TEMPS

[GRIZ]

 I woke up this AM and first thing, check the temp. It was a nice brisk -6. Great it made ice last night, but how does it affect the fishing. I was planning on going spearing today but it's been my experience that it wouldn't be that good this morning. Also the barometer was rising as of last night.

Just wondering what others thoughts on the fishing are.

Oh well have other stuff to do too. Tomorrow I'll be going out for sure and I don't care what the wheather is like.

[jigglestick]

well, griz, sitting on the couch wondering what the spearing would be like today, aint a whole lot different than going out with your gun not loaded.
the results will be the same anyway

[GRIZ]

 ( E = mc X mc )

I won't be sittin on the couch.

[WoodChuck]

 :)  while spearing in 35 deg. weather or 20 below about the only thing i have observed to bother fish is the cracking of ice. sometimes it will turn them off, and then again in the shallows when the ice sounds off the sun fish and perch scatter and a netural pike will give chase to a starteld fish. the barometer is the major factor in fish movement , with any high or low pressure moveing through will have the best movement or bite.  WHAT DO YOU THINK ??  ???

[GRIZ]

 Well my best luck has been right b4 a storm or a low pressure coming in. Not every time though. The most consistant action has been when the barometer has been relatively steady for  about 3 days. Also then the fish don't seem quit as aggresive which means I usually get a better shot. Don't get me wrong I get them as they are screaming away with my minnow too but it's nice to have them stop for 2 seconds so I can take aim and squeeze the trigger. High pressures haven't seemed to do anything for me cept turn them off.

[WoodChuck]

  sure like that when they come in on full speed and stop dead and look!  have you ever tried two live decoys side by side, the pike will come in between them and stop and look also? !

[GRIZ]

That is something I have never tried. It sounds interesting, I will have to try it sometime.

[Mr Harry]

  I also use two live decoys, a medium one and then I get the biggest one they have at the shop.  I have never had a nordern come in slow, they usually come flying into the hole with one decoy srambling one way and the other the other way!!  The large fish will always go for the big decoy.  They scare the hell out of you!!  Everything happens quickly, I haven't figured yet how to measure the fish before I throw the spear!!!  What do you guys fasten your line too?  I use old open faced reels, my stepfather would use a piece of old inner tube that would stretch when the old nordern would hit the decoy.

[jigglestick]

the old bait cast reels work great, or two nails six inches apart work pretty good to.

kinda gets me itchy to poke some pike again 8)

[Dr.Bob]

Pike poking?   

Sounds like it could be kinda painful to me :o.


 

[GRIZ]

When you guys use 2 live ones, do they seem to show more interest in the smaller one or the bigger? Does it depend on the size of fish coming in?

[Mr Harry]

  I have always had the large fish come in after the large decoy, while the little decoy just goes nuts!!  Its amazing how everything can be completely quiet one second and then the next second all hell breaks loose and decoys are going crazy to get away from the huge fish coming after there butt only a half inch behind them!!!!  After everything settles down and you have the fish outside, then the nerves kick in and I begin to shake and my knees start to knock.  A couple of times I could not settle down and I had to go home!!  I haven't speared now for several years but some day I will again...

[GRIZ]

I can relate to the shaking and knees knocking. It does that to me once I spear a fish until I get them on the ice.

[WoodChuck]

 :) Large minnow = larger fish  but most of them come in on smaller decoys  and thats what you want are numbers. with pike your bigger nords will cannibalise their own speices. without a variety of fish it s likely to be a dead  sea. by useing two large minnows of about 12 to 14 inches the larger pike are hogs and they like to check out there prey. useing a large decoy i have speared quite a few of them at a dead stop trying to figure out whitch one to go for and they stoped right between the decoys. RIGHT BEHIND THE HEAD, AND THE QUIVERING IS ALL THEY DO!

[GRIZ]

Thanks guys that is what I figured. I knew bigger decoys brought in bigger fish but was just wondering with two live ones if they'd try going after the smaller one instead. I normally have used a live and a red and white with the live one being 6-8" and the r/w being 12". But differs from time to time also. I roughly figure 75% of the fish come into the r/w.

[Mr Harry]

  Years ago I used one live decoy and one artificial decoy.  The old norderns would come in there some times and bite my artificial and other times as soon as I would whip the artificial and it would come to rest, the nordern would be siting in front of it looking at it!!  Then I became lazy and went to two live decoys, which meant the decoys did all the work and I just sat there and watched the decoys swim.