jiffish, our ice is gone too for now but it was fun while it lasted! Nice fish. Is that an Atlantic?

Good for you Randog! Any time you don't get skunked ice fishing is a good day!

I was just checking the 2 week forecast and it looks like we are in for only a week of warmer temps and it's gonna dip back below freezing. Cross your fingers! Good luck ice fishing this winter.

Thanks Fredfish! Yeah my adrenaline hasn't stopped since I got sight of just how big it was. It's a smaller lake that hardly gets fished because it's a bit of a walk to get to it so maybe I'll get lucky and hook into it again. There's always a chance! She knew every trick in the book though as far as how to keep from going top side. Lol. I guess that's how she got that big.

Thanks Fishyaker! I had a blast. Have you had a chance to get out yet?

Billycrap2, thanks for reading. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

If I remember correctly the Farmer's Almanac predicted exactly the weather we've had so far. I believe it predicted that the last week or two of January and all of February are going to be below normal with March being near normal temps. We'll see. I think maybe this is our January thaw. I sure hope so!

Outcast, I dreamed about it all last night. My son-in-law was just as excited as I was. I'll never forget it. But it's not the first big one to get away. I think I'm starting to get used to it. Lol.

Thanks!

It was a little slow but alot of fun! A great start to the ice fishing season.

Thank you and you're welcome!

My son-in-law and I finally found a lake with safe ice so we could do some ice fishing. We caught a few too! But I threw 2 nice bass back before I remembered they are legal until December 31 on inland lakes here in Michigan. I caught 3 nice largemouth bass and 3 pike. One was trophy size and after getting it to the hole 3 times on a oanfish rod with 6 pound test and a teardrop with a minnow it managed to catch the line with it's tooth while thrashing side to side. Sooooo close to the fish of a liftime. I'll dream about that the rest of my life. Naturally I didn't get pics of all my fish but I did snap a couple. The bass were all 18 - 20 inches. The 1 pike I kept was 24 3/4 inches. The one that got away dwarfed it! It was an easy 38 - 40 incher. That's why it's called fishin not catchin. It's a good start to the season thogh!

I do. But many people freeze up when something like that happens. They want to help but are frozen with fear. Just another natural human reaction. I never fish alone either. Always have my spikes with me and wear my insulated floatation suit. Couldn't afford it until then. I feel much more comfortable knowing if I go in I won't go straight to the bottom and they will be able to retrieve my body to bury me even if I DO end up dying. I've stepped in plenty of holes on my way out to fish also. It sucks big time. Luckily I've never broke any bones from it. Good luck on your ice fishing adventures this year everyone! I hope you all have a safe season.

Congrats on pulling him out. My biggest fear on the ice is falling through and being able to get out. I imagine that young man was beside himself and all he could think of is getting to his buddies for help as well as to chew them out for not noticing him in the water. You did a heroic thing pulling him out and I imagine he's very thankful even if he did forget to say so. I would think once he got back on top of the ice he was freezing up quickly. We need more people like you out there.

That's for sure. The point I was making is that he was an experienced guide and knew what he was doing yet he made a bad mistake and headed out over untested ice. It only takes one mistake out there to possibly cost you your life. Always think ahead. Don't be in a hurry to get out to your spot. Take your time and test that ice! Even then bad things can happen if it isn't thick enough. I've seen people go in and can tell you first hand it's scary as hell.