In the third episode of season eight Jeff and Jason talk about the latest trends in ice augers. Yes, we have covered these before but in the very first episode of the podcast, so we thought it was time for a update.

For more information about the Hard Water Fishing Show check out https://www.hardwatershow.com/

On this episode of the Hard Water Fishing Show Jeff and Jason talk about the new portable ice shacks for the 2024 ice fishing season. We also cover our goals for the ice fishing season.

On this episode on the Hard Water Fishing Show we talk about upgrading your ice gear.

In this first episode of season 7 of the Hard Water Fishing Show Ole joins to talk about shuttles for forward facing sonar.

In the last episode of season 6 North Woods Dave and Ole join the show to reflect on the ice fishing season.

On this episode of the Hard Water Fishing Show we welcome back with Curt Quesnell.  Curt is a fishing guide with NCOR guide service, longtime radio host and all around awesome fisherman.  We talk about the highlights from the season, and fishing with a hummingbird forward facing sonar.

On this episode of the hard water fishing show Jeff & Jason are joined by Ben Blegen and Nick Schertz from the USA Ice fishing team.  For more information go to https://www.usangling.org/  We also catch up about our Lake of the Woods trip from early March

On this episode of the hard water fishing show Jeff and Jason go live on Facebook for the first time.  Brother Matt joins the show live, ice fishing from a undisclosed lake in northern Minnesota.   You can find the video version of the episode on Facebook here https://fb.watch/i_viueSfNR/

In this episode of the Hard Water Fishing Show Jeff & Jason talk about minnows. When to use them and what fish to target.

In this episode of the Hard Water Fishing Show we talk about tip ups & downs. Steve Olson from Ice Hole Heaters is on to talk about stopping your ice hole from freezing up.

In this episode of the Hard Water Fishing Show Jason finds squishy ice conditions. Jeff fishes Mille Lacs Lake.  Listener Spencer has a legend of ice fishing on a sunny day.

Jason Mitchell from Jason Mitchell Outdoors joins the show to talk about ice fishing.   For more information on Jason Mitchell Outdoors go to https://www.jasonmitchelloutdoors.com/

Jeff and Jason talk about the upcoming podcast and ice fishing season and ice fishing Lake Winnibigoshish at the end of last season.

Support the show by becoming a Patron https://www.patreon.com/hardwatershow 

Find us  on social media  

• Instagram and Facebook
• On X @hardwatershow
• Tiktok at @hwfs17
• Threads  @hardwatershow
• Find our website hardwatershow.com  
• Find us on  YouTube   @hardwatershow
• You can email us at hardwatershow@gmail.com
• Link Tree https://linktr.ee/hwfs 

In this episode of the Hard Water Fishing Show Jeff catches some nice sunfish and Ole fishes Leech Lake recorded live.

Jason fishes early ice at Red Lake,  Jeff fishes Mille Lacs and we interview Ryan about the St. Paul Ice Fishing Show.

Jenny Anderson, Girl of 10,000 Lakes joins the show to talk about ice fishing and her ice fishing book 123 Ice Fishing. You can find the book on her web site 123icefishing.com , and use the code HWFS for 15% off

In this episode we go back to the buffet for seconds and thirds.  Jeff attended the Hard Water Ice Fishing Expo and went to some seminars.  Also we take a few listener questions. Julie Henson shares a ice fishing legend of ice fishing as a kid and catching a big walleye.

In this episode Jeff and Jason cover Ice fishing safety, and have award winning ice shack customizer Jay Peterson.

Guest Matthew from Amped Outdoors talks about the benefits of using lithium batteries to keep your electronics running longer on the ice

In this episode of the Hard Water Fishing Show Jeff and Jason talk about the latest trends in portable hub and flip over ice fishing shacks.  Jeff asks if you toot like a train whistle or bark like a husky dog when participating in a snow dog train.  Jason wonders if we are shaped like pillows or kegs. A legend from red lake long ago is told.

Jon from from Nailed It Builds reviews his custom ice sled builds

In the first episode of season six we cover our summer fishing, and take a deep dive into the electrifying world of bow mount trolling motors.

In the final episode of season five of the hard water fishing show we talk about our Fish Donkey tournament winners and ice fishing out of a snow bear. We also have a on site wrap up of the 22nd annual Hard Water Invitational from the shores of Devils Lake.

Jeff and Jason wrap up season the short 2023-2024 ice fishing season and season seven of the hard water fishing show. We talk about a ice fishing trip to Devils Lake hosted by Dakota Sunset Resort https://bit.ly/3NSeeBK.

In this episode Jeff and Jason attend the Hard Water Freaks annual ice event and record live.  We four guests join us from the event Max from Hard Water Freaks, Caleb from Fishing For the Heart Meagan from Casting Queens and Robert from DryHootch.

In this episode of the hard water fishing show Jeff and Jason talk about sunfish identification and minnow hooking tactics.

On this episode of the Hard Water Fishing Show we talk to Roger Houck about yellow perch fishing in upstate New York.  You can find more information about Roger and Roger’s Rigs on his website https://bit.ly/3fJVCCz He is also on Youtube https://bit.ly/3IqFwKl

Jeff and Jason talk to Brian ”Bro” Brosdahl about all things ice fishing. For more information about Bro check out his website https://brosguideservice.com/

Jeff and Jason talk about recent ice fishing trips to Lake of the Woods and Mille Lacs Lake. It is the first week of January 2022.   Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report Jeff was fishing out of the Red Door Resort  on Mille Lacs Lake.  Walked out to the first break and caught some walleyes and perch.   I was fishing out of my one man Frabill Recon 100 ice shack.  Its super tiny but just big enough for me to fish out of and super light to walk out with.  I have no seat so I use one of those tripod chairs.  Not everyone likes them but I find them superior to bag chairs where you sit to low. I can fish out of them for hours.  This is not the one I have but its similar https://amzn.to/3JTnMsA   For Presentation I used a few different lures. I was using a perch talker 1/4 oz drop chain with glow pink and white.  You can find a three pack here.  https://amzn.to/3n4eAIa . This lure got bit off on a big fish and I only had one.  Still searching for a replacement.  That is why I always buy two of them incase you loose one or to lend to Jason.  I also used a glow spoon, I have talked to a few anglers that have had success with these.  They work even if your glow stick is not glowing anymore.  I would go for the green and gold ones.    https://amzn.to/3zvdKJy https://amzn.to/3JOdf24 And get some extra glow sticks too. I prefer the red glow sticks https://amzn.to/3G79a6T red seems to work the best for me.   I am running 6lb Trilene fluorocarbon line https://amzn.to/3q3EEFh  This stuff is a bit stiff and can have some memory, but I have been told it superior. I switch back and forth between this and mono. I have a ant swivel https://amzn.to/3f5nPn7 on this to take the twist out.  Also running a quick clip https://amzn.to/3qVH4oF  from northland to switch lures super easy.  For location I was fishing on break from shallow to deep with a rocky bottom in about 19 feet of water.   Lake of the Woods Fishing Report Jason was fishing lake of the woods on the Canada side, and had a ton of success.  He ran into some rod issues because he was using the wrong action rod for the target species of walleye.  He was running a medium light rod from St. Croix.  Because it was to light it did not have the backbone to get the fish through the hole.  Also it was not giving him the action on his lures he was looking for because the tip of his rod was to quick.  He will be looking for a new rod very soon with medium action when targeting walleyes.   For Lures he used a few different ones but found that the VMC Rocker spoon really worked well.  https://amzn.to/3t8F1R0 .  He also found success with a red buckshot https://amzn.to/3G6iqbm and of course the go to glow perch buck shot https://amzn.to/3n8JhvY    Legend Last week I forgot my bibs when I went ice fishing.  This caused me to have to drive 45 minutes to Brainerd to find something to wear the next day for ice fishing.  It was an adventure for sure.

We talk to Max from Strike and Catch learning about the ice fishing culture in Sweden

In this episode of the Hard Water Fishing Show Jeff gets out on first and and we talk to Ericka Blegen from Women Anglers of Minnesota (WAM) about there upcoming ice queen fishing tournament.  You can find there website here https://bit.ly/3JbjDAb for more information.

Jeff and Jason attend the big one, the St. Paul Ice Fishing Show.  We meet up with A few listeners and friends and have a great time looking at all the latest ice fishing gear and gadgets.   Beer The Statement of Purpose Martin House Brewing - A Peanut Butter Golden Stout https://bit.ly/3Ir8kDk  Turkey Mountain Ale from the mountains of Iowa - Jason is drinking a home brew qualifies as an old man beer   Patrons Chris moved up to the Legend status, so will be sending him out a hat.  Thanks for your support Chris.  A zoom meeting will be coming up soon for our patrons.  We also talk to about how to get discord on your phone.  Here patrons can chat about ice fishing.  We ran into Leo a patron on the second  floor at the ice fishing show.  Its always great to meet our patrons in person.  We tried to meet some other patrons at the show but were not able to connect.   Show Business Please use our Amazon Affiliate link https://amzn.to/3BBw6YN , its a free way to support the show Swag - You can find shirts and hats with our log here  https://Hardwatershow.com/merch The best places to interact with us on social media  Instagram and Facebook Find our website hardwatershow.com   We have a YouTube page where our videos are posted You can email us at hardwatershow@gmail.com We ready everything, even if it does not make it on the show! Listeners News / Current Events Aaron G Sent in a picture of his new HFS sweatshirt, thanks for purchasing one. Kris ZCooler Case for your Camera https://bit.ly/3DCpHgW   Screen is in the lid and he has a direction finder to show what way his camera is going.  Different than a panner. Unsure why this is better than a case but I suppose its kinda cool?  Love that its home made Tri-pod Camera Mount He put his Marcum 5+ camera https://amzn.to/3pCHlvX   on a tripod at amazon https://amzn.to/3Gq05Wn  and used a Marcum camera compass https://bit.ly/3dwtJgn   to control the direction of the camera. He said it works really well.  My brother in law used a similar setup last year.    Calibrate your Ice Chisel Jason talks about how to calibrate your ice chisel as you gage the amount of ice on the lake. Things such as your arm strength and chisel or spud bar type can affect how thick you are testing the ice.   As always there is no safe ice and be careful early season.     Tim Asks About Minnows When do you use a full minnow, head vs cut off the tail.  Charlie says to cut the tail off if your minnow is to active.  If the fish are finnicky use a fish head to get the fish to bite the hook.  Jeff has used minnow heads less than tails.  Jason says minnow heads and Cheetos are a bad combination.  Start with a whole minnow, if that is not working then switch to a minnow head or tail.  If your bait is getting stolen then move to minnow heads.     Q: Critical things to increase your odds on the ice A: Hope and Prayers   Check out hard water freaks for there big event Saturday January 29th. Looks like a great time and we would love to go.  https://bit.ly/3rL9G69    Topic - St. Paul Ice Fishing Show Jeff and Jason get together in person since last ice in March 2020.   Ran into Joe Ole and Original Ole.  Who is the OG Ole we just don't know. Ran into Brian from the short rod show, Corey a Patron and Brian from Red Door Resort. Its like a big family reunion.     Fish Daddy LED Spoons https://bit.ly/3IvJvWV  We are going to try these out, why they could be better than the snap glow jigs   Wallace Decoys https://bit.ly/3lNHjQT  Jason's wow moment was Wallace Decoys, he makes incredible works of art.  Jeff's favorite was the sun fish.     Ice Spy by Winter Recreation Tech https://bit.ly/3lOwH45  Its a righteous  buoy, it freezes into a lake and uses cell or satellite signal as the ice freezes to say how thick the ice is.     Eskimo Outbreak 650XD https://amzn.to/3oACY5d  The one with the full door.  Brother Matt explains that people are not he shape of triangles so doors should not be that shape.  This ice shack is a hub sh

Jeff and Jason discuss buying a used portable ice shack.  You can often find something really good for a fraction of the price of a new shack.

In this episode of the hard water fishing show Jeff and Jason talk to Colby Sabutis, who is a ice fishing guide based in New Hampshire and Vermont.

In this episode of the Hard Water Fishing Show Jeff and Jason talk about ice fishing Mille Lacs in Minnesota and Iowa.

In this episode of the hard water fishing show Jeff and Jason talk about ice rod trends.   - Jason tells a story about the time the bait bucket iced up the fishing rods.  - Don't put your leaky bucket next to your reels. Jeff wants to figure out how to be a beer can story writer.  - We are looking for a future guest who is a professional beer can story writer. - Jeff Sings (prepare yourself) Real men of Genius, Mr. Beer Can Story Writer!   Beer Jason admits that bud light is not an old man beer, but totally redeems himself by cracking open an American classic born in the land of the sky blue waters, a Hamm's.  Jason pairs his Hamm's with an iced oatmeal cookie from his custom built iced oatmeal cookie dispenser.  [put iced oatmeal cookie picture here]   Jeff is drinking a Kid Kölsch from New Glarus Brewing  https://newglarusbrewing.com/beers/ourbeers/beer/kid-klsch.  It is a great beer from Wisconsin.  Gear Flame King Heaters https://amzn.to/3kNWEjN   Few More Details on the flame King Heaters - They are a little more expensive and weigh a bit more.   - It comes with a thermostat vs low, medium or High.   - Buy one and give us a review, we would like to learn more about this heater.   Buddy Flex Heater - It has surround heat because of the shape - Is said to be less sensitive to bumping than the buddy heater - Has an accessory to put a cooker on the side, Jason is skeptical if its a good thing.    - Buy one and give us a review, we would like to learn more about this heater.   Super Capacitor ( Not Flux Capacitor) https://amzn.to/3coztIm - Used to start your car from a low battery.   - Not for time travel - Could be better than a jump pack.  - Will it work at -30 we are not sure - Never tried this but would like someone to and see how it works out on the ice or in the cold.   Versa Auger Carrier https://icerunnerhouses.com/versa-auger-carrier/  - something to carry your auger outside of your ice shack on your snowmobile or ATV. - having quick access to your auger makes you more mobile.    Mudhole.com - rod building supplies https://mudhole.com/  A place to get everything you need for ice fishing.  ( no we are not sponsored, just a cool site)    Ice Fishing Rod Trends We go in depth in ice fishing rods, we go down the rabbit hole.  Ten pages of notes to talk about ice fishing rods, so buckle up. Action Blank Type Seat Eyelets Grip Guides  Length - Weight is a big deal in a rod - bent handle rods are not talked about here, maybe called the duck Action From Overton's https://blog.overtons.com/fishing/how-to-choose-perfect-ice-fishing-rod  Ultra-fast action: Rod bends only at the tip Fast-action: Rod bends only at the tip Medium-action: Rod bends to the middle of the blank Slow action: Rod bends to the bottom of the handle Rod Blank Fiberglass and Graphite are the two main options.  Graphite is more popular and sensitive, but fiberglass still has a place in the ice fishing world.  One of the main benefits of fiberglass is they are more durable than graphite, and you will have less broken rods. Jason compares rod quality to 100% orange juice and 5% juice. Pay attention to the action of the rod and not just the price. If you get a cheap combo that is slow action you are going to struggle.   The action of the rod is more important than what it is made of at lower price points. We both agree that buying rods and reels separate is better than combos generally. Seat  Jeff and Jason both agree that bands do not hold your reel on your rod.  If you get a reel the best way to wrap your reel with electrical table then put the reel on and they put another layer electrical tape.  That way you don't damage your cork.  Low end rods typically come with a seat, high end rods do not.  Eyelets/Guides Jason pays attention to the first guide, if its to small it freezes up. Having two different rods one for outside with bigger guides and smaller guides for inside.   Heated Eyelets vs Not Jason found a patent for heated eyelets on a ice fish

In this episode of the hard water fishing show we talk to North Woods Dave from Nunya lake about his custom wheel house build.  Its green and its green.  Jason tries to tell us that bud light is a old man beer, and fails. Jason east a ice oatmeal cookie from the iced oatmeal cookie dispenser and does not die.      Listener Questions In reader questions Jason decides that Steele Reserve is the best tall boy gas station beer.  And we decide that you can go from couch to ice fishing for less than the price of a video game.   Gear Clam Lock Hub Accessories Clam Lock Accessories for your hub shack.  You put an adapter on your clam, and put this rod holder or cup holder.  This can be a problem in a hub when the hole is slushy. I saw these used to mount accessories on a snow dog also. The price of these seemed pretty reasonable.  These can be used on your hub shack or anywhere you can mount them for accessories in your shack.  https://amzn.to/3k70sfF https://amzn.to/3GKj9Qd HIT Lures A small custom lure maker of plastics. They have many colors and are scent infused.  I thought they look like a caterpillar, but you have to break each one and use on a tungsten jig. https://www.facebook.com/groups/hitlures   Arctic Anchor Rescue your ATV when it goes through the ice https://arcticanchor.com/ .  Jason Reminds our listeners to put something over the top of the line when winching, for safety to keep it from snapping back at the vehicle.  Matts Off Road Recovery Rope Here is the Matt's off road recovery rope we spoke about, its a great Youtube channel and a great way to get unstuck https://mattsoffroadrecovery.com/collections/recovery-gear/products/matts-recovery-rope  Buddy Flex Heater We have not tried this, but you can cook and heat your shack.  I like other buddy products.  Tell us if you like it. https://amzn.to/3BFUqbP    Topic - The 2000 yard ice shack Green Shack North woods Dave sheds some light on building his custom wheel house, from purchasing a donor ice shack, modifying the frame and building it back up to  a functional wheel house.  He was able to upcycle and build this for much less than the cost of a new ice castle.  Prior to the build Dave had a converted camper that sat 12 feet ooops I mean 12 inches off the ice and put plywood around the shack.  But he needed an upgrade.    The projected started with a dilapidated ice shack on Facebook for sale.    The ice house was junk, the walls were rotten but the frame was decent.  The shack had good bones, spine or feet to build on.   Tore the shack down to the frame and converted it from a 8x18 to a 6x14 to save weight and meet his needs.  The weight savings will enable it to be pulled by a wheeler on skinny ice. After the frame was in place the base was built with green treat plywood, The floor is screwed and glued.  On top of the plywood is recycled/upcycled 2x2 carpet squares and carpet that was "borrowed" for the flooring.  Jeff questioned the choice of carpet, as he prefers rubber floor.  But the carpet was free and also worries about a slick floor with vinyl.  The walls were made of 2x3 they are the goldilocks of studs. 2x4 was to heavy, 2x2 was to light so 2x3 were perfect.  If he was Ole he would have used steel studs.  Windows are sliders on all sides so see your tip-ups.  The exterior is made of steel siding for a pole barn.  The door is a regular exterior house door. The shack is wired to run 12 volt or 120 for tv's.    The insulation was made of spray foam, that gives up to 60 percent more rigidity to the shack. The foam also does not suck up moisture.  Dave does not want to test if it floats. The inside was finished with cedar that was recycled from a porch found on Facebook. Cedar was used because it does not shrink and expand Also built was a tow dolly to tow the rig behind a four wheeler during early ice. Heat is provided by a vent less heater.    Things to remember - layout is really important, make sure to get that right and plan ahead.   Legend A leg

Its the first episode of Season 5.  In this episode Jason gets in the ice fishing mood with a PBR (Old Man Beer) and iced oatmeal cookies.  Jeff talks about the tungsten era, and gear Jeff remembered.  Jason is waiting to become cool again. Jason goes to a wedding in an ice suit.    We talk about some new ice fishing gear for the 2021 season and also talk about future episodes for the season.  Jeff tells the legend of the boat launch.   Here are some links to the gear we spoke about  Original Daredevel Spoon  https://amzn.to/3wf4V52 Jay Rope https://www.facebook.com/JayRopetotheRescue/ Clam Look out https://amzn.to/2Y59hyO  Clam Ribbon Leech Spoon https://amzn.to/3jXvk2g  Frabil VYPR tip up with aerator https://amzn.to/3w7aLoK

In the final episode of season 4 of the Hard Water Fishing Show. Jason goes Ice sailing. Jeff wins the crappiest fisherman award. North Woods Dave and Ole join to recap the ice season, and the 22nd annual Hard Water Invitational

In this episode of the Hard Water Fishing Show Jeff and Jason talk to Ben and Brett "Cat Daddy" from the Short Rod Show Podcast.

In this episode Jason talks about his experience Ice Fishing and Winter Camping in the Boundary Water Canoe Area (BWCA), Jeff and North Woods Dave fish Mille Lacs in the last weekend of Walleye season in Minnesota.

In this episode of the Hard Water Fishing Show we talk to Ken Hirschman about building an track machine at home, and why its better than a snowmobile, 4-wheeler or UTC for ice fishing.

In this episode of the Hard Water Fishing Show Jason checks out ZOINKS! Ron talks about he ice road to the North West Angle Dave changes his lure Gear Fire House tip up, works in -30 degree weather.  https://amzn.to/3aQe2yw Fire House tip up, portable.  This is great for storage, but you will need a thermal to keep the ice hole from freezing over. https://amzn.to/3tPq1Fs  Glow Perch Buck Shot, the go to lure for the hard water show on lake of the woods.  https://amzn.to/3jLmVNZ Strike Master 40v Auger, with a 10'' chipper blade works great in my ice house. The 8'' is nice and portable. https://amzn.to/3rDaBCi

In this episode of the Hard Water Fishing Show. We are excited to have Kathy Olson on the show to talk about ice fishing. Jeff gives a fish CPR.Jason fishes with minnow bacon.Jason goes winter camping.

In this episode Jeff and Jason talk about ice fishing lake of the woods. And a interview with lake of the woods walleye guide Curt Quesnell.

On this episode we have painter, muralist, graphic designer and Minnesota DNR Fisheries Technician Hannah Onema.  You can find all of her art here https://www.hannahanemaart.com/

On this episode of the Hard Water Fishing Show Jeff talks about ice fishing Minnetonka and Mille Lacs. Jason talks about ice fishing Iowa lakes. Timmy Hall talks about his custom rods and Fishing ice fishing in Pennsylvania

In this episode everyone gets out on the ice for the first time and a legend from Nunya lake.

In this episode we have Charlie Darmer on the show.  He talks about tips for catching walleyes and sings "Northern Country Man" from his album Drilling Holes.

In this episode Jeff and Jason talk to North Woods Dave about ice fishing.