Gina, Natalie and I spent the weekend at the cabin with Gina's family. Besides being a nice get away in general, it was particularly enjoyable because Gina and I could take a step back from the madness that is our lives right now. For whatever reason, the baby (as I am sure you will hear about in some post in the near future) is taking quite a toll on both Gina (physically) and I (mentally).
Gina spent the weekend in the cabin. It bummed her out not to be out on the ice with us but it was not being able to ride on a snowmobile that really saddened her. She can take or leave fishing. Sarah stayed in with Hailey though so Gina still had a lot of fun.
Beth and Luke did some fishing and Rick was out there a lot, but it was Chris and I that spent the vast majority of Saturday (7am - 1am besides meals) fishing. As a group we caught about 25 crappies. That's an average weekend. I caught six (I typically catch eight to ten keepers).
The highlight of the weekend was when Natalie came out to the ice house with Rick, Chris and I. She spent three hours with us smiling and having fun, never asking to go back to the cabin. I was surprised she enjoyed it as much as she did.
She played with the minnows and held the bigger fish when we caught them. Rick even got Natalie to try and induce the crappies out of the water. After he would jig the line, Natalie would sternly say "bobber down, bobber down" while shaking her finger at the ice hole. It was hilarious.
Natalie was out with us when the most eventful fishing event of the weekend took place as well.
Occasionally, northern pikes strike our crappie bait (even though they are very small minnows). In my six years on the ice I have never had it happen to me. Saturday, three northerns went after my minnows. The first time Rick tried to talk me through it but I failed miserably. Battles with northerns can last up to 30 minutes, mine lasted maybe three before it snapped my line.
Keep in mind it's a small hook, a small pole and extremely small hole you're dealing with so it's not an easy task.
The second time was a lot better. I lasted 10-15 minutes and only a fluke issue with my bobber stopper caused the line to break. Something else could have still happened further along the way but I caught on to what Rick was saying and did a decent job all and all.
By the third time it was old hat (not really but it sounds better to say that). The first two times, the northerns hit while the minnows were at our normal fishing height (about 25 feet). This time, it struck three feet below the ice. I was even able to watch it hit the line as I was sending the minnow down. If I didn't know what I was watching, it would have been a bit spine-chilling to see something that big slide past the hole.
Taking the bait where it did helped a lot because I was twenty feet closer to the hole then the others were.
Even when it would drag my line it never got more then my normal fishing depth away from me. Twenty minutes later I was able to get its head through the eight-inch hole and Rick hooked its gills with the top of an ice scoop.
The northern was 30 inches long and seven pounds.
After a few pictures, I let it go.
Gina spent the weekend in the cabin. It bummed her out not to be out on the ice with us but it was not being able to ride on a snowmobile that really saddened her. She can take or leave fishing. Sarah stayed in with Hailey though so Gina still had a lot of fun.
Beth and Luke did some fishing and Rick was out there a lot, but it was Chris and I that spent the vast majority of Saturday (7am - 1am besides meals) fishing. As a group we caught about 25 crappies. That's an average weekend. I caught six (I typically catch eight to ten keepers).
The highlight of the weekend was when Natalie came out to the ice house with Rick, Chris and I. She spent three hours with us smiling and having fun, never asking to go back to the cabin. I was surprised she enjoyed it as much as she did.
She played with the minnows and held the bigger fish when we caught them. Rick even got Natalie to try and induce the crappies out of the water. After he would jig the line, Natalie would sternly say "bobber down, bobber down" while shaking her finger at the ice hole. It was hilarious.
Natalie was out with us when the most eventful fishing event of the weekend took place as well.
Occasionally, northern pikes strike our crappie bait (even though they are very small minnows). In my six years on the ice I have never had it happen to me. Saturday, three northerns went after my minnows. The first time Rick tried to talk me through it but I failed miserably. Battles with northerns can last up to 30 minutes, mine lasted maybe three before it snapped my line.
Keep in mind it's a small hook, a small pole and extremely small hole you're dealing with so it's not an easy task.
The second time was a lot better. I lasted 10-15 minutes and only a fluke issue with my bobber stopper caused the line to break. Something else could have still happened further along the way but I caught on to what Rick was saying and did a decent job all and all.
By the third time it was old hat (not really but it sounds better to say that). The first two times, the northerns hit while the minnows were at our normal fishing height (about 25 feet). This time, it struck three feet below the ice. I was even able to watch it hit the line as I was sending the minnow down. If I didn't know what I was watching, it would have been a bit spine-chilling to see something that big slide past the hole.
Taking the bait where it did helped a lot because I was twenty feet closer to the hole then the others were.
Even when it would drag my line it never got more then my normal fishing depth away from me. Twenty minutes later I was able to get its head through the eight-inch hole and Rick hooked its gills with the top of an ice scoop.
The northern was 30 inches long and seven pounds.
