2.5 P4 Report

11am quick decision to leave work. Forecast was calm, 1-2″ of snow possible.
Figured…Hey, that’ll be a nice slow peaceful snow. Might as well go to Pool 4.
I arrive at wisconsin channel. Launch. By the time i get out the wisconsin channel I’m ready to head down to and past redwing. 1/4 mile downstream in a full blown blizzard i decide it might be best to head upstream instead.

By the time i get up to the dam area, the water is snow saturated. Depthfinder reading 0 (all the snow pushing under the boat).

I fished until 3:30 when i decided i had better get home. I had scooped out the boat twice already and it was only snowing harder.
Back to the wisconsin channel ramp to find 8″ fresh snow. The slower current in the wisconsin channel was 1-2″ of snow saturation. Amazing how much that slows the boat down. Shovel the landing. Load boat. Shovel boat out again.
Cars going 5mph over the river from RedWing. Get to Hagar City. Clean the windshield and 30-40mph to prescott.
Scary ride back to Prescott on 35. Non plowed roads. J Brake down hills and Speed up hills. Luckily nobody was infront of me so i could go at the right pace to keep on the road…on the hills.

Seen plenty of Non-Tralering Vehicles in the ditch or on their way there! One person was actually stopped dead center of the road on the crest of a hill and getting out of their vehicle.

Get home and back through 12″ of snow to get to my inclined driveway which has 8″ of snow. 2 attempts and I’m in the garage!
Scoop the boat out again.

That was silly!!!!!!!

Now tonight i’ll need to completely clean out the boat and dry everything! Argh i hate fishing in the snow!!

Few more pictures.

I salute you, sir! You are Hardcore!

I take it from the lack of fish photos the actual catching was a bit slow?

Hard Core!

-J.

2.5 P4 Weather* report

Hard core is right, nice work getting home safe. I do not like driving that WI 35 with a boat in the winter.

Good story, Andy. I always learn something from you. “Transducer was reading 0”.

You are THE Animal Andy! LOL!

At first glance I thought one of your photos was a case of Old Milwaukee. And thought…DAMN! That dude is REALLY Hardcore. Then realized it was your cooler.

So….regular Hardcore.

You can fish on days like that just fine on ice….why would you want to out of a boat?

Sooooooo any fish?

Johnie Birkel wrote:

Sooooooo any fish?

I prefer to keep the general public in the dark.

This was 5th or 6th time on P4 since end of November….

Ha, we got caught like that a few years ago in December – snow was supposed to roll in about 7pm but started right after we launched the boat at 1pm. Only got about 3-4 inches that day but the drive back to the metro was hairy for us, too.

Always impressed with your stories and what you’re willing to do to catch fish, keep grinding and stay safe!

Wow,…very hard core. So much more could have gone wrong,…be patient,..they’ll be better days ahead,…!!

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Johnie Birkel wrote:</div>
Sooooooo any fish?

I prefer to keep the general public in the dark.

Me too, now did you catch anything?

Towing a boat on an unplowed WI 35 to Prescott is what nightmares are made of.

dfresh wrote:

Towing a boat on an unplowed WI 35 to Prescott is what nightmares are made of.

You said it.

I was hesitant to go with the forcasted 1-2″

Eelpoutguy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Johnie Birkel wrote:</div>
Sooooooo any fish?

I prefer to keep the general public in the dark.

Me too, now did you catch anything?

Bulldawgs in the propwash tossin snow was the ticket.

Thank you for a open water report.

Ahh, hmm, are you a duck hunter?

Entertaining pics and story!

basseyes wrote:

Ahh, hmm, are you a duck hunter?

Entertaining pics and story!

Thanks.
I do not duck hunt anymore. Grew up hunting private land that was amazing hunting. Moved to Mankato for college and continued to hunt… But quickly got tired of ruined hunts and being shot at. Gave it up by 2008 and gave away my decoys and calls to an IDO kid last summer.

Too much happening in the fall with hunting and fishing. I deer hunt on/off but would rather be in the boat then the woods.. So I try to employ a few friends to fill my freezer for me.
Used to pheasant hunt like crazy too.
I’ll mix in a couple prairie dog hunts in the spring/summer/fall.

eyeguy507 wrote:

You can fish on days like that just fine on ice….why would you want to out of a boat?

Actually I was on the ice not too awful far from him in the same time frame and it was a real PIA. Like him it eventually drove me off the lake.

Had I been in a permanent shack with a snowmobile it might have been different.

You are crazier than me, and that saying something!