Yesterday my eldest daughter and I went ice fishing with a mix of untested equipment and old standards.  Though we caught some panfish, the day could have gone smoother.  Here are my comments on some of the equipment in no particular order:

Frabill Glide-Trax Magnum Shelter

I really liked the concept of this flip-over style ice shelter.  In execution, a few things got missed, though.  I see they have upgraded the frame tubing on their newest shelters (and thus added a lot of weight).  This is a tradeoff.  I  need to be able to handle the shelter by myself, so if I take the seats out of the Magnum, it becomes somewhat manageable.  The newer shelters have a much better 1.5 inch tubing and bushing system.  The Magnum frame pieces can “hang up” as you expand them, probably in part due to the lack of deburring on the inside of the tube ends.  Silicone spray helped it to work reasonably well.

The Glide-Trax system seemed like a good idea, with storage in each hollow runner capped of with a lid.  In practice however, I found that the items that don’t fit in the runners (most of my stuff), get in the way when needing to open the lids.  The up side of the system is that it tracks very well on snow.  I added the hyfax runner kit to keep the sled bottom from wearing down too much.  I still need to add the tow bar kit after realizing how well the sled moves with the Glide-Trax system and the hyfax.  It actually caught up to me as I was driving about fifteen miles an hour and barely decelerated.  Good reason to add the tow bar, I think.

The best part of all of Frabill’s larger shelters: the seats.  I’m sure I’m not the first one to contemplate putting quick releases on them and using them in the summer on a boat.  They’re heavy but worth the extra lugging.

Vexilar FL-8 Genz Pack and Strikemaster Lazer Mag Express auger

Not much needs to be said about these standards in my ice fishing inventory.  They have been tested to death by others and came out winners.  My experience with both is the same as virtually everyone else’s: satisfaction.  The Vexilar FL-8 could be upgraded to a higher-powered resolution unit or one with bottom lock, but it works.  My Strikemaster is the only small-engine powered device in my garage that starts quickly every time.  

Arctic Cat 400 4×4 Automatic

I see Arctic Cat has discontinued the 400 in the lineup in favor of the new 366.  Mine is a 2006, bought used, and got its first taste of the ice yesterday.  My recommended upgrade: a bigger battery.  I nearly doubled the cold cranking amps of the original battery with my replacement.  Buy the top-of-the line Yuasa or Interstate (rebranded Yuasa) and find the biggest size you can fit in your battery tray.  Hook it up to a BatteryMinder when your machine is idle.  

Other than the battery upgrade, my Cat is box-stock and I am very pleased with the four wheel drive system (a must for ice fishing usage).  It has diff lock, which is helpful in extreme situations.  

The only big upgrade here to my ice fishing experience would be to run a different kind of machine: a snowmobile.  I have to stick to areas with plowed roads or packed snow on the ice.

SUMMARY

My overall recommendation on preparing for ice fishing is to try out your buddies’ stuff, read forums such as those at iceshanty.com, and stick to proven products.  Otherwise, ice fishing turns into a major challenge compounded by the cold, and can quickly become a very poor equivalent for summer fishing.

I submit the semi-custom 3R-enhanced Brusletto knife with axis buck antler and kingwood? handle finished by yours truly. The knife was a blade and parts from the venerable Ragnar at Ragweed Forge. Axis buck and kingwood? (I don’t remember exactly what it is) from my scrap pile. Sheath is relatively thin leather over a plastic liner, Scandinavian style.

This was supposed to be my brother’s Christmas present last year. I finished it late tonight, in preparation for traveling to his house tomorrow for the holidays. Last year he got to open nada. This year he gets last year’s present, plus this year’s present (an Allis-Chalmers sweatshirt). Some things are worth the wait. This is exclusive knife mojo–I only produce one of these a year!

Click for video:

Crow Creek, MT in July

Better music than the cheesy commercial Christmas songs that have been on the radio since Halloween!

Merry Christmas everybody!

Dateline: Minnesota.  Over this last weekend, the Bikini Ice Fishing Team showed up at the St. Paul Ice Fishing Show.  Evidently, the show’s coordinator sent them a threatening message that they would be kicked out if anyone complained.  After some tension, apparently things were worked out and the girls were allowed to sign autographs, but the show’s promoters warned them “they were not to represent the show.” 

The full story can be read here.

Who would kick out nice young women, bikini-clad or not?  My cultural analysis: someone at the ice fishing show decided that they didn’t represent the “family values” that seem to go hand in hand with the outdoors.  I’m pretty sure that the majority of folks showing up in St. Paul didn’t mind their presence, however.  Look at the models that are used in auto shows and the use of attractive young people to sell everything under the sun on television.  Why should Strikemaster ice augers be any different than Jeep or any other brand?  Heck, Vexilar could begin a “sexy Vexy” campaign!

My main concern for these women is not that they’re being exploited, but that they might be a tad chilly.  As a matter of fact, that’s what my wife expressed when I told her about the story. 

A video link follows to let you make your own observations about this cultural phenomenon.  Let me know what you think.

Extreme Bikini Ice Fishing

Cabelas (www.cabelas.com) Prestige #5/6/7 fly reel is on sale right now for $14.99. By appearances, these are made by Okuma (they look identical to my little Okuma 3/4/5 except for, of course, the size). These make a good beginner reel since, for the price, they’re disposable. My little Okuma is still ticking after four years.

Although it’s not the worst winter storm we have ever seen in these parts, we are in a winter storm warning until tomorrow morning and the winds are gusty, to say the least.  Unlike our poor friends in the Northeast, we still have the power on here at Rods, Rifles, and Rhetoric. 

The view from the front door at 3Rs world headquarters, adorned with the work of Jack Frost:

A passing vehicle:

 The only reason the street is this clear is that we are lucky enough to live on an emergency route. 

And, finally, the road conditions map for North Dakota:

We’re in the red (closed or blocked).  The rest of the state is purple (snow-covered). 

I’m thinking it’s time to bundle up the kids and send them outside for a good healthy shot of fresh air.

I hope your weather is delightful!

Announcing a new section on my blog: Fishing Blogerati Reviews

The first review is of Buster Wants to Fish, a blog I have been enjoying as of late.  I decided to start out with a glowing review to make everyone think I’m really nice.  Then I’ll go into a good-critic, bad-critic routine and balance out the niceness with pummeling.  Heh heh.

I imagine myself lying on a therapists couch:  Sometimes I just want to feel closer to the water.  And feel like I can connect.  My marriage to the water shouldn’t be so distant . . .

The solution for me this summer came from the folks at Crow Wing Kayaks.  Wade’s Git Down on the Water Model 1080 Fishing Ma-cheeen.  From its maiden voyage after a careful and tender rigging process:

Yes, that is a fishfinder on a kayak.  It’s been done before.  I obsessed mightily with rigging this one, from the anchor pulley, to the crate, to the rod holders.  With a Scotty rodholder mount, I can switch from a cradle for my spinning stick to a holder for my fly rod.  I can hardly wait for next summer to find my flyfishing mojo on this craft.

I like to shop for good deals.  But, like most of us, I can’t pick up every deal that I find.  The web has opened up a lot of opportunity for finding very unique stuff at very good prices if one puts in the time.  Here are some of the things I found on the web today that I would buy (or in one case actually bought) if funding was unlimited:

Bob Cumming Trout Knife.  Having owned several Bob Cumming knives over the years, I can attest to the quality of his work.  ATS-34 makes a very good blade steel for this application.  The folks at the Cutting Edge are selling this particular blade.  To see more of his work, you can visit Bob Cumming’s page at www.cummingknives.com.

Pentax Gameseeker 4-12×40 Hunting Scope.  These seem to be a very good buy for the money ($85).  My wife ordered me one for Christmas (I know–no element of surprise there!) and Fox Optic shipped the order immediately.  We were very impressed with their service.  Click on the link and it will take you to a Fox Optic eBay store listing that ends in about five days.  If you want to spend more money for a higher-end scope, some Cabelas stores are advertising $75 off their VX-III scopes this week.

Some of the ultralight and medium light action Mr. Walleye Series rods (designed by Gary Roach) are on sale for $29.99 right now at Reeds Sporting Goods.  If you aren’t familiar with Reeds, they are a northern Minnesota institution and they have good deals online from time to time on everything from Lowrance electronics to fish houses.  Click here for the direct link to the Mr. Walleye rods.

The Ruger Charger is a neat new .22 pistol.  R&R Arms has a pretty good price on these at $288. Click here for the direct link to the Charger. I have heard of some local gun shops beating the $300 level, but around here they seem to be selling for around $325 plus tax.  At any rate, I think I might have to have me one of these someday.  Maybe I can buy one and say it’s for the kids.

Enjoy your shopping!