This one I kept. It was a sixteen inch Northern Pike. The next day I dipped half of it in whole wheat flour and fried it. That was delicious. I had the other half the next day.
Fish is so much better tasting when it is first caught.
My home-made ice chisel worked well but the holes I cut were at least two feet deep. If you've ever chopped a fish hole you know it was quite an exhausting job, but a great way to burn up cholesterol. It was fun to be outdoors in the peace and quiet on the ice watching and waiting for the bobber to start bobbing, which it eventually did. On Rice Lake I was the only person out there. I took time to observe the cloud formations, the woods around the lake and the flat snow covered lake.