Wow 2" thick ice, I can remember when I weighed enough to walk on ice that thick, except I didnt know how to walk yet, guys I know we are all getting  anxious to drill some holes but we gotta be safe!

Guys are saying there is a few areas with 3 to 4 inch of ice.

I have been using fly style reels for many years thinking its been 12 years now. I remember a nice long chat with a very well know ice pro on wamplers lake when they spot one rigged up on my hand made sight rod. It was the 1st time he had ever seen it. He is now promoting the use of them pretty heavily.

For years the thing I struggled with was finding a light fly style reel that had a good drag system. The major draw back then with that combo at that time was that all the quality reels where metal. Holding a metal reel all day in the temps we fish in sometime during the winter can her brutal.

Now we have three different styles of these reels;

Center Pin which includes the Ice Tech Razor(The Original drop below the rod style), Black Betty from 13 Fishing and the newest to the market the Code Blue from No 8 Fishing Tackle. We also can forget maybe the oldest Center Pin reel the Schooley Del Mar Reel AKA the Schooley.

Next would be the Raft Style reels;
13 Fishing with its Black Betty 6061 and the Eagle Claw reel of last year where the first to bring this to market here in the states. Frabill has added one of there own to this group of reels with the 261.

The next is the classic fly style reels and this group has started to split also;
1:1 Gear Ratio
Frabill, Clam, HT, and Ice Hopper all offer something in this grouping.But there is two companies that started the split in this cat at the same time. And they both went in slightly different directions. The only most people know about is the Frabill 241 which is a geared fly reel that is metal. The other was from Ice Hopper which is called the Tight Line Extreme which is a smaller framed reel and is made out of graphite. Since then two companies have released similar reels to the Tight Line Extreme but they are made of metal.HT and Beam are offering these.

For me my personal choice and my go to now is the Tight Line Extreme from Ice Hopper. It has a nice compact frame that fits nicely in my hand and the gear ratio is perfect for almost all the ice fishing I do. The drag system is smooth. I like to fill mine up with 3lb test, and depending one what lure or technique I am doing will be Fluorocarbon or Mono.

This is for our retail store , we do do a Cyber Monday so watch our Facebook for that.

The items are limited to in stock items and once they are gone they are gone. There will be no Rain Checks.

I have been in your store many of times but for bass fishing and if you guys have half the stuff for ice you do for bass I will be there this winter you guys do a great job for fisherman thanks

I like to think we have more

Heavy Metal Tungsten Jig and a J and S Ice Mite

We had this behind the shop this morning.

I figured out which knot to use with my light line.  Just your standard improved clinch knot worked.  I do have to run the line through the eyelet twice though.  If I run it through once, every knot slipped.  I ran it through twice, and every knot I tied held perfectly.  Since I can tie a clinch knot in my sleep, I think it's what I'll stick with.

I use a Palmar and Sturgeon Loop with the jig tied into the loop.

I've been thinking about buying my spikes or maggots, whatever you want to call them, in bulk this year to save a few bucks.  500 spikes in the $10-15 range just sounds way better than 20 of them for around $3.50 from the bait shop.  So my question is, how to keep them alive?  I know to keep them in the fridge and to add some bedding for them.  But, do I need to feed them at all?

Man that mighty high prices on those little buggers. We sell 1000 counts in the shop here for 12.99 per 1000 for white and all colors.

But to your question, I keep mine at 36 degrees and go through them ever week or two.