Sk8man

Yes I know what you mean... it is real spooky walking on the clear stuff. Glad you are OK and had some success out there with the fish. Les

Nice work Justin and Cody and it looks like Tracy even let you keep some from the river WTG Les

Tg8 that area can be quite dangerous even without the ice dam problem. I would never go out there alone....that water is very deep even right next to shore. In 2004 I went through the ice at Kershaw (on the way to my spot) in 5 ft of water right up to my chin in 17 degree weather (luckily I am 6 ft.) by myself and about 6AM and it was all I could do to get out of there and I had sore ribs for a couple months afterward. If I had been at Onanda in that deep water I would have been "history" as I had a conventional snowmobile suiton and it weighed a ton when I came out....and then there was pulling my stuff out and then the walk back to my vehicle about a half mile away. I've ice fished since I was in grade school and have a good handle on ice conditions etc. but the flowing water under the ice going down the outlet a half mile away must have undercut the ice overnight and there was no way to know that....people were at the exact spot I went through the afternoon before playing frisby with their dog etc. What I am saying is no matter how experienced someone is on the ice it can make no difference to Mother Nature and we are always at her mercy; especially when we press the limits or take chances...

Nice work! On the plus side the components will probably never get any cheaper and that lure looks as though it should be able to survive any disaster that befalls it (big teeth included) Great way to while away the winter doldrums....

That sounds like real good news. Owasco is a wonderful lake and it would be great to see the browns and rainbows rebound.....

Spending more money never guarantees quality....in anything! Thinking that because something is less expensive and therefor is "crap" is ridiculous....it is a question of "what works" If you enjoy spending more money for something and thinking that it is better because of it that's fine...you have a lot of company but that doesn't make it true.

I was using Big Game even when it was called "Hombre" back in the 70's and 80's (used in both fresh and salt water) and it has always been good line and good knot strength and abrasion resistance....some of the other Berkley stuff hasn't been as great but the Big Game is certainly not "junk". I even used up a 4,300 yard spool of the Hombre and after that for awhile the stuff was pinkish/salmon color kinda like Ande line....before the current Big Game stuff.

I ran the Bloodrun 30 lb Seaflea line last season on 4 rods and have taken it off two of them...it stretches way too much and although it does keep the fleas off the Big Game 30 lb.mono does as well and is half the price and is what I'll be using again this fleas season.

Your questions are excellent.....but very tough to precisely answer. The ice down there formed much after the north end ice and although it was formed in the extreme cold and is "hard ice" it isn't nearly as thick as that when you go north from there and to compound the picture there is the snowfall that happened right after that stretch of ice formed which has "insulated" it to some (but unknown) degree. The ice near Thendara at Crystal Beach is about 5-6 inches but to the north of Thendara it varies quite a bit...the further south you go the more this variation will occur thus in some places you may find 2 inches while I suspect in others it will be 2-4 near where you are describing in the shallower areas but out in the deep parts who knows because it took longer to form and thicken and in some spots the geese were keeping it openforquite awhile. As far as the bubbler goes it is also anyone's guess how far the current it creates travels laterally from it along the shoreline under cutting the ice as well as preventing formation of new ice. The one on Butler Road prevented us from accessing the fishing areas last year and somewhat during the early part of this season because of this lateral movement and it is quite a few feet away from the affected areas of entry to the ice. Last year my son and I both went in the water at the Trident Marina on Honeoye near the ramp because the bubbler had been activated while we were out on the ice which was"doable" when we went on it. The skiing situation you describe is particularly hazardous (and somewhat similar to the ice boats) in that the skis distribute weight so that it may be possible to go on thinner ice and for awhile get away with it but at some point if a weak spot is encountered or ice that is thinner than that surrounding it they too can get into trouble especially when they stop moving....

Nice going and great report. I'm sure she will remember that experience for a long long time. Great way to stay connected with kids too. Congrats to all of you

For whatever reason February has been a difficult ice fishing month for the whole time I've been doing it and on every lake I've fished. In the past I even snagged a big perch with a jig and opened up his stomach and it was filled with little fresh water shrimp. I'm not sure that is the case in all the lakes but something seems to shut off until nearly ice out when they start hammering the bait again. It has happened year after year and it is incredibly frustrating.....I also wonder about its relationship to the spawning cycle.....

Nice going and description of your "adventure"... felt like I was right there too