Ice Fishing the Cabin

So, last weekend was the “kick off” for my ice season. My wife, a family friend and I went up to the cabin to fish. It is up by Fergus Falls, MN, one of my homes away from home. We went to catch Crappie but caught a few bonuses and made memories.

I had been on the ice before last weekend, but only for a few hours. The first time was for Thanksgiving weekend and the second was in Menomonie, WI. Both produced fish, though, that is for another story.

It was Saturday morning. I had woken up at 7am with the excitement for Paul to come pick my wife and I up. See Paul had just gotten a new Dodge Ram and we got to go up in that. It was very comfortable as we made our way up, telling all the fishing stories we had all had years past.

We got up to the cabin at about 1030-11 AM. We unpacked all the things not needed for fishing and turned the heat on in the cabin. After getting a few things situated we were off to fish!

One of the neighbors was kind enough to plow a road out to the “Crappie” spot. So we took that out, though it was still to early for Crappies. We decided to fish in the bay in front of our cabin. We set up four Beaver Dam and 2 Frabill tip ups. We were going to give it until 230 and then go head to the Crappie spot. At about 130 we all started to get hungry, so we started to make sandwiches. Now keep in mind we have not had a flag go up yet. Then it happened as we were all huddled by the tail gate of the truck. “Tip up UP!!!” I yell, and start to run ( it just happened to be my Tip up.) I get to it, lift it up slow, and set the hook. I feel the tug and know the fish is on. It fights for a bit and I get it out of the hole. It’s a Large mouth bass. First fish of the day, and we haven’t even finished lunch yet!

After that we have a few more flags go up, but miss the fish. It becomes 230 and we pack up and go to the evening bite spot.

We drop all the gear off and my wife and Paul bring the dogs back to the cabin. As they do that, I stay and set up. I use my Auger and drill three holes for where the Ice house will sit, and one out side for a Tip up to be placed. I rig the Tip up with a BlueTipz transducer.

My wife and Paul get back just as I am finishing up and we start the fishing (again). With the heater going and the hum of 2 Flashers going, the Alarm goes off for the Tip up. I run out, set the hook and pull up a nice 20″ Pike. I end up bringing the whole rig back so I can concentrate on the Crappie bite.

For the next 2 hours it was non stop fish. Sizes any where from 9″-14″. We ended up with a Three person limit and released a bunch back.

The success to our fishing was planing and equipment that we used. We all used a 13 fishing rod and reel combo. The rest:

• Moon jigs
• Venom floats
• Tiger eye glass jigs
• Fireline micro ice

• Crappie minnows

After our fun catching, we went back to the cabin. We filleted all our fish and divided them into ziplocks. As we finished cleaning we popped some Frozen pizzas in the oven and had a happy hour. Some of the neighbors came over and we all talked and laughed at the night of fishing we just had. It is, and always be, the place for some of the greatest memories.

Fishing Buddy Cooler

After a successful 2018 WI opener in the books, I have to tell you about a new product I used. It’s called The Fishing Buddy Cooler and it works very well! What it is is a cooler specifically designed for your worms or leaches. It comes with 2 reusable ice packs that your form on the inside of the foam cooler, then you place the black insert inside. You can do it either way, dump the worms in the insert or put the whole container in there. I ended up putting the container in it. The ice packs keep the worms cool and lively! The insert also has a cutting area which works out great! Another cool thing about having the ice packs is, when you are done fishing for the day you can take the inserts out and put them with the fish in a bucket to keep them “on ice”. I would suggest this product for any one! I used a lot this weekend shore fishing for Brown trout, Brook trout, and Smallmouth bass. So make sure you go Order one for yourself!

Getting ready for the first opener!

The WI Opener is this Saturday the 5th! This week I will be putting New line on my ultra-lite rod. Going for trout I like to use a light line around 3-4 lb. test. This, with a smaller rod makes it easier to fish tight spots. I make sure I have a Clear bobber and plent of plain Hook in a size 4, this way the hook won’t get to far in the fish’s mouth and makes for an easier set. This year I will be using the Fishing Buddy Cooler to put my worms in. (Make sure to follow to get the full review on this, early next week!) I bring my waders, and rubber boots to walk around in the water. Usually I’ll wear a hoodie or a medium weight jacket for the morning chill. A bucket with ice and pop and I’m good to go!