A thought to ponder...

"The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes "sight-seeing."

- Daniel J. Boorstin

2 Days of Ice Fishing

This past weekend 3/10 & 11 was one of the nicest weekends this winter. Perfect to many things in the great outdoors like snowshoeing, snowmobiling, skiing and of course ice fishing. Now, some may think there is a lot of skill involved or even think that its just too damn cold to go sit on a slab of ice in the middle of the lake. Well, not so much the case with this particular weekend. I can say that it is a lot of fun especially when you have a good group of people, sun shining, and maybe even a few cold beverages. Anybody can learn to love this outdoor sport if they don't already...

 

This year my buddy Tom and I, his son and girlfriend made the voyage out with snowmobiles on Flagstaff Lake to find the perfect location for the ice shack. While towing the ice shack I was excited to see what spot we were going to locate this condo on skis. After careful consideration we found the place where it would spend the winter. A priceless view that remains indescribable.

 

So, skip ahead to this past weekend... A bunch of us made the trip out to what has been dubbed "The Love Shack" and couldn't ask for better weather. Warm in the sun and plenty of snow and ice to keep a few brewskis and belly warmers in. Holes were drilled, traps were set and jig poles baited and the fun begins. I can say that as soon as a trap was tripped, someone would scream "FLAG"!! and the foot race was on! The fishing was great! Flags flying and jig poles with plenty of action. Ideally we were fishing for Salmon, but managed to catch plenty of Perch & Pickerel. One Salmon did make it up through the hole, only to be released before I could get a photo of it. Damn Johnny for doing that!

Flag Spotters

Well, little did we know that the biggest excitement of the day was yet to come. After a 30 minute lull in flag action, one popped up. The one trap that was very close to the base camp and fire pit. Now I think we all assumed that another Perch had tripped the flag until Johnny had looked at the spool and yelled "We've got a runner"!! Johnny grabbed the line and the fight was on. Pulling in line with the finesse of a surgeon. Once the head of this fish had appeared through the ice hole, I was shocked as to the size! It was soon realized that we were looking at a Brook Trout! A rare find in Flagstaff Lake!

 

20", 3.5lb Male Brook Trout held by Johnny Campbell

The point of all this is simple. There is no dress code, no stress, good friends, better drinks and good food. If you already ice fish, you can completely understand. If you don't, find someone who does and go for the experience!

 

"Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers."

~ Herbert Hoover

 

 

Will Schnorr

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