1/28 The New Normal

[RonG]

I just took a peek at my mental calendar and realized next month will be a full 3 years since I ice fished. It's time to bring
back my old normal of hitting the ice. Life is too short



to miss any more years of sacred ice angling.

Just like falling off a bike, you never really forget how to ice fish once you have it down. First fish was a perchie and came within moments of the first drop.

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The ice was 2.5 to 5" thick, but the bite was slow. After 3 years it was hard to round up all the gear. I found everything except my small jig box. 90% of my ice jigs and plastics are in that box so I hope I find it soon.

My infamous external double pack (24v) of batteries was finally retired as I added a couple of li-ion standard drill batteries for my 19.2v set up. My UV flashlight croaked so I didn't stay much past dark for the night bite. 'Ended up with 6 perch and 6 microscopic blue jills.

[Aux Pleins]

2.5 inches that's when l go home. At least you got out. I'm hoping to drill some holes Thursday or friday if time prevails.

[catchafew]

Nice report Ron, always good to see your reports.

[Rambler]

I was at a planning session for our local park district a couple years ago. Some folks were complaining that they don't flood the parks for ice skating anymore. The PD guy said they can't justify the cost because "winters have become so unreliable."

I'm jonesing for spring. Ordered some new dry flies last week...

[RonG]

2.5" were just a few spots that were sections that had frozen up last (concentric circles of freeze up thing) and easily spotted without any snow-cover by non-dummies. I remember learning about these from my dummy days when I almost went through Zurich one foggy Saturday morning.

Rambler: The PD probably couldn't justify the cost of making outdoor ice rinks because Rahmbo so jacked up the cost of Lake Michigan municipal water to any suburbs that are held hostage by Chicago. Our winters are always unreliable for ice. Latitudinally, we are about as far south as you get to even have an ice season. Middle and lower Illinois really don't have an ice season. We are too far south to have the luxury of being able to drive our vehicles out onto lakes or have big permanent ice shanties that get left on the ice for the whole winter.

I can't even count how many winters I got out early, late December or early January, and posted some bang-up fishing reports. Others sat back, didn't fish because calendar-wise it seemed too early or they figured they had all winter to get out. Within a week, the ice was gone, sometimes to return that season, some times not. Rain and heavy snow on top of iffy ice is pretty normal Chicago winter, messing things up. I guess that's why there are no ski resorts south of us.

[polishfly]

Hell yea RonG on ice!!

[RonG]

always good to see your reports.

Dittos to you!~ Not many formal reports these days. Good to see any reports. There's so few, I'd even welcome one from lokal yokal. Where's JB, skifish, fishdank, bassman20 and the other ice guys?

[RonG]

After 3 years it was hard to round up all the gear. I found everything except my small jig box. 90% of my ice jigs and plastics are in that box so I hope I find it soon.

I found it! I dropped the LED bulb unit from my kayak light and was crawling around on my hands and knees and found the box under a rack unit for my power tools. Half a dozen Jigging Raps were in there too. Who knows how long it would have remained hidden had I not dropped the light thingy.

Just in time for ice season to be over!

[joetrain]

Between my old age setting in and my move out of Illinois I’m always looking for something.
~JOE~