slonezp

Tracker has a huge dealer network. Not only Bass Pro, but Cabelas, and a whole bunch of private dealers. Lowe, not so much.

I

Sharkhide cleaner followed by Sharkhide protectant. Then you can just wipe down with water/vinegar mix after each outing.

There is no safe ice left in Northern IL and 2 small local lakes i drove by are 90% open as of this morning.

The only thing I steal is the hearts of those around me.

That's 35 hours a year. Motor wasn't used much

@A-Jay What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.-Henry Stanley Haskins You are both in my prayers.

Why not steal the pictures off the internet like everyone else does?

Eagles are scavengers. So much for our national bird. They are majestic. I'll give them that. They prefer the easy meal just like everyone else. A few years back I was privileged to watch a bald eagle steal a large sucker from a group of seagulls. The fiasco lasted about 10 minutes of back and forth, before the eagle finally dropped the fish into someones backyard where a kid was playing. Kid went screaming to his mother that a fish fell from the tree.

I don't ice fish, so I don't care. Ice out in February would be sweet

Did they ever pass that invasive species fee?

The only "public" ramps are at our state parks and, yes they are free but, I'd rather not deal with the fiasco. I launch at the American Legion Hall on my home water. The launch fee goes to our veterans. The user fee goes to an agency that manages the waterway.

I can't imagine more than a few hundred bucks.

I think a lot of us do. We like to fish what is familiar to us. We like to fish memories. In northern IL, all of the lakes have ramp fees and many have annual user fees. On my home water, I'm in it for $230 a year with fees. Ramp fees here vary from $15-$25 for a single launch, and annual user fees are $110 and up. Fines for not paying the user fees are, the user fee plus a ticket. Needless to say, the cost to fish limits where I fish. Especially, since I fish every weekend from ice out to ice up. I look at it like investing. I'm willing to take chances once in awhile but I'd prefer to put my money somewhere that gives me the best return.

We've had a few mid 40's days and I saw some open water yesterday. If this keeps up, the ice may never be safe.

Probably less about beefing it up and more about displacing the force

Probably the best advice yet. You don't know unless you try it. How many of us get caught up on trying to catch the "big one" on a certain body of water and the "big one" might be just a mile away on another lake? Different bottom composition, different forage, different structure and cover, might be a stones throw away and might make all the difference in the world.

On my way to work, I saw 2 snow geese this morning flying northeast. The flocks keeping the water open are Canadian.

20 years ago called they want their music back.

Just because it's cold doesn't mean there is safe ice. In the last 5 weeks since I put the boat away, whatever safe ice there may or may not have been is now gone from a warming trend. Mind you it's in the 20's at night and 40's during the day. There may not be safe ice for another month or so. As it is, the geese have kept some of the water open this entire winter so far. There is water open today that was locked up a week ago. Cooling lakes in northern IL have seasons. Open April until waterfowl season. Closed all winter

Was waiting for this.?

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