Your first shave or your first panfish?
I have shaved at least twice this year already. And I've landed so many 4" panfish over the years, if I knew how to clean such a small lepomis I'd never go hungry.
Way to go Omaha! How was the bite.....many takers?
This was at Bruce's place and it was the first time I've fished the ice there so I can't say whether it was a typical bite or not. This was my first of only two fish caught by myself, but I'm far from an experienced hardwater angler. I did get to experience "sight fishing", which was very cool. And occasionally frustrating. Using your hut to make it dark above a drilled hole, on clear water you can see your jig all the way to the pond bottom. You literally see the fish find your jig. Getting them to take it was a learning experience. I quickly learned what very subtle movements did and what didn't work. Saw an enormous LMB and CC swim right by it and another beautifully colored LMB almost taste it, but ultimately leave me shaking my head wondering what I did wrong. Anyway, we could have gone to a public lake and pulled up our limit of 6" BG, but couldn't pass up Bruce's invite. It paid off for my buddy who pulled up a gorgeous 15" crappie, including other very good fish. So all in all, a very solid first outing of the year. Got to break in some new equipment and learn a little more about this strange style of catching fish.
On another note, this is a unique year for ice for some reason. We had a local kid who nearly lost his life when he fell through the ice on a local lake. It was a unique area of the lake where current created a small pocket of thin ice. He fell through up to his chin and caught his foot on some submerged timber (9 foot depth), enabling him to catch himself on the ice above. The current pushed his feet up so you can imagine what would've happened if his feet hadn't found that timber. I've fished with this young man before, he's got tons of experience even at a young age (senior in high school). Scary to think what could have happened. So stay safe. Stay close to someone and be prepared for anything.
