March is here and the hardwater season is just about near its end in the northern part of the United States, although, perhaps you lads up in the 51st state (KIDDING, I love Canada... everybody relax) still have a quite a few more weeks of really good ice.
I'm new to the state of Wisconsin and admittedly not much of an ice fisherman, but I actually went last week for my first time and had a blast. I mean, look at the peaceful view... is that good clean living or what?
We were able to land a few good walleyes over a couple hours, but overall 10 out of 10, highly recommend. Of course, it takes a lot of gear (AKA money) to start from scratch, and can be relatively dangerous if you don't know what you're doing, so the barrier to entry is much tougher than just regular ol' fishing, but I definitely think everyone should give it a try. I'm definitely planning to be ready for next winter.
But don't take my word for it, take this kid's out in Massachusetts.
A little more than a week ago, this kid was out on the ice, and managed to reel in the catch of a lifetime. Utilizing a Vexilar flasher and Swedish Pimple jigging spoon, he hooked into a fish, and within seconds, whatever was at the end of it started PULLING line. With just 4 pound test, the kid let the fish run, and Lord have mercy is there a sweeter sound than that? I don't think so...
After a patient fight, he reached into the hole and pulled out a massive largemouth that almost eclipsed 8 pounds... just an absolute behemoth of a fish, especially for Massachusetts. The Bay State actually has some pretty decent bass for a northern state, but a 7-pound bass is a hog in any state... well, maybe not a hog in Texas, but it's still a really, really big bass.
The kids was ecstatic and his reaction was priceless.
"Oh my God, that's the biggest bass of my life. Oh my God... trout fishing! Look at the size of that fish."
He said the fish wound up being the youth catch and release state record, captioning his YouTube video with even more details:
"Catch and release state record - Largemouth Bass 7.71lb and 25" caught while ice fishing in Massachusetts. While jigging for trout with, this beautiful bass was caught on 4lb test line! Watch how well the fish is worked and the excitement once realized what just happened."
Check it out: