The fifth hour on the ice led us into conversations I could never
have imagined. Ice fishing has a way of helping to bond friends, cold beer
doesn't hurt either. Sitting in a 7 ft. x 7 ft. popup shack is more
entertaining than one would imagine who's never been. A flag can and will pop
up at any moment, so dozing off isn't a valid option. And being in such close
proximity keeps it lively. If you're on a semi-trafficked lake, other fisherman
will be sure to holler "flag!" from across the lake should they see no
activity from your camp after 60 seconds of a tip-up rising - it's the
neighborly Maine way.
Tending traps keeps a guy fairly busy. If one particular spot
shows more promising fishing than another, we drill holes closer to that area.
Should a certain depth be more successful, we'll adjust our other lines. Hooked
bait also has a way of disappearing via tricky fish and fishing with an empty hook
produces few fish. If nothing is working - we'll adjust everything. If that doesn't
produce fish, we drink more. I can't say that tends to help us haul in large
fish, but the cold at least stay at bay.
Today we throw out 10 traps and test lake depth with a
sounder, hovering our shiners 2 feet off bottom. Our goal is to find a perch school
or a hungry trout. Before an hour's time, we enjoy a nice fight with a handsome
white perch. Hoping this single catch is a promise of future activity, I drill
an additional hole nearby and move my farthest trap to it. Within the
afternoon, we release three white perch as well as haul in three keepers. As we
head home for a small fish fry, I anxiously describe my famous recipe to our
fishing party. Perhaps I'll share it with you soon... Cheers!
Cold-weather fishing setup
L.L. Bean plaid
Waiting....
Satisfaction of completing setup
Bait
Changing out the shiners mid-afternoon
Refrigerator
Maine winter
Freshly scooped out auger hole
Our third flag of the day rocks gently back and forth as a perch waits
Today's catch