I have 5 weeks of work left until my 4 month vacation. Also enjoy the anticipation. Chomping at the bit here. Having bilateral carpal tunnel surgery so I may not get to fish as much as I'd like, but I have volunteer to help drill holes for me, so.... cmon winter!!!!
I bought a CGI inline reel last year and used them for bluegill. I was very happy with it and am going to get a few more for on my walleye rigs. Takes a little getting used to, but I was pleased with it.
I do far better jigging than with tip-ups, although I'll admit that I'm still learning with the tip-ups. If I could only use one system, it would be jigging with a Vib-E hands down.
What does the almanac say about this winter? Ice fishing is all the fishing I do as I'm just too busy in the summer. Last year was a real letdown after the previous two winters.