More than 250,000 Quebecers will be teasing the different species of fish through the ice over the next few months.
Remember the famous film The Tuque War ? One of the young actors said: “War, war, is no reason to hurt yourself”. A friend of mine took this quote and rephrased it for the occasion: “Ice fishing, ice fishing is no reason to be cold, uncomfortable and worse, boring”. He wasn’t wrong.
Today I present you some novelties that may interest the followers:
Orderly
Here’s a little gadget that will serve you well on an organizational level. When out on the ice, we often use a 5 gallon plastic bucket to carry our wading rods and other gear. The problem is that unless you’re using HT’s Bucket Master storage system, the bars will inevitably get tangled in transit. This bracket is easy to attach to the inside wall of your boiler. Simply slide the pole into the protective foam socket and it stays in place.
▶ Available at sail.
▶ Price : $5
temperament
When the temperature drops outside, the indoor thermometer can be raised with the Olympia Portable Heater 31270LIS. With an output of 5800 BTU and 3 KW, this small radiant heater, which is only 27.5 cm high, emits a gentle, cozy warmth thanks to its swiveling head and ceramic burner. Compact and lightweight, it works with butane or propane canisters. As with any other heating system, you need to vent and watch out for carbon monoxide (CO).
▶ Available at Mom sport.
▶ Price: $65
heat
When jigging or jigging, it is not uncommon for your hands to freeze. To avoid this kind of inconvenience, the enthusiast need only lug a Zippo Hand Warmer 40371 in their bag.Once filled with hand warmer gasoline or Zippo lighter fluid, you’ll get up to 12 hours of gentle flameless warmth. The sleek and elegant design of this sturdy metal construction is reminiscent of the renowned lighters from the same manufacturer. It comes with a pouch and a refill cup.
▶ Available at Pronature Joliette.
▶ Price: $32
Attractive
Introduced late in the season last year, the Lindy Rattl’N Quiver Spoon is an improved derivative of Lindy’s popular Quiver Spoon. The designers added a sound chamber in the domed part of the eye to allow yellowfish and walleye to sense their presence from a great distance. This lure dances and sways to the rhythm set by the rod handler. It’s available in 14 colors, 8 of which are photoluminescent to illuminate the shallows. Depending on the depth and current, you can opt for a size of 1/16, 1/8, 1/4 ounce.
▶ Available at several merchants.
▶ Price: $8
Practical
If you go fishing, you will need your drill, brimbales, jiggers, offerings of all kinds, ladle, etc. In short, we have our hands full. The Pelican Snow Trek 75 sled is ideal for transporting your gear. It is made of durable polyethylene and is 75 inches long, 30 1⁄2 inches wide and 14 inches high. It can be easily towed by hand thanks to the Rax-X skids that facilitate gliding. It can even be towed behind an ATV or snowmobile.
▶ Available at Canadian Tire Pro Shop in Saint-Eustache.
▶ Price: $280
Warm
Here is the perfect gift to help your loved one keep their feet warm and dry, whether it’s spring, autumn, snow and especially ice. The new rugged Legacy 6″ lace-up boots from XTRATUF are designed and hand-sewn to withstand the rigors of Alaska in comfort. Inspired by their commercial version, this model is 100% waterproof with a full-grain leather upper. The non-slip, non-marking sole offers incredible grip on the wet surfaces.
▶ Available at de.xtratuf.ca.
▶ Price: $110
Clever mix
Fishing line company P-Line offers three products specifically designed for ice fishing. The HP-Ice is made from a high quality copolymer to create the perfect combination of toughness, abrasion resistance and low memory. It is available in clear or fluorescent color in 100 yard lengths. Then, for the ultimate refinement, there’s HP Fluoro, which is made from 100% pure fluorocarbon. It remains flexible in the cold but retains its resilience and, most importantly, its invisibility. It is offered in 50 yard format from 2 to 10 lbs/test.
▶ Available at sailing.approx.
▶ Price: $10 to $12
Enlighten
Many hobbyists build and outfit winter fishing shacks that look more like a small shack than a shed. As we know, early morning fishing and especially at sunset is often good. You can’t see anything there. The Biolite company has just launched the SolarHome 620+ solar system to power your shelters. The easy-to-install 6-watt solar panel captures daily sunlight to charge a central control box that powers three ceiling lights, one with a motion sensor, USB output, and an FM radio system.
▶ Available at ddrpleinair.com.
▶ Price: $250
Powerful
Jiffy’s new Rogue 2.0 Electric Drill certainly has plenty of power, with 80-volt, 1300-watt loads spinning the razor-sharp blade at over 500 rpm. According to rep Alexis Sarrazin, this upgraded version is capable of drilling 25% more holes on a single charge. If the battery is empty, it only takes 60 minutes to be fully functional again. Steel gears and two-speed ball bearing gearboxes effortlessly turn 8″ and 10″ bits. This 20 pound featherweight is equipped with a USB port and a light.
▶ Available at Hunting and fishing performance Repentigny.
▶ Price: $1030
With kind approval
You may not know it, but a bandana like this can serve as a base to catch Elchurin and then release the scent that speaks to the king of the forest. phew!
Funny things happen to all of us on our hunting trips.
I’ll introduce you to a few that have made me laugh many times over the years. I invite you to send me yours to [email protected].
head full
The friendly Rimouski Game Reserve guide, Marco Chabot, proudly wears a bandana instead of a hat. This piece of fabric that he attaches to his skull gives him a cool and different look. Moose hunting, when I was in the van with him, the smell of urine was in the air. Then, as he approached me, the effluvium increased significantly. I didn’t care as it’s common to see Nemrods wearing soaked pads on their boots or just spraying it all over their clothing. During a phone session, I saw him take out his bottle of synthetic urine and apply it liberally to his bandana. No question, the scent spreads so wonderfully!
Naturally ?
When hunting, scent control is essential. We even try to eliminate them, for example with Nok Out, to prevent the deer from sensing our presence. For my brother Marc-Antoine, this idea seems abstract. When he saw a shamrock on the packaging of the popular Irish Spring scented soap, he thought this product was perfect for hunting!
In pieces
On a visit to Anticosti, I met an incredibly engaging guide. By the end of our trip my wife and I had bagged a 7, a 6, a 4 and a female deer. During our stay, during our many conversations, he had asked me what I do with my feathers. I told him that I keep the nicest ones and cut the small ones to offer them to my daughter’s dog, who devours them with gusto. When I got to Montreal and opened the meat crates, I was very surprised to find that all the feathers had been severed at the end of 6 inches! This is service. I really laughed out loud.
joke
A few years ago we invited my brother’s new son-in-law to join us. Contrary to expectations, this newcomer, who is part of a group convention with us, outwits not one, but two deer. A few times over the past few months we’ve jokingly told him to drink a glass of blood from his first capture, like it’s seen in old seedy movies. Believe it or not, out of the blue he pulled a jar out of his backpack during the disembowelment, filled it up and put it down before we could even warn him, what nonsense! When he saw that we were all disgusted by what he had done, he laughed and said it wasn’t as bad as it looked.
Delicious
During my recent winter caribou hunting expedition, I caught both of my animals 2 minutes apart. The guide, Billy Coulombe, bends down and picks up what appears to be small spherical excrement from behind one of the carcasses. He puts it in his mouth, chews it and says to me: “Wow, you have a nice one, it tastes really good”. Completely disgusted, I explain to him that he disgusts me and that we can’t eat shit. Immediately after that, it’s about my hunting partner doing the same. “You’re a pig, a real pig,” I tell him on the spot. The same scenario repeated itself another time and I was amazed. In fact, there was a wink between these two pranksters. Billy threw chocolate Glossettes and the two made sure to pick them out of the snow. They only had one wish, that I try my luck and eat some shit. Forget that!
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