First Report

[Bobby B.]

After not being out on the ice for....well, a long, long time, I decided it was time to get back into ice fishing. After plenty of helpful advice from members of this forum, here's what I bought. Tent...Clam Denali, auger...10" StrikeMaster Pro, heater...Mr. Heater Big Buddy, 20lb propane tank, rods...St. Croix 22" Solid Graphite, reels...Quantum Optix reels, line...Berkley Vanish 8lb.

Saturday morning, my SIL and I drove out to Carson Pegasus. The tent was easy to set up and spacious inside. The seats aren't worth chit unless you're 4'6" and 75 lbs. I intend to modify this so as to obtain a much higher level of comfort. The StrikeMaster auger didn't seem to 'bite' into the ice as readily as I expected. Next time out, I'll ask some experienced guys to give it a try and see what their impressions are. Maybe my expectations are too high. The Big Buddy and 20 lb tank of propane kept the inside of the Denali comfy and warm. We ran it constantly. However, our feet were abit chilly so I still need to do something to keep our feet off the ice. The rods and reels performed without a glitch.

Fishing was pretty good, and all fish ranged between 12" and 14". We started off with a power bait ball and maggots on Dave's hook and a power bait ball and shrimp on mine. All fish were caight on maggots. What was a bit disappointing is the discovery that my SIL is a fish hog. The treacherous SOB caught at least 15 trout to my measly 3. He did the same thing to me 2 summers back when we fished Millers. Anyone know of a surefire cure for this disrespectful type of behavior? A near drowning perhaps?

All in all a great day in the field and many more to follow.

Thanks again to everyone for their advice.

Bobby B.