01-27-2003, 09:50 AM
Just thinking about that new power auger got me out today.
Went to Lake Rupert in Vinton County around 11:30. Was hoping for the cold temps to give us anglers some safe ice. It has been over 10 years since my last angling on the ice. Beleave me I got prety rusty on my skills too! I took all the proper geer for safty and fishing through the ice. Figured to find about 2-3 inches of ice. Boy was I suprized. When I did a test and found 5+ inches. As the lake is spring fed I only went about 20 to 30 ft before checking again untill I got over to the opening to skeeter holler. A great area for cats during the summer months. Just after I got my little space on the ice all set up it started to snow. Not that dry snow eather it was sticking to everything it hit.As I do not have the fancy sonar gadgets that help locate the fish I just had to pick a spot and set up. As the maximum depth is around 16 ft I setup a float at around 9 ft with a lively crawler on the hook for my bait. whell I am definatly rusty as the fish wher there and kept striping my hook and I never saw that float budge. Well it did bounce once or twice in the four hours I braved the cold and snow. So six crawlers and 4 hours was all I could handle so I packed up and headed back to my truck. On my way back I came across an elderly gentelman that was about 30 yards out from the boat ramp and stoped to see if his luck was any better. Just as I walked up he gave his pole a yank and had a fish on. That pole of his is one that I got to get me one of some day. it was only about 3-3 1/2 ft total length. What I realy liked the most was that rod was so thin and sensative. I told him about our tourny and hopefuly he will enter his catch soon. He had a didgital cam but I loaned him my tape measure and took his pic with his biggest catch of the day.
OK. I gues you want to know what he caught, right? It was a blue gill. Oh now you want to know how long it was to, right? Well it was a monster and measured in at a whapping 4 inches from nose to tail.
OK Jason, if you are reading this and need some help to post that great pic for the contest just send me a private and I will give you a hand. Remember the rules, you need to register first to make it count.
That short drive to the lake took about 15 min. But that trip home was some thing else! It took just under an hour to mak the 7 mile treck back to the house. That sticky snow had the roads in verry bad shape. I made up my mind guys it is up to you guys to post your pic's for the contest as my trip to the ice has now made me go into hybernation untill wormer weather!
Forgot to tell you that me and Jason wher the only ones that braved the weather to exercise our angler freedom on the lake.
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Went to Lake Rupert in Vinton County around 11:30. Was hoping for the cold temps to give us anglers some safe ice. It has been over 10 years since my last angling on the ice. Beleave me I got prety rusty on my skills too! I took all the proper geer for safty and fishing through the ice. Figured to find about 2-3 inches of ice. Boy was I suprized. When I did a test and found 5+ inches. As the lake is spring fed I only went about 20 to 30 ft before checking again untill I got over to the opening to skeeter holler. A great area for cats during the summer months. Just after I got my little space on the ice all set up it started to snow. Not that dry snow eather it was sticking to everything it hit.As I do not have the fancy sonar gadgets that help locate the fish I just had to pick a spot and set up. As the maximum depth is around 16 ft I setup a float at around 9 ft with a lively crawler on the hook for my bait. whell I am definatly rusty as the fish wher there and kept striping my hook and I never saw that float budge. Well it did bounce once or twice in the four hours I braved the cold and snow. So six crawlers and 4 hours was all I could handle so I packed up and headed back to my truck. On my way back I came across an elderly gentelman that was about 30 yards out from the boat ramp and stoped to see if his luck was any better. Just as I walked up he gave his pole a yank and had a fish on. That pole of his is one that I got to get me one of some day. it was only about 3-3 1/2 ft total length. What I realy liked the most was that rod was so thin and sensative. I told him about our tourny and hopefuly he will enter his catch soon. He had a didgital cam but I loaned him my tape measure and took his pic with his biggest catch of the day.
OK. I gues you want to know what he caught, right? It was a blue gill. Oh now you want to know how long it was to, right? Well it was a monster and measured in at a whapping 4 inches from nose to tail.
OK Jason, if you are reading this and need some help to post that great pic for the contest just send me a private and I will give you a hand. Remember the rules, you need to register first to make it count.
That short drive to the lake took about 15 min. But that trip home was some thing else! It took just under an hour to mak the 7 mile treck back to the house. That sticky snow had the roads in verry bad shape. I made up my mind guys it is up to you guys to post your pic's for the contest as my trip to the ice has now made me go into hybernation untill wormer weather!
Forgot to tell you that me and Jason wher the only ones that braved the weather to exercise our angler freedom on the lake.
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