire, we're on a lake.

To begin with, if I can see your hook on my fish-cam, you are waaaaay too close.

When I'm fishing, this is my little world. I've come here to get away from the busyness of city-life, and enter into a tranquil quiet atmosphere. Woe to you if you step inside uninvited! In fact, I am tempted to ribbon off a 100-foot radius around my shack with some yellow CAUTION DO NOT CROSS tape, but, I don't know if that would be legal, and it would likely draw the attention of you looky-loo types even more!

I know you might interpret me as seeming a bit unfriendly or selfish, but anyone who really knows me would disagree. I am a super-friendly happy-go-lucky guy who would under any other circumstance, engage you in a deep and meaningful conversation. But ice-fishing is not about character analysis; it's about CATCHING FISH! Catching a fish is hard enough without having to listen to you, just because you possibly haven't had a meaningful conversation in the past year. If you like, by all means, let's meet at Tim Horton's afterwards for a coffee, and I'll share anything you'd like to know! I’ll listen to your stories until the cows come home. But for right now while we're on this lake, I've come here to FISH, not to be your private therapist or your personal Google source of information on all the latest fishing secrets, locations, regulations and technologies!

No I do not want help unloading my gear; I loaded it myself before I left home, and I can unload it myself here.

No I do not want half of your sandwich; if I wanted to be eating, I'd be at a restaurant right now, not on a lake.

No, I don’t want a beer; if I wanted to be drinking, I’d be in a bar; not on a lake.

If you fall through the ice, scream loud, and I'll definitely come rescue you; after all, you are my fellow ice-fisherman. But if you stick your head into my shack, you're liable to get a black eye.

If you leave the lake before I do, and get stuck in the snow, I’ll gladly come pull you out. Unlike you, I’ve got shovels, sand and a tow-strap, but you’ll have to wait until I’m done fish’n. I’ve come here to fish, not be your on-call towing service.

To avoid the possibility of having to orchestrate my ice-fishing experience around what you think an ice-fishing experience should be, I pick the coldest days, and the most unpopular lakes to go ice-fishing! When I go ice-fishing...I go ice-fishing.
:sign0111:from now on, anyone that needs help or assistance on the lake, i will be asking if they are on ao forum and go by "artist". anyone that doesnt fit that description gets my help.:snapoutofit:

[dragon]

Dear fellow ice-fisherman who would like to talk or socialize instead of fish.

I love to socialize, I love people, and I love hearing and sharing stories. I'm positive you have many experiences to share, but exchanging information is what people do in living-rooms and around campfires. We are not in a living room or around a campfire, we're on a lake.

To begin with, if I can see your hook on my fish-cam, you are waaaaay too close.

When I'm fishing, this is my little world. I've come here to get away from the busyness of city-life, and enter into a tranquil quiet atmosphere. Woe to you if you step inside uninvited! In fact, I am tempted to ribbon off a 100-foot radius around my shack with some yellow CAUTION DO NOT CROSS tape, but, I don't know if that would be legal, and it would likely draw the attention of you looky-loo types even more!

I know you might interpret me as seeming a bit unfriendly or selfish, but anyone who really knows me would disagree. I am a super-friendly happy-go-lucky guy who would under any other circumstance, engage you in a deep and meaningful conversation. But ice-fishing is not about character analysis; it's about CATCHING FISH! Catching a fish is hard enough without having to listen to you, just because you possibly haven't had a meaningful conversation in the past year. If you like, by all means, let's meet at Tim Horton's afterwards for a coffee, and I'll share anything you'd like to know! I’ll listen to your stories until the cows come home. But for right now while we're on this lake, I've come here to FISH, not to be your private therapist or your personal Google source of information on all the latest fishing secrets, locations, regulations and technologies!

No I do not want help unloading my gear; I loaded it myself before I left home, and I can unload it myself here.

No I do not want half of your sandwich; if I wanted to be eating, I'd be at a restaurant right now, not on a lake.

No, I don’t want a beer; if I wanted to be drinking, I’d be in a bar; not on a lake.

If you fall through the ice, scream loud, and I'll definitely come rescue you; after all, you are my fellow ice-fisherman. But if you stick your head into my shack, you're liable to get a black eye.

If you leave the lake before I do, and get stuck in the snow, I’ll gladly come pull you out. Unlike you, I’ve got shovels, sand and a tow-strap, but you’ll have to wait until I’m done fish’n. I’ve come here to fish, not be your on-call towing service.

To avoid the possibility of having to orchestrate my ice-fishing experience around what you think an ice-fishing experience should be, I pick the coldest days, and the most unpopular lakes to go ice-fishing! When I go ice-fishing...I go ice-fishing.
:sign0111:

Citizen of the year award.

Why do you carry a tow strap? If it's not for pulling other people out it must be for you? you know you need someone else's vehicle to pull you out if your ever get stuck right? Just makin sure yah know.

[Winch101]

Its been a while on here that I have read post ,that celebrates what a

real alberta sportsman is. It is unlikely that this is gathered from a succession of fishing experiences and if it is I would quit.

Though I know my buds and I were somewhat speechless when an SVU

drove up feet from our holes and a " New Canadian " rolled down the window and asked us if we were using " little live fishes for bait "
This was on Travers , I said The Dawn Of a New Era

I think barbwire , the big roley kind with blades is the answer ...
lay out a perimeter

I dont disagree with some of your statements , but this is alberta
and theres not enough water to go around ...

If 280,000 people immigrated here last year ( canada ) ...

Education is the answer ....but who or whom is responsible for that...?

[Braun]

from now on, anyone that needs help or assistance on the lake, i will be asking if they are on ao forum and go by "artist". anyone that doesnt fit that description gets my help.:snapoutofit:

:happy0180::cheers:

[PERCHY]

I have never met an angler that had any kind of attitude towards me or anyone else i have been with...as a matter of fact they have all been very polite and helpful. If someone were to get that close to me while i was fishing i would say something but that simply hasnt happened..i fish atleast 3 times a week..are you sure you guys arent blowing this out of proportion?..and no im not one of these people who get too close either.

[theycallmeNoah]

I'd rather have someone come up to me to chat and offer me half of their sandwich than have to listen to their darn trucks run because you know it's cold and they drive a flippin diesel :mad0030:

[whitetalehunter12]

I dont really give a rip who is talking 30 yards away but to have some people who decide you have to many holes and decide to fish in them must be nerve racking.

[spinerfisher]

Ipods work wonders:sHa_shakeshout:

[commieboy]

Hi Artist,

I respect your ideology. I'm not trying to inflame you with this post.

I, by nature, like to say hello to people. I like being friendly and helpful. When I'm out, I hold doors open for everybody. I try to make eye contact with people when I hike and toss a friendly comment to them. I don't do it to offend others or annoy them. I just like making things a little less cold.

I have to say that though I would love to respect your wishes, I wouldn't know to avoid you on the water since I don't know what you look like. Now, I wouldn't go out of my way to walk over to you if you were on the ice, but if we happen to pass by each other, I might say hi. If I see you have a lot to carry, I might ask if you need help. Again, I don't mean to offend, nor I'm sure, do others.

If it bothers you that much, then post a picture of yourself, or your truck or some distinctive portion of your gear so that we know to leave you in peace.

But if you simply expect us all to leave all anglers alone just in case it may be you, then you are forcing your ideology on everyone and infringing on the right's of others to live by their own beliefs, customs and traditions.

I guarantee you that if I knew it was you, I would simply leave you be.

I'm not trying to be a smart ass. I'm just saying that if we knew what you looked like an knowing that you had this attitude, I think many of us would respect your wishes.

[Ken07AOVette]

I would just love to see someone stake out 10,000 sq feet, put up caution tape and hide in the middle where all you guys go fishing.

I can just imagine all the people ending up in the hospital in various degrees of injury, caused by;

-strain caused while trying to fill sandwich bag with excrement, ranging from pulled muscles to broken blood vessels and extreme cases of broken hemmoroids,

-torn rotator cuffs damaged while attempting to toss said sandwich bags full of excrement onto truck and tent while 101 feet away :sHa_sarcasticlol:

-cracked ribs from laughing so hard that people fell on ice watching people throw said flaming sandwich bags of excrement :argue2:

-numerous cases of internal bleeding caused from massive damage due to foreign objects being inserted at high speed by ex-pro fighter Artist, who may be 6'9, or Chuck Norris's Asian Karate coach, :budo: or ex Military drill Sargeant :fighting0030:
(or some nut job with a rifle and lots of bullets) :love0025:


If you do this is my area, don't call 911, I am busy that day. :scared0018:

Oh and Artist, I have a slightly used flamesuit for sale if you want. :)

[Artist]

Hi Artist,

I respect your ideology. I'm not trying to inflame you with this post.

I, by nature, like to say hello to people. I like being friendly and helpful. When I'm out, I hold doors open for everybody. I try to make eye contact with people when I hike and toss a friendly comment to them. I don't do it to offend others or annoy them. I just like making things a little less cold.

I have to say that though I would love to respect your wishes, I wouldn't know to avoid you on the water since I don't know what you look like. Now, I wouldn't go out of my way to walk over to you if you were on the ice, but if we happen to pass by each other, I might say hi. If I see you have a lot to carry, I might ask if you need help. Again, I don't mean to offend, nor I'm sure, do others.

If it bothers you that much, then post a picture of yourself, or your truck or some distinctive portion of your gear so that we know to leave you in peace.

But if you simply expect us all to leave all anglers alone just in case it may be you, then you are forcing your ideology on everyone and infringing on the right's of others to live by their own beliefs, customs and traditions.

I guarantee you that if I knew it was you, I would simply leave you be.

I'm not trying to be a smart ass. I'm just saying that if we knew what you looked like an knowing that you had this attitude, I think many of us would respect your wishes.

WOW, lighten up folks... did all you "I'm friendly and not like you" folks lose your sense of humor? I was generalizing and poking fun at a characteristic of ice-fishing that sometimes ticks people off. No need to get all edgy and personalize every point in my post! :snapoutofit:
Sheesh!

[Hunter Trav]

Sounds to me like you need to get yourself a sled, and find different parts of the lake to fish on. If you fish where the crowds can get to you, they will come, reguardless of how you feel. Get off the beaten path a little, and very few if any will bother you. I rarely fish in the areas that are easily accesible, and I hardly get bothered by anyone. Its really that simple...

[Gust]

WOW, lighten up folks... did all you "I'm friendly and not like you" folks lose your sense of humor? I was generalizing and poking fun at a characteristic of ice-fishing that sometimes ticks people off. No need to get all edgy and personalize every point in my post! :snapoutofit:
Sheesh!

The problem with posting is the inflection of sarcasm or being facetious,, I don't like using the emoticons but they do help from time to time.

But back to your post,,, it's not that difficult to get alone while ice fishing, congregations on ice and chit chat between the more purist icers/non-tenters is inevitable. Common sense etiquette is the norm and once in awhile there are the bozo's, it comes with the territory.

[Redfrog]

Ice fishing is different than soft water.
For those who think Artist is wound a little tight, let me ask. If you are anchored and fishing, would it bother you if I came within the length of your boat and anchored to fish?

I've seen lots of people pull up within 20 feet of an ice shack and fish.
How about ten boats anchored within 200 feet of you all around?
I see a group of ice fishermen set up like that.


I've spent the day on a steelhead river in B.C. with a buddy of mine. Miles of river to fish and a stranger had to fish in the 100 ft gap between my buddy and I as we moved down the river. It didn't last very long.

Like Artist, I'm an easy going, help anyone kind of guy. but I also am a huge fan of common sense. I wouldn't tie my boat to yours. why is hard water different?

[Hunter Trav]

Ice fishing is different than soft water.
For those who think Artist is wound a little tight, let me ask. If you are anchored and fishing, would it bother you if I came within the length of your boat and anchored to fish?


Yes, its called fishing the drop off at the provincial park at Pigeon lake...LOL

[commieboy]

WOW, lighten up folks.... No need to get all edgy....! :snapoutofit:
Sheesh!

Funny, I thought the same way of your original post.

I'm finished with this topic. I don't like flame wars. Happy fishing.

[Wolf Tracker]

If you see me out fishing,stop by say hello and fish if you want.I really dont care.I have extra rods and lots of bait.The only thing I wont do is let you use my auger-but I will drill you a couple holes.I dont find its a big deal.I dont fish for food but just to be outside in the fresh air.Now that I said that just make sure you shut your truck off:angry3:

[Artist]

[QUOTE=commieboy;835497]Funny, I thought the same way of your original post.

That's exactly my point; my original post was written for the most part in fun and in humor.... was yours?

Whatever... let's go fish'n! D'ya need a hand with anything?:)

[Ken07AOVette]

WOW, lighten up folks... did all you "I'm friendly and not like you" folks lose your sense of humor? I was generalizing and poking fun at a characteristic of ice-fishing that sometimes ticks people off. No need to get all edgy and personalize every point in my post! :snapoutofit:
Sheesh!



I see nothing at all in your original post that looks like it was meant in jest, more that you have had bad experiences and were giving fair warning.

Subtle is super, but the way I read it, there was nothing subtle, more of "I AM THIS WAY, I DO THINGS MY WAY, **** OFF WHILE I AM FISHING"

Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it was harsh the way you wrote it.

Now it just looks like back pedalling.

That said, if you want to go fishing sometime send me a PM and lets get some of those damned rainbows.

[savage7mm]

I just though of the solution to this problem, if you are in a good mood or want to/ dont mind to be talked to but a smile face:) on your tent or truck and if you have the same thoughts on this topic as artist put a mad face on your tent or truck so people do mess with you lol

[thrude1]

I was out on Sylvan on saturday and theres a shack out on the ice(quite a big 1) that has actually done gone and put pegs around that shack at about a 20- 30ft radius. friendly fellow im thimkin:snapoutofit::snapoutofit:

[Photoplex]

I've seen lots of people pull up within 20 feet of an ice shack and fish.
How about ten boats anchored within 200 feet of you all around?
I see a group of ice fishermen set up like that.

Sounds like the spillway at Travers :)

[Photoplex]

I also helped a single mom at Carson lake show her son how to catch a few trout , and left them with two of my extra set ups! A very cheap way to make a great impression !(she had brought full sized rods)Watching that 5 year old boy scream and jump with his first fish was priceless !:sHa_shakeshout:

Awesome! :shake2:

[crazyfish]

For those that don't like crowds........this Family day / free fishing long weekend may be a LITTLE busy !:thinking-006: But i'm still going to enjoy it !!!Take some one out who has never been and enjoy the weather is supposed to be nice !:sHa_shakeshout:

[lippy]

Had a group of Gypsys pull up beside me 30 ft away, and told me they forgot to bring their auger , and wanted me to drill 3 holes for them , then when l said my shoulder was a bit sore from just hangin on drilling my own 4 holes , he laughed and called me an idiot , l said well , ya sure wont get any holes drilled now after ya call me names , and walked away , he hung around for a few minutes , down lookin me as we sat in the truck , then they left much to our pleasure , didnt want them beside us anyway ,and you know how thease people blabber in greek all day steady.:fighting0030:

Were you fishing in Italy?

[FishBrain]

For those that don't like crowds........this Family day / free fishing long weekend may be a LITTLE busy !:thinking-006: But i'm still going to enjoy it !!!Take some one out who has never been and enjoy the weather is supposed to be nice !:sHa_shakeshout:

WEEKEND?
I thought it was just Monday as the free fishing day

[flygirrl]

WEEKEND?
I thought it was just Monday as the free fishing day

The whole weekend...... Thats why you have fishbrain:sHa_sarcasticlol:..... oops sorry.. was a joke... please dont flame me...... Im ducking OK:scared0018:

[FishBrain]

The whole weekend...... Thats why you have fishbrain:sHa_sarcasticlol:..... oops sorry.. was a joke... please dont flame me...... Im ducking OK:scared0018:

lol, now now. be nice or I will have to out fish you also!!! LMAO
and if I cant do that I will just stand next to you on the ice and bounce around!!

[baitfisher83]

lol, now now. be nice or I will have to out fish you also!!! LMAO
and if I cant do that I will just stand next to you on the ice and bounce around!!

This I gotta see..lol

[Paul C]

Dear fellow ice-fisherman who would like to talk or socialize instead of fish.

I love to socialize, I love people, and I love hearing and sharing stories. I'm positive you have many experiences to share, but exchanging information is what people do in living-rooms and around campfires. We are not in a living room or around a campfire, we're on a lake.

To begin with, if I can see your hook on my fish-cam, you are waaaaay too close.

When I'm fishing, this is my little world. I've come here to get away from the busyness of city-life, and enter into a tranquil quiet atmosphere. Woe to you if you step inside uninvited! In fact, I am tempted to ribbon off a 100-foot radius around my shack with some yellow CAUTION DO NOT CROSS tape, but, I don't know if that would be legal, and it would likely draw the attention of you looky-loo types even more!

I know you might interpret me as seeming a bit unfriendly or selfish, but anyone who really knows me would disagree. I am a super-friendly happy-go-lucky guy who would under any other circumstance, engage you in a deep and meaningful conversation. But ice-fishing is not about character analysis; it's about CATCHING FISH! Catching a fish is hard enough without having to listen to you, just because you possibly haven't had a meaningful conversation in the past year. If you like, by all means, let's meet at Tim Horton's afterwards for a coffee, and I'll share anything you'd like to know! I’ll listen to your stories until the cows come home. But for right now while we're on this lake, I've come here to FISH, not to be your private therapist or your personal Google source of information on all the latest fishing secrets, locations, regulations and technologies!

No I do not want help unloading my gear; I loaded it myself before I left home, and I can unload it myself here.

No I do not want half of your sandwich; if I wanted to be eating, I'd be at a restaurant right now, not on a lake.

No, I don’t want a beer; if I wanted to be drinking, I’d be in a bar; not on a lake.

If you fall through the ice, scream loud, and I'll definitely come rescue you; after all, you are my fellow ice-fisherman. But if you stick your head into my shack, you're liable to get a black eye.

If you leave the lake before I do, and get stuck in the snow, I’ll gladly come pull you out. Unlike you, I’ve got shovels, sand and a tow-strap, but you’ll have to wait until I’m done fish’n. I’ve come here to fish, not be your on-call towing service.

To avoid the possibility of having to orchestrate my ice-fishing experience around what you think an ice-fishing experience should be, I pick the coldest days, and the most unpopular lakes to go ice-fishing! When I go ice-fishing...I go ice-fishing.
:sign0111:
Now here is good people skills:thinking-006:

[FishingFrenzy]

Dear fellow ice-fisherman who would like to talk or socialize instead of fish.

I love to socialize, I love people, and I love hearing and sharing stories. I'm positive you have many experiences to share, but exchanging information is what people do in living-rooms and around campfires. We are not in a living room or around a campfire, we're on a lake.

To begin with, if I can see your hook on my fish-cam, you are waaaaay too close.

When I'm fishing, this is my little world. I've come here to get away from the busyness of city-life, and enter into a tranquil quiet atmosphere. Woe to you if you step inside uninvited! In fact, I am tempted to ribbon off a 100-foot radius around my shack with some yellow CAUTION DO NOT CROSS tape, but, I don't know if that would be legal, and it would likely draw the attention of you looky-loo types even more!

I know you might interpret me as seeming a bit unfriendly or selfish, but anyone who really knows me would disagree. I am a super-friendly happy-go-lucky guy who would under any other circumstance, engage you in a deep and meaningful conversation. But ice-fishing is not about character analysis; it's about CATCHING FISH! Catching a fish is hard enough without having to listen to you, just because you possibly haven't had a meaningful conversation in the past year. If you like, by all means, let's meet at Tim Horton's afterwards for a coffee, and I'll share anything you'd like to know! I’ll listen to your stories until the cows come home. But for right now while we're on this lake, I've come here to FISH, not to be your private therapist or your personal Google source of information on all the latest fishing secrets, locations, regulations and technologies!

No I do not want help unloading my gear; I loaded it myself before I left home, and I can unload it myself here.

No I do not want half of your sandwich; if I wanted to be eating, I'd be at a restaurant right now, not on a lake.

No, I don’t want a beer; if I wanted to be drinking, I’d be in a bar; not on a lake.

If you fall through the ice, scream loud, and I'll definitely come rescue you; after all, you are my fellow ice-fisherman. But if you stick your head into my shack, you're liable to get a black eye.

If you leave the lake before I do, and get stuck in the snow, I’ll gladly come pull you out. Unlike you, I’ve got shovels, sand and a tow-strap, but you’ll have to wait until I’m done fish’n. I’ve come here to fish, not be your on-call towing service.

To avoid the possibility of having to orchestrate my ice-fishing experience around what you think an ice-fishing experience should be, I pick the coldest days, and the most unpopular lakes to go ice-fishing! When I go ice-fishing...I go ice-fishing.
:sign0111:

While i understand what your saying. You wrote this in a fashion that upset alot of people, myself included. I honestly hope this is just poorly written! What kind of outdoorsman attitude is that... I know for one if thats really you, you wont be getting my help when your truck gets stuck or your auger breaks down...

Just my thoughts.

[Artist]

Ok, for all you who were offended by my original post, this one's for you!

Dear fellow ice-fisherman who would like to talk or socialize instead of fish.

I love to socialize, I love people, and I love hearing and sharing stories. I'm positive you have many experiences to share. Exchanging information is what people do in living-rooms and around campfires and I would like to invite you to my living room this evening after today’s day of fishing where we can chat, share, and drink coffee together in wonderful unity. For now however, as I find myself on a lake, I would much rather spend some serious time fishing. Would that be OK with you?

By the way, I can see your hook on my fish-cam, do you think you could possibly just scoot over just a bit?

I love fishing, it’s my little world where I can come to in order to get away from the busyness of city-life, and enter into a tranquil quiet atmosphere. I may or may not invite you into my little shack here for a visit, but if I don’t, please don’t take it personally, it’s just that sometimes when some fishermen who are lacking in tact simply barge into my setup, I find it a tad intrusive. In fact, can you imagine, I’ve even thought about taping off a 100-foot radius around my shack with some yellow CAUTION DO NOT CROSS tape, but, it probably wouldn’t be legal, and it would likely draw even more attention to my setup by those who tend to lack in the area of tact.

I know you might at first interpret me as possibly seeming a bit unfriendly or selfish, :mad0177:but anyone who really knows me would disagree. In fact, I can assure you that that is just an impression. I’m actually a super-friendly happy-go-lucky guy who would virtually always engage anyone in a deep and meaningful conversation, :shake2:but as I only have limited time here today because it’ll be getting dark soon, do you think it would be OK if we simply concentrate on catching fish right now? I find catching fish incredibly challenging and for that reason, I generally find that it demands my undivided attention. Don’t get me wrong though; it seems like you’d really love to talk and I’m really curious as to what’s on your heart. Listen; if you like, by all means, let's meet at Tim Horton's afterwards for a coffee. I'll share anything you'd like to know, I’ll listen to your stories all evening, and we can just talk fish’n for hours! It’ll be awesome. But for right now while we're on this lake, do you think it’d be ok if I just can totally concentrate on what I’m doing here for a bit? I've got a ton of information that covers a vast range of topics including private therapy and many other things you’d find on Google pertaining to all the latest fishing secrets, locations, regulations and technologies :test:and I’d be eager to share all that with you, but do you think we can just wait a bit for now? We can do that later at Tim Horton’s. Oh, by the way, coffee’s on me pal! :happy0180:

It’s ok, you don’t have to worry about helping me unload my gear; I’m a bit of a perfectionist who has a very systematic way of doing everything I do and I’d really rather unload my things myself. Thanks for the offer though!

I actually made sure I ate this morning before I came here, so no thanks, I respectfully decline you sandwich offer although it looks fantastic. Where did you get that thing?! :free-scared-smileys I will probably get hungry here today, but I’ll likely pick something up at a restaurant on the way home.

I fell through some ice one time, so I know exactly how it feels.:sleep-043: Listen, if you fall through the ice, don’t be scared to scream loud :sign0068:because I'll definitely be there in an instant to come rescue you;:scared0018: after all, you are my fellow ice-fisherman and I would give my life to save you.
If you’d like to have a peek inside my shack, could you kindly please just whistle or something to give me a little heads up? A guy once suddenly stuck his head into my shack and it scared me so bad I hauled off and belted him one. Poor guy. I felt terrible. I’d hate for something like that to happen between me and you. :sEm_oops2:

If you leave the lake before I do, and get stuck in the snow, I’ll gladly come pull you out. I’ve got shovels, sand, a tow-strap, and a determination that does not give up until the job’s done! It may take me a bit to get over there though, especially if I’ve got a nice Laker on the line.

I usually pick the coldest days, and the most unpopular lakes to go ice-fishing! Doing so seems to add to the tranquility factor. But if we do happen to cross paths out there somewhere, I wish you all the best! :grouphug:

You are all a great group!

[WayneChristie]

lol, now now. be nice or I will have to out fish you also!!! LMAO
and if I cant do that I will just stand next to you on the ice and bounce around!!

just drive by her within 500 feet and she will be the one bouncing up and down and chewing off her nails ! :sHa_sarcasticlol: