Brrrrr!!!..Great Day

[grumpymoe]

Big Walleye and I were determined to make one last trip before he fogged down the motor and stored the boat for the winter....let me tell you...we both had thoughts this morning that we didn't share until we were out on the lake...original plans to hit Lake of the Prairies were discarded in favor of freezing our butts closer to home...pretty good plan......got up and the temp was 10 below...with a crisp north wind...OMG...layered clothing and skidoo suit...mitts...and more mitts....meet up at Sandy Lake....head to the launch and i mention breakfast at the local hotel.....no twisting arms on that one....after a healthy meal to keep warm...we head out to the lake.....i have been out on some darn cold water...but this was a day to remember..hit a couple of spots that produced in past....caught a few...but after awhile decided to head to the southern end of the lake....worked the heck out of one spot and managed to limit out on some nice fish....Big Walleye...er...Big Nanook outfished me with his Berkley softbait perch...but i managed the 2 largest...26-27" and 31".....all nice fish...and what an unbelievable fight from some of them that you wouldn't expect....lots of rocks getting heavy coating of ice....one shot of BW holding the stringer shows foam in the background....trust me, it wasn't fluffy......the last pic is the finished boneless sinkfull ready for the freezer....Grump                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

[wny angler]

man thats cold!   
   nice catch of slimy pike
 for as bad as pike smell they sure do taste good   

[The Rocket]

I love it!! Great Pics guys! Awesome PIke Mr. Moe and Big Walleye, You looked like you froze you A@@ off

[Out4Trout]

Thanks for sharing your day out, and great pictures too. It must have felt like you were ice fishing.....but no shanty to get warmed up in. Nice looking pan of fish.

[Bartman44]

You should keep the boat out with fish like that.

PS - Nice hat.

[Skiff]

Nice mess of fish, guys!  The cleaned pieces look absolutely delicious! 
I heard that the forecast calls for above-freezing days next week - maybe you'll have a chance to get out again before the lakes skim over.   Took my motor in today tho', as tonight the temp is supposed to hit -6C, and I haven't winterized it yet.  Have to bring in my 75 lb bag of potatoes from the garage, too.  Ice is coming............

[Trophy Hunter639]

Good job guys those are some nice pike  Looks like you were prepared did you guys go for walleyes at all?BW man you look ready to rock in the first pic Awesome that 25 sure moves that lund Beauty pike Grump and you are truly a master of the fine art of fileting pike!! :thumbup_smilie:I'm glad you guys had a good day!!

[grumpymoe]

Trophyhunter...that first pic of the Big guy is actually AFTER he warmed up...notice the bare hands...lol.....we hit pretty much any spot you can think of on the lake...marked some HUGE fish....likely left them behind.....most fish that hit....hit the stringer and the freezer....lol.....honestly...it feels warmer ice fishing at 20below in the wind....than it did today in the boat....but we had fun....not for lack of trying...but i think the walleye lay low...until the darkness sets in....too many northerns in the lake.....Grump

[Trophy Hunter639]

I hear ya Grump I would hide too if i was a walleye there has to be some real big pike in there by now.I can't wait to try some boneless northern sometime    

[big walleye]

Well let me tell you my bed was sure comfy this morning. As I slowly dragged my carcass and peeked outside the angel on my left shoulder said go back to bed but the devil on my right had to say go for it BW. Well after putting on 100 layers of insulation and yes trophy that is insulation and not BW getting fat I slowly headed out to Sandy. I actually had the good fortune of seeing a couple of elk on the way. Thinking I was losing it I asked a couple of locals if their was elk around. They confirmed that two were seen in the valley. Well BW is not blind after all. Well I happened to be a few minutes early so I decided to get my boat ready. First sign of it being a really cold day is when you fine your drain plug frozen at the bottom of the boat. Ouch!!!!   Well grump did not have to twist my arm to hard to go for breakfast. After wolfing it down it was time to hit the water or ice!!!   Well I have decided I may have to put a block heater on my motor. God knows how many cranks later it finally started and ran great all day. Yes I caught more fish then the grumpster but he brought in the real hogs. Lot's of fun but my boat is now parked for the winter. When I got home I winterized it. See you in a few months I said to her but hard water here I come. 

[Trophy Hunter639]

  BW that's too funny

[Habanero Bob]

Glad to see you guys had a great time.

I'm surprised Grump didn't try his secret "keep warm" trick on you.  You've all heard the old saying that if your feet are warm, then you will be warm. 

Well, last year Moe tried applying this theory out on me by hitting a bump on the road / cow path so hard that my coffee mug jumped out of the truck cupholder, landed upside down and poured hot coffee into my boot.  That's what you call a "Starbucks booter".

I can't quite remember if it worked all that well though, however, I've never had my feet go to sleep on me since then.

[The Rocket]

Hey Big Walleye!!

Where's your Montreal Canadiens fuzzy fur hat???

[big walleye]

I had to put it away. It's on strike.

[The Rocket]

lol!!

I'm sure you had your Manatoba Moose jersey on under all of that clothing