Champlain Islander

Looks like tomorrow I'll be trying out a few frozen bays here on the lake. I checked out my 6 year old floating suit made by Arctic Armour, and it was getting pretty worn. I went to Dick's Sporting Goods yesterday and bought a new 2 piece floating ice suit called Climate made by Striker. Looks to me like the next generation of ice fishing apparel. I picked up a new pair of Muck Arctic Pro boots too. Should be good to go tomorrow. I hope it is a long season. Ice fishing for pan fish is my favorite sport.

Muskyhunter1

Good luck and I hope you don't have to try your floating suit out.

Be safe.

Champlain Islander

That's the goal here. The suit keeps me warm, cuts the wind, is rain proof and has plenty of pockets for my gear. It does have the added insurance of flotation in the unlikely event of an accident. All ice fishermen should use a flotation suit and ice picks no matter how thick the ice is.

Update: It was a slow day for panfish and my fishing spots were limited by thin ice. I did have a non targeted catch ..a nice 8 to 10 pound Northern Pike. Let her go though.

Muskyhunter1

Nice Northern for sure.

I love ice fishing and I get a solid 4 months of it up here between varmint hunts Since most the seasons don't open till Jan 1st, I wait till then.

Good luck my friend.

stand2

What do you guys use for bait way up there ?

Champlain Islander

The pan fish guys fish for perch using a bare lure called a bibit. It is a weighted and painted chunk of lead which resembles a grub or can be painted to resemble a minnow. We crush the barb so a simple dunk on the ice or in a bucket allows the fish to drop off without having to handle them. When you are on a school several per minute can be caught that way. The bluegills, sunnies and crappie are caught with small rocker type jigs tipped with a live maggot. The Northern guys fish tipups baited with live minnows or shiners. The trout guys fish either live minnows or jig for them using weighted jigs.

Bocajnala

CI. How many fish, or lbs of fish, is a "good" day for you during the winter?

-Jake

Champlain Islander

We pan fishermen talk in terms of buckets filled and most of us fish with hard to find 7 gallon buckets. Higher to sit on which makes it easier on the back and holds about 45 to 50 pounds of fish. A good day is two sevens and a great day is 3 or 4. Doing the math if I catch 100 pounds of fish I consider that a good day. Normal years that kind of catch is quite a few times a year especially late season on the warming ice when the gills and sunnies start to gather in the shallows. This time of year through February it is mostly yellow perch and when you are on the big schooling fish it is pretty easy and quick to fill a seven. The large perch are between 10" and 14" and run as big around as a 2 liter pop bottle and weigh up to 1 1/2 pounds. The "hogs" are what we all are looking to get over. When the white perch run it can be a real slaughter since they run on average between 1 and 2 pounds. When you are on a school of them a 300 pound day is common but normally I don't target them because it isn't predictable and you can slam them or never get a bite. I always get a decent catch on yellows and when March hits and the sun is warm I always fish for gills, sunnies and crappie. So far this year it has been slow with limited ice but last trip out yesterday I filled a seven with some good fish but no hogs. I had plenty of 3/4 to 1 pound yellows but none of the big ones. Going to be house bound for the Christmas time due to family but starting Wednesday I'll be back at it. Love my new Striker Climate flotation suit.

Bocajnala

And then you take them to a buyer, what does the buyer do with them?

Are they shipped out somewhere specific?

-Jake

Champlain Islander

Normally shipped out a couple of times a week to either Mid West or Canadian fillet businesses. There is a great market for fresh water perch fillets world wide. I have no idea what happens to the flat fish we catch in March. At times depending on the market conditions the local buyer does cut the fish he buys rather than sending them out. I just catch them and know that someone is eating them.