severus

They've been catering to the juvenile humor crowd for some time now with a lot of underwhelming releases, although they still make an occasional gem, such as Defiance. Essentially the Oscars are just a lot of backslapping, which likely why George C Scott refused to receive his award for his Patton performance.

From the title, I was expecting a photo of a wrecked beer truck with suds all over the road.

Nice avatar, Nursey.

Allow me to extend an invitation to join our Trivia Game which several AN members including myself have participated in for some time now. Just hit the link, sign in, and play. Thanks to Clifftop for reminding me to post this message as I've not done so for awhile. Hope to see you there. Ken

Lucky you. That's a four-letter word that rhymes with "blow" in my vocabulary.

It's been real cold around here of late. How cold? It was so cold, I saw my lawyer with his hands in his own pockets. And he was shaking worse than a queer at a weenee roast.

What an impressive ship, Snatcher. I need to visit this thread more often, there are so many excellent photos on display. I haven't any of my own to share today, however, allow me to share this link to a photos from my state. I particularly like Miners Castle on Lake Superior. HERE

I haven't the foggiest what it is Fred. From the title of the thread I thought you were calling someone a tool.

The ones I've seen do that usually allow their trousers drop low enough to see their skivvies. I always thought they were advertising their availability as a "player".

Like Newt said, an electic motor is very versatile for maneuvering and it's very stealthy as well. Not to mention clean. Add a good 12v marine battery full charged and it should last you all day with a small boat.

We have the same situation here in the States. My wife works for a dentist that accepts Medicaid patients and is sometimes infuriated when people who own expensive cars and homes come in and take advantage of the system, which they obviously have found a way to cheat. Your quote reminds me of my uncle's motto. He's a Repo Man, and has repossessed thousands of vehicles for banks over the years. His motto? "We put people back on their feet."

Both, at least for me. One has to use mono line no greater than 2 lb test to be successful consistently, so care has to be taken when playing the fish. No horsing. On a side note, everyone who has ever icefished has a story about something they lost down the hole by accident. Car keys, glasses, cameras, ice saws, tackle, and a lot of other things all seem to find their way into the hole. I lost a new lighter last year even before I lit the lamp. It went right to the bottom, just like a magnet was drawing it forth from my hand. Mr Murphy must have been smiling. I wasn't. That is an interesting thread, Vagabond. I had no idea that the two species of perch were so similar. I may go after crappies some night this weekend, if it warms up a bit. Temps have been below zero f. lately and heater or not, I'm a lightweight when it comes to cold weather. More photos to come. Ken

Actually, many shanty designs have no floors at all, Vagabond. Even if a heater is used to bring the interior to room temperature the ice won't melt fast enough to be a problem. It's very solid. "Permanent" shanties left out on the ice all winter have to be broken free from time to time lest they become frozen solid into the ice surface. Yes. We were after yellow perch.

With regards to fishing, about all there is to do this time of year where I live is ice fishing. I haven't been out much yet, but I made it out last Sunday AM with a friend and managed to catch one perch in 3 hours of fishing. Very slow. It's usually like that it seems - feast or famine. Next time I post perhaps I can show a few fish that I've caught. I use a two-man shanty, or bivvy, with a lantern for heat and light. As you can see, it has four holes drilled inside for fishing and the vexilar probe, and one drilled outside for the video camera. The vexilar flasher unit is at left, and the video screen is at lower left. The video camera wasn't much use that day as the waters were too cloudy from recent snowmelt. The ice was six inches thick here, over 42 feet of water. The rod at right is called a swish-rod and is made for deep-water fishing, while the one at left is a standard ice rod. Both have bite sensors. The view outside. Other shanties with fishermen inside, with a large group in the distance. Note the spots on the ice where other shanties had been. This particular lake is actually a drowned river mouth that flows into Lake Michigan. Newt and Jan took a ferry from here to Wisconsin a few years back. The water wasn't as hard then, however.

Yup, bluegill here. Way up Nawth.

I must confess, I once drove my truck out onto the ice on Lake Huron, Vagabond, in a moment of weakness. I was lucky I didn't end up like this. He's lucky it was shallow.

Yes, it did. I noticed my campfire wood pile vanished, though.

I won't venture out onto the ice unless it's at least 4 inches thick. Anything thinner is just tooo dangerous and not worth the risk. Ice 12 inches thick will support vehicles, but I don't do that either. I've heard too many horror stories and there's nothing wrong with my legs. I'll post some photos of my setup when I get out in another week or so.

What a night. Temps hit 56 farenheit here yesterday and melted 24" inches of snowpack. Then it rained. Then the creek rose and nearly jumped my retaining wall, which of course, would have sucked hind-titty. Fortunately it crested before that happened. June Today. The picnic table at center was submerged. I suppose my campfire wood is halfway to Lake Michigan by now. Another view this AM Same photo angle one week ago. If you look at the tree across the creek you can gauge how much higher the water level is in the first photo.

Sounds like fun. I target crappies extensively here in Michigan in winter. White and black crappie are similar species and are also called speckled bass. They feed very well after dark and may be found all along the water column from top to bottom, and minnows are probably their favorite prey. I target them through the ice inside my heated shanty (bivvy) using a vexilar to locate them electronically. Great fun. There are times when they occupy the entire vex cone. I use 18" inch ice rods with small jigs tipped with minnows suspended beneath a small slip-bobber (float). Their bite is very light, unless they're in suicide mode and feel like smashing the bait. Also, I suspend an underwater light to draw them in, like moths to a lamp. As lutra noted, sometimes they hit on the drop. If your line stops, set the hook. I can't wait to get out there. Good luck with your angling.

Merry Christmas to all and best wishes for 2009. Good Lord, what happened to Y2K?

Now I'm excited to drill a few holes and start icefishing. Great video. I love it when the ice is so clear that you can see fish and seaweed beneath you.

Tomorrow is Festivus. I've got a lot of problems with you people!

You don't want this much snow, Snatcher. Nice photo, btw.

I wish I could say that.