03-11-2004, 02:22 PM
[size 3]It sounds like to me you had a bad fishing experience. [/size]
[size 3]See if any of these fit...[/size] [ol] [li]You cut in to a Cisco and smelt a strong cent and felt the oil on your hands. === Cisco are strong smelling and are naturally oily and do smell like chum. Preparing these require special care and different cooking techniques.[/li] [li][size 3]You cut in to a blue gills and saw a colored film on top the water after the fish set in a bowl of water.=== I admit this dose make me wonder with concern. There is a reason for this, during the summer months fish get fat build up in their flesh. a fishes fat is build up of oil instead of fat you would normally see in a chicken pork or beef. if your catch was caught doing first ice you may have caught a batch of gills still retaining its summer fat. this oil is highly desirable and is sold on the market as vitamin "E" Your doctor will tell you that it is always healthier to get your vitamins from natural sources (diet) if the oil is heavier than you would like to see you can always add a couple shakes of salt to the water when soaking your fish. Oil is lighter than water and when adding salt to the water it makes the water denser and will cause the majority of the oil to separate from the fish and float to the top. a couple rinses will remove the rest.[/size][/li] [li][size 3]You cut in to a blue gill and you were presented with a skanky aroma. this is not natural, blue gill are sweet in flavor and even sweeter when caught in cold waters. what you may have unknowingly done is fished in a body of water that had stagnated during the summer. This will leave a nasty sent in the gills flesh even in the winter. these fish will require more soaking in salt water over night before preparing. you can get rid of most of the smell this way. and after soaking in salt water you still smell a hint of the chum smell lay your fish in a clean bowl and cover with milk. The oil from the milk will draw out the rest of the oil in the fish. After one catch like this I would consider, prefer actually to fish in cleaner waters.[/size][/li] [li][size 3]You attempted to drill a hole and it took for ever and way to much effort to get through the ice. there is a simple solution for this. the newer hand drilled augers called Laser augers are lightning fast compared to the augers of old. They have blades that are curved and will make the experience less dramatic. I still use the old cup auger because It provides to me a much needed cardiac vascular exercise for my arms. The laser auger can cut 10 holes to my one when the blades are sharp. If the blades are dull (not razor sharp) the drilling process can become an unbearable tiresome time consuming labor. The newer power augers are the berries when it comes to opening up the hard waters to access your fish. They are lighter than the augers of 20 years ago, about half the weight; the auger bits as well have made strides in the effort needed to open holes. You can blast through the ice in seconds and cut as many as 50 holes an hour depending of the depth of the ice.[/size][/li] [li][size 3]You went out on the ice fishing and the time seemed to drag on and on and on. Chances are good that you are still vary young and have not yet developed the patients of still fishing. this takes a bit of self discipline. This is common in anglers under the age of 35. Most anglers do not learn to appreciate the leisure of sitting on the ice working a jig. If this is not learned at an early age (5-10 years) it is harder to develop and appreciate. For me I love the crisp clean air, it cleans the lungs. And if I had my choice of sitting at home in front of day time tv and setting on the ice catching no fish, the ice will win hands down. The sceneries are ponderous and you get to see a great deal more nature than you would if you were to walk through the woods. I often take my binoculars on the ice just to watch the birds and other animals walking in the near by trees. A solution to this lack of conditioning is to get together with a good group of anglers. Share your fish stories; the company you keep on the ice can make all the difference in the world when it comes to ice fishing. Time also drags when you are uncomfortable on the ice. if you are cold or cant sit comfortably you will have a hard time enjoying your time on the ice. Dressing properly is vary important and taking a bucket or sled that is the right height for you is a must. you should not sweat in your cloths on the ice, if you do you will get cold fast, with proper clothing and layering you can be as comfortable on the open ice at 10 degrees as you are sitting in your living room. (No it wont beat the lazy boy chair) [/size][/li] [li][size 3]When you say ice fishing is time consuming there is no doubt about it you are absolutely right. I spent hundreds of hours ice fishing a year, countless hours during the summer scooping out my winter fishing holes. Gathering gear I want to use and in many cases making my own. Some works and some don’t but that is half the fun. This past winter we had in my area only 6 weeks of safe ice and I spent well over 300 hours setting on the ice. many hours alone many hours with old friends and many hours making new friends. My season was short this year, but I enjoyed every moment of it, even when I Went through the ice it sure beat hibernating in the ice.[/size][/li][/ol]
...
[signature]
[size 3]See if any of these fit...[/size] [ol] [li]You cut in to a Cisco and smelt a strong cent and felt the oil on your hands. === Cisco are strong smelling and are naturally oily and do smell like chum. Preparing these require special care and different cooking techniques.[/li] [li][size 3]You cut in to a blue gills and saw a colored film on top the water after the fish set in a bowl of water.=== I admit this dose make me wonder with concern. There is a reason for this, during the summer months fish get fat build up in their flesh. a fishes fat is build up of oil instead of fat you would normally see in a chicken pork or beef. if your catch was caught doing first ice you may have caught a batch of gills still retaining its summer fat. this oil is highly desirable and is sold on the market as vitamin "E" Your doctor will tell you that it is always healthier to get your vitamins from natural sources (diet) if the oil is heavier than you would like to see you can always add a couple shakes of salt to the water when soaking your fish. Oil is lighter than water and when adding salt to the water it makes the water denser and will cause the majority of the oil to separate from the fish and float to the top. a couple rinses will remove the rest.[/size][/li] [li][size 3]You cut in to a blue gill and you were presented with a skanky aroma. this is not natural, blue gill are sweet in flavor and even sweeter when caught in cold waters. what you may have unknowingly done is fished in a body of water that had stagnated during the summer. This will leave a nasty sent in the gills flesh even in the winter. these fish will require more soaking in salt water over night before preparing. you can get rid of most of the smell this way. and after soaking in salt water you still smell a hint of the chum smell lay your fish in a clean bowl and cover with milk. The oil from the milk will draw out the rest of the oil in the fish. After one catch like this I would consider, prefer actually to fish in cleaner waters.[/size][/li] [li][size 3]You attempted to drill a hole and it took for ever and way to much effort to get through the ice. there is a simple solution for this. the newer hand drilled augers called Laser augers are lightning fast compared to the augers of old. They have blades that are curved and will make the experience less dramatic. I still use the old cup auger because It provides to me a much needed cardiac vascular exercise for my arms. The laser auger can cut 10 holes to my one when the blades are sharp. If the blades are dull (not razor sharp) the drilling process can become an unbearable tiresome time consuming labor. The newer power augers are the berries when it comes to opening up the hard waters to access your fish. They are lighter than the augers of 20 years ago, about half the weight; the auger bits as well have made strides in the effort needed to open holes. You can blast through the ice in seconds and cut as many as 50 holes an hour depending of the depth of the ice.[/size][/li] [li][size 3]You went out on the ice fishing and the time seemed to drag on and on and on. Chances are good that you are still vary young and have not yet developed the patients of still fishing. this takes a bit of self discipline. This is common in anglers under the age of 35. Most anglers do not learn to appreciate the leisure of sitting on the ice working a jig. If this is not learned at an early age (5-10 years) it is harder to develop and appreciate. For me I love the crisp clean air, it cleans the lungs. And if I had my choice of sitting at home in front of day time tv and setting on the ice catching no fish, the ice will win hands down. The sceneries are ponderous and you get to see a great deal more nature than you would if you were to walk through the woods. I often take my binoculars on the ice just to watch the birds and other animals walking in the near by trees. A solution to this lack of conditioning is to get together with a good group of anglers. Share your fish stories; the company you keep on the ice can make all the difference in the world when it comes to ice fishing. Time also drags when you are uncomfortable on the ice. if you are cold or cant sit comfortably you will have a hard time enjoying your time on the ice. Dressing properly is vary important and taking a bucket or sled that is the right height for you is a must. you should not sweat in your cloths on the ice, if you do you will get cold fast, with proper clothing and layering you can be as comfortable on the open ice at 10 degrees as you are sitting in your living room. (No it wont beat the lazy boy chair) [/size][/li] [li][size 3]When you say ice fishing is time consuming there is no doubt about it you are absolutely right. I spent hundreds of hours ice fishing a year, countless hours during the summer scooping out my winter fishing holes. Gathering gear I want to use and in many cases making my own. Some works and some don’t but that is half the fun. This past winter we had in my area only 6 weeks of safe ice and I spent well over 300 hours setting on the ice. many hours alone many hours with old friends and many hours making new friends. My season was short this year, but I enjoyed every moment of it, even when I Went through the ice it sure beat hibernating in the ice.[/size][/li][/ol]
...
[signature]