Ice Fishing

"We had about 4 inches of ice on the river the day before Christmas, but it's a lot thicker now," said North East resident and avid ice fisherman Herb Benjamin. "We're catching a few yellow perch, an occasional crappie and once in a while, we'll hook up with a legal-size largemouth, but they're kind of scarce this time of year."From Tuesday to Saturday, Benjamin is a full-time barber and tackle-shop owner in North East. This time of year, his days off are spent fishing through the ice at the nearby North East River.

100 Years Ago Yankee Doodle Dandy "Ford's Grand Opera House: Week, February 24th, Cohan and Harris offer, a new satirical comedy, The Children of Today, by Clara Lipman and Samuel Shipman. Representative Company. "Children of Today, a play which will appeal to all classes and to every parent, is a modern satirical comedy full of fun and good sense, entertaining from start to finish. It is by Clara Lipman and Samuel Shipman and produced under the auspices of Messrs Cohan and Harris.

It's the dead of winter, and hundreds of Harford County anglers soonwill be participating in a favored pastime if the weather turns chilly: ice fishing.Instead of casting dry flies to rising Deer Creektrout or plugging for largemouths in the shallow Susquehanna Flats, they'll be enduring brisk weather to catch fish most folks would tossback in midsummer. This dedicated group of individuals looks forwardto January weather.In fact, they're hoping we'll have one of the coldest winters on record.

I love ice fishing, even though in the eyes of most Maryland anglers that makes me two sandwiches short of a picnic lunch. Ten below, driving snow, nose aglow. Bring it on. But - and this is non-negotiable - the ice under the boots must be substantial. Not Titanic-thick. Four, maybe 5 inches of clean, clear frozen water will do. Years ago, my friends at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department suggested testing ice thickness by using a cordless drill and a long, five-eighths-inch wood auger bit to bore a test hole.

I love ice fishing, even though in the eyes of most Maryland anglers that makes me two sandwiches short of a picnic lunch. Ten below, driving snow, nose aglow. Bring it on. But - and this is non-negotiable - the ice under the boots must be substantial. Not Titanic-thick. Four, maybe 5 inches of clean, clear frozen water will do. Years ago, my friends at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department suggested testing ice thickness by using a cordless drill and a long, five-eighths-inch wood auger bit to bore a test hole.

-- ON FISH LAKE, Minn. -- Life is good in here. You've got Mike Zbaracki over in the northeast corner, his brother Bob in the northwest and friend John Wahlsten hunkered between them facing south.Each has a line or two dangling through holes in the ice of Fish Lake.Their fishing shack is toasty. The wood stove is crackling. The radio is playing. There's one walleye freeze-drying in a white pickle pail just outside.Ice-fishing has come again.The Zbarackis and Wahlsten, all from Duluth, Minn.

IN LAST WEEK'S column, I described my January visit to Grand Forks, N.D., and East Grand Forks, Minn., which are also called "The Grand Cities" by about six people who are hoping this name will attract more humans to the area. I went to The Grand Cities because I had poked some good-natured fun at the residents. They responded by good-naturedly inviting me up and formally naming a sewage pumping station after me in a ceremony that will forever remain a vivid memory in my mind, even though I have burned my clothes.

If January's weather patterns continue, Harford County anglers could be enjoying excellent ice-fishing action at Broad .. and Conowingo creeks within the next few weeks.However, before grabbing your fishing tackle and driving to the streams, there are a few things you should know about ice fishing.Northern Maryland is rated as "marginal" when it comes to ice fishing. Although Harford's lakes, ponds and slow-moving streams often are ice-covered during late January and February, it takes nearly four inches of clear, hard ice to support the weight of an average-sized person.

Last week's question What is your favorite winter sport? 18.5 percent Hockey (5 votes) 18.5 percent Tubing (5 votes) 18.5 percent Other (5 votes) 14.8 percent Sledding (4 votes) 11.1 percent Skiing (3 votes) 11.1 percent Snowboarding (3 votes) 7.4 percent Curling (2 votes) 0 percent Ice fishing (0 votes) 27 total votes This week's question Have you kept your New Year's resolutions? I broke them the next day I broke them within the week Of course! Sort of Yes, so far I don't make resolutions Vote at www.sunspot.

Q: I want to learn more about fishing-related collectibles, including lures, rods, reels, fish decoys used for ice fishing and other such items made for the sport or that advertise such items. I have some old lures and tackle but have no idea of their worth. Who can tell me?A: Write to dealer Dan Basore, enclosing a photo or description of the fishing-related items you wish to sell or have appraised, at Historical Fishing Display, 3S375 Herrick Road, Warrenville, Ill. 60555; phone (708) 393-3474.

Last week's question What is your favorite winter sport? 18.5 percent Hockey (5 votes) 18.5 percent Tubing (5 votes) 18.5 percent Other (5 votes) 14.8 percent Sledding (4 votes) 11.1 percent Skiing (3 votes) 11.1 percent Snowboarding (3 votes) 7.4 percent Curling (2 votes) 0 percent Ice fishing (0 votes) 27 total votes This week's question Have you kept your New Year's resolutions? I broke them the next day I broke them within the week Of course! Sort of Yes, so far I don't make resolutions Vote at www.sunspot.

McHENRY - You won't see Harold Hupe on Deep Creek Lake in the summer, but winter is another story. A couple of times a week you can find him working his way around the lake, jigs and tip-ups in hand, looking to land the monster walleye and behemoth perch that the lake is known for. "Just because the lake's frozen doesn't mean you stop fishing," says Hupe, 48, of Lavale. "You get to explore a lot more water than you do when the ice is out." Ice fishing is not a big sport below the Mason-Dixon line.

In an argument before the Massachusetts Supreme Court in 1830, Daniel Webster said, "There's nothing so powerful as truth." A New Hampshire newspaper found that such a compelling statement that it publishes the quote on Page 1 every day. But there's a second part to the quote ... "and often nothing so strange." Here we are, the end of the year. Time to shake out the file folder filled with news oddities, tidbits that didn't fit elsewhere and nuggets that tickled the funny bone. As my good buddy, Sun Eastern Shore correspondent Chris Guy, always says, "We couldn't make this stuff up. It's too good."

IN LAST WEEK'S column, I described my January visit to Grand Forks, N.D., and East Grand Forks, Minn., which are also called "The Grand Cities" by about six people who are hoping this name will attract more humans to the area. I went to The Grand Cities because I had poked some good-natured fun at the residents. They responded by good-naturedly inviting me up and formally naming a sewage pumping station after me in a ceremony that will forever remain a vivid memory in my mind, even though I have burned my clothes.

HANOVER, Pa. -- It was shortly after dawn, and the three men trudged across crusty snow with makeshift sleds piled with fishing gear, onto the frozen surface of Lake Marburg. They cut holes in the ice with gas-powered augers. Dropped baited hooks into the water. Sat on plastic buckets. Hoped a walleye would bite. The wait began. On these waters, time is measured by the movement of shadows. A rise in temperature is heard more than felt -- the warmer the day, the more the ice cracks. "It can get pretty spooky when that ice cracks beneath your feet, especially at night," said Ken Chilcoat, a carpenter with more than a decade of experience in the chilly sport of ice fishing.

"We had about 4 inches of ice on the river the day before Christmas, but it's a lot thicker now," said North East resident and avid ice fisherman Herb Benjamin. "We're catching a few yellow perch, an occasional crappie and once in a while, we'll hook up with a legal-size largemouth, but they're kind of scarce this time of year."From Tuesday to Saturday, Benjamin is a full-time barber and tackle-shop owner in North East. This time of year, his days off are spent fishing through the ice at the nearby North East River.

LAKE MINNETONKA, Minn. -- I want to say just two words about this Super Bowl: ice fishing.We are treading on new ground, although not on thin ice. The ice is about 2 feet thick where I sit, in the middle of what they call an ice house -- which is a zippered tent with a plastic floor nailed into the lake/glacier -- where a couple of friends and I are, yes, ice fishing.No one has ever said the actual words "ice fishing" at a Super Bowl site before. At most Super Bowl locations, you like your ice crushed in, say, a margarita while poolside.

HANOVER, Pa. -- It was shortly after dawn, and the three men trudged across crusty snow with makeshift sleds piled with fishing gear, onto the frozen surface of Lake Marburg. They cut holes in the ice with gas-powered augers. Dropped baited hooks into the water. Sat on plastic buckets. Hoped a walleye would bite. The wait began. On these waters, time is measured by the movement of shadows. A rise in temperature is heard more than felt -- the warmer the day, the more the ice cracks. "It can get pretty spooky when that ice cracks beneath your feet, especially at night," said Ken Chilcoat, a carpenter with more than a decade of experience in the chilly sport of ice fishing.

Bah, humbug. Grumpy? GRUMPY! They call this grumpy?Two doddering old neighbor men spit feeble wisecracks at each other when a beautiful woman moves in next door. Ooo, that makes me mad.Grumpy is . . . when your @! kids awaken you Christmas morning before 10! It's when the mother-in-law expects to be listened to. It's when your wife wants to plan a nice family trip to . . . "The Nutcracker." And the little men inside your head begin their insistent whisper: Grrrr-rrrrr-rrrrrr. That's grumpy.

If January's weather patterns continue, Harford County anglers could be enjoying excellent ice-fishing action at Broad .. and Conowingo creeks within the next few weeks.However, before grabbing your fishing tackle and driving to the streams, there are a few things you should know about ice fishing.Northern Maryland is rated as "marginal" when it comes to ice fishing. Although Harford's lakes, ponds and slow-moving streams often are ice-covered during late January and February, it takes nearly four inches of clear, hard ice to support the weight of an average-sized person.