Quote Originally Posted by Bigskyfisherman View Post
Hello, Nodisco.

Yes, I have fished the tube all winter. There have been times that we have used a big hammer to break a path through 2-3 inches of ice in order to get out to open water. When people drive by or ride their bikes on the dam, they will say (not knowing how well sound carries across the water): "Look at that idiot out there." And I always say: "That's what my wife calls me."
When the water is really cold, the crappie are usually at 30-36 feet. In the 80's, I would catch and release 70 quality fish before going to my 9:30 shift. The last two years, creeping geezerism has cut down on the number of winter trips in the tube.
In spite of several layers of clothing and some thinsulate, a trip to the bank is necessary every 45 minutes or so, even if you didn't have a cup of coffee or anything else to drink before hitting the lake.
ps Tubing high mountain lakes in Montana is also a very cold water experience.
Thanks.

I don't want to further derail this thread, so I may start a related thread in the "Kayak, canoe ..." forum.