Live sucker, we try to get them at least 10" long. Still use decoys at the same time though, sometimes the suckers get a little lazy. I'd like to get a pic of when a big pike comes in but I've only got a few small ones and it would be pretty hard to take a pic while trying to spear it.
You may want to mix in a pistol, and not a pussy 9mm either. Remember you are cornering wild animals to kill them, they don't want to die and that spear you have works great provided you get them in the heart. If you are off by an inch or two you have a wounded wild animal on your hands that is going to fuck your shit up.
I've icefished my entire life, but I've never seen ice spearfishing before. It's not legal in Maine, other than for suckers, and I've never heard of anyone wanting to catch one of them. I can't imagine that you would eat them, would you? What are all of those pellets on the lake bottom? Explain this spearfishing to someone without any knowledge of the activity.
I know people catch and smoke suckers, I've never fished for them. I spear northern pike. I think pike and rough fish[carp] are the only fish you can spear in MN unless you're Indian. It's pretty simple, take a chain saw and cut a big hole in the ice. Then stick a spear house over the hole. Making the inside as dark as possible lets you see better, most lakes you can spear down to 10-12ft of water. Use a large sucker minnow and/or a decoy and wait for a pike to come in. You cannot use a hook on the minnow, just a harness. Once a pike comes in, slip the head of the spear into the water slowly. Once the tines are all under water launch it at the pike, right behind the head. The white pellets are navy beans, harmless to the lake and help you see the bottom better. I'm still a novice. I speared when I was a little kid then not again until a couple of years ago.
Any limits on the size or amount of pike that you're allowed to spear in one day? You must go for large fish only; what size is personally your minimum to consider spearing it? On decently busy days do you have a lot of action or are you hoping for one or two opportunities per day? This sounds awesome and way warmer than standing out in the wind and cold all day.
Some lakes have certain slot limits. On those lakes, I think, even if you spear a fish that needs to be released, you have to even though it's pretty much 100% chance it will die. I generally will keep pike around 4-7lbs. Anything smaller and you only end up with bones. If I am angling I will throw back anything bigger. If I think it's bigger than that while spearing I'll just pull my minnow up if it hasn't been swallowed. The biggest pike I've caught is 18.5lbs and that was angling in the winter. Not huge, but it was fun. Just about anyone else I know will spear a big pike like that but I am not a trophy hunter, I'm just in it for the fun and the occasional fillets to bring home. Limit is 3 pike in possession in MN, I'll usually only ever keep 1 or 2. It is definitely fun when you see something show up, but you can go hours just sitting there listening to the radio. Other days you will have all kinds of fish come through. It's sort of like sitting in a deer stand when a big buck comes out, you wait all day and then get excited as hell.
I'd like to pick up bow hunting for next season so I can hopefully find some local places here in CT to hunt, as well as increase the amount of time I'm able to hunt with family and friends in Maryland (Their bow season for deer goes until Jan. 31st.) I'm thinking that it would probably be best to start with a used bow, just to see if I enjoy it, and especially since I know a lot of people who trade theirs in every year or so to upgrade to a newer model. I'm thinking that if that's the case, I can probably get a decent setup for <$500 that hasn't seen a ton of use. What would be a good time to start searching through local shops for used bows? July and August? This spring?
Just got back from the boar hunting trip. Last night, we walked for 11 miles without seeing a single sign of any pigs. This morning, we walk for ten minutes and the dogs have a pig in their jaws. Since I was the first one to get to it, I speared him through the lungs. We field dressed it and threw it on a grill and ate it. None of us had ever cooked wild hog before so we didn't know how to prepare it, so it tasted like crap. We also saved the pigs nuts to put on my bosses desk on Monday. Should make for a good laugh when he comes in.
Only schmucks stand out on the ice all day. We have houses on the lake to keep us warm. I have 2 houses, one is a portable and is basically a flip-over tent on a sled. My big house is 8x18 with 3 bunks and all the amenities of home except a bathroom. Daily limit is 3 fish with only one over 30". Possession limit is 6 notherns. As far as the bones go, check out the "5 cut filet method" on youtube. If you only want to do the traditional filet method when cleaning them, you can't beat pickling them to get rid of the bones. The recipe I use is great.
I saw that for the first time on a Boundary Waters trip this past May. Whatever works! Once you get those damn bones out, I think northerns are some of the best eating fish out there.
That's the same way I fillet mine. Mine don't usually turn out that good, though. It's sad, for the amount of fish I fillet I should be better at it.
I think that's for certain border waters. On pg. 26 of our regulations it says 3 in possession with only 1 over 30". Same on pg. 69 for spearing.
So I guess you guys just have kerosine heaters when you ice fish? I wonder how you don't have frostbite of the balls when you hunt. I mean we have had temps in the 20's when I go out and it takes about an hour or so before my feet are going numb. I just rock some old school thermals* and a couple layers of thick wool socks (my feet don't seem to sweat so that doesn't seem to be an issue. All I've got to go off of is Fargo, how do you guys stand it? Also, anyone else have a pea sized bladder? I try to keep my coffee consumption lower (though not eliminated). Outside of a sneaky leaker set up, any suggestions? Would salt tablets help retain fluids instead of expelling it through urine(I have a feeling I am so wrong it was stupid of me to think of it)? *is under armor worth any of the bullshit they charge for it? Particularly for cold weather?
Being in MS, we don't get a lot of really cold days but when we do I use boot blankets and stick on, air activated, heat pads for my feet. I wear a pair of uninsulated rubber boots and when I get in the stand, I attach the heat pads to my boots and slip the boot blankets over my boots. Haven't had cold feet since I started doing that. And I firmly believe in under armor. You just have to use it properly. When I go to my stand, I wear nothing more than the under armor and a light layer over that. Once I get to my stand, I put on the heavy clothes and settle in. Works for me and I never have to leave because I am cold. Don't get the generic shit... it ain't worth it.
Ive heard people changing into their clothes when they get there. I use a climber stand that doesn't have the most spacious of rooms to do this though. Fuck I had my cross bow slung behind my back climbing this morning and I still feel like Ive cheated death.