Ice Fishing 2-16-13

[ishoot308]

Wow what a difference a week can make!

It was just a beautiful day to be on the ice Saturday and the fish were biting pretty well too! We caught 6 Lakers between 18" and 22". Here's my friend Steve with his 20 1/2" lake trout.

We kept 2 of the 6 lakers because they were hook wounded pretty good but the other 4 were released unharmed and looked very healthy.

After last Saturday's "Mensa meeting on the ice", we decided to forgo fishing in the heavy wind on Sunday! The wounds were still too fresh!!

All in all, a fun day to be fishing on the ice with good friends!!

Dan

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Glad you guys had fun! Looks more than a bit frosty. Brrrrrr! The reflection of the photographer in the sunglasses is cool.

[MikeF-NH]

looks like one some of the equipment one of the guides uses on the lake...did you use Adrien L? Those propane augers look like a great idea (lighter, no gas fumes or fuel leak)....I just get nervous about using propane in very low temps as it doesn't seem to work right. How has that been for you in very cold weather?

PS: great fish!

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by MikeF-NH

looks like one some of the equipment one of the guides uses on the lake...did you use Adrien L? Those propane augers look like a great idea (lighter, no gas fumes or fuel leak)....I just get nervous about using propane in very low temps as it doesn't seem to work right. How has that been for you in very cold weather?

PS: great fish!

All equipment is mine no guide service. I know Adrien well and have been out with him in years past, he is a good guy and a great guide. I would have given props to him had I used him... He actually does not use a propane auger, he uses an electric "ice gator" for which he is a distributor of. He also does not use a Polaris Ranger but has an Argo tracked vehicle.

I have had the propane auger for three years now without an issue. No problems whatsoever in cold or extreme cold weather. Starts first pull every time! Wouldn't be without it, best auger I ever owned!

Dan

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Yo Adrian Fishing Charters were on NH Chronicle last week. It was a really good segment. It is too bad that the video isn't available on their site, but hopefully it will t some point. I was really amazed at how loud it was when the ice on the lake cracked.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake Gal

Yo Adrian Fishing Charters were on NH Chronicle last week. It was a really good segment. It is too bad that the video isn't available on their site, but hopefully it will t some point. I was really amazed at how loud it was when the ice on the lake cracked.

Hi R-Gal!

I missed this segment of Chronicle but I did see the one they did on him a couple years ago.

Adrien is the man when it comes to ice fishing the lake! No one knows it or fishes it better than him. He is a lot of fun to go with and ensures all his clients leave happy and with plenty of fish! I highly recommend him to anyone thinking of chartering an ice fishing trip on the big lake!

Thanks for posting!

Dan

[SIKSUKR]

Not familiar with that auger set-up.It appears to be attached to your Rangers reciever?Do you operate it from there also?Very cool.

[ishoot308]

It's called an "Auger Caddy" and is / was made right here in Manchester, NH a number of years ago. Unfortunately the guy who made them couldn't charge enough to cover his costs so he stopped.

Yes it slides right in the trailer hitch and the auger attaches to it. The auger is allowed to slide up and down on a tubular piece of steel with ball bearings. You simply drive from hole to hole. The auger never comes off even when trailering. It is a very handy item and makes drilling multiple holes a breeze!

Dan

[SIKSUKR]

Love the idea.Any chance to see a better photo of the plunging mechanism set-up?

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

Love the idea.Any chance to see a better photo of the plunging mechanism set-up?

I can take some closeup pics of it for you when I get back to Gilford on Friday, in the mean time here's a couple I found on line. The Auger Caddy was originally made by P&B Metalcraft out of Bedford /Manchester, NH.

The head basically slides effortlessly up and down on the piece of tube steel you see in the pics. It's the bearings that make this puppy work slick, they are all custom made out of brass and steel. I lost one last year and contacted the original manufacturer who agreed to make me a 1/2 dozen of them for future use.

Dan

P.S. Leave it to Youtube, I just found a youtube video of it here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njEHW0L22b0

[SIKSUKR]

Surprized I never heard of them since I live/work in Bedford Manchester my whole life.Looks like a real easy sytem to use.

[brk-lnt]

If there were about 10 people or so interested in purchasing one of these, I know how they could be made up pretty inexpensively.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by brk-lnt

If there were about 10 people or so interested in purchasing one of these, I know how they could be made up pretty inexpensively.

BRK;

I could easily find 10 people to buy one BUT they would need to be well made and everyone would want to see a prototype first.

If I remember correctly the original auger caddy sold for $300.00 or $400.00 but it was made to last a life time. I personally feel it's worth twice that amount. The machine work in the head alone and custom bearings are worth the original asking price.

The original manufacturer should have increased his price and waited it out a bit. ATV's were just starting to be used exclusively on ice when it came out. There are many many more ATV's on the ice now than there were then.

Dan

[brk-lnt]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

BRK;

I could easily find 10 people to buy one BUT they would need to be well made and everyone would want to see a prototype first.

If I remember correctly the original auger caddy sold for $300.00 or $400.00 but it was made to last a life time. I personally feel it's worth twice that amount. The machine work in the head alone and custom bearings are worth the original asking price.

The original manufacturer should have increased his price and waited it out a bit. ATV's were just starting to be used exclusively on ice when it came out. There are many many more ATV's on the ice now than there were then.

Dan

Building a prototype wouldn't be a problem. Nor would "well made".