Fun Ice Fishing Stories

I’m looking to kill some time at work during this holiday week… Anyone have any good ice fishing stories that has happened to them?

I’ll start. Last year I had my college buddies come out for a weekend of ice fishing. I was the only seasoned ice fisherman in the group of 7 or 8. There was one other guy that knew enough to help set lines and everything. Needless to say, there was plenty of adult beverages being consumed this weekend, which I knew would be the case as most are not diehard fisherman and we don’t see each other often.

Around primetime all hell breaks loose. And by that I mean 2 walleyes were caught. LOL. A third bobber went down but my buddy didn’t notice it and he didn’t have his bail open… so the fish dragged the rod right down the hole with him. By the time we noticed, it was too late. Luckily it was a cheapo backup to the backup rod. About an hour later, my other buddies bobber went down and he was on it. Set the hook and brought the fish in no problem.. except there was another line/hook in this fishes mouth. Dragging up behind that fish was our other rod still attached. The weight of the rod/reel on the bottom of the lake prevented the fish from completely swimming away. The cackling that ensued I will never forget. A good time was had by all and that is the most memorable 15 inch walleye “I” will probably ever catch.

A lot of stories ranging from similar to way out in left field. Really the reason ice fishing is my favorite!

years ago, my uncle went on the ice by himself with bald tires on the truck. it was nearly snow free and he was just spinning. he put it in drive to just give a little push and there went the truck as he slipped and fell to the ground! it slowed down on a tree across the lake

Last year. One of the biggest crappies I ever caught stolen by an eagle 20 feet from me. He had three fish to choose from so of course he took the hawg. He glided in while my back was turned.
I had thought of taking a pic but my phone was in the truck so I figured I would do it later…
A week or so later I took a friend there and he tried it again. We waved him off and put all of our catch under the tailgate of my truck. I almost always leave a fish or two if eagles are present but come on!

This will be a great thread!

A friend of mine was having a late “family” Christmas. My friends daughter brought her friend & husband up from Florida. Neither had ever been to MN, let alone in the winter. My buddy asked if I would be willing to take him and this Florida guy (Jeff) out ice fishing in my skid house on MilleLacs. I obliged and the only day that worked was a Sunday.

So that Sunday morning, mind you it was a horribly cold windy day. I believe it was -28 when we met up. We met up about 530am & threw a little gear in my truck & we drove the half hour to the lake. Clueless Jeff about lost his marbles when he realized we were driving right next to the dock at Appeldoorn’s on our way out on the lake. I thought he was going to crawl right through the windshield!!! No Joke!! I stopped so he could get out & see we were on the ice for himself. He almost didn’t get back in the truck!

He was dumbfounded about driving on the frozen water. It was something that just didn’t make sense to a lifelong Floridian. All in all it was a great few hours BSing with him once he warmed up. Even got his first Walleye ever!

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Used to do a fishing trip with my college buddies, most of whom would be considered 612ers/Cidiots. Well a couple of them were adamant that they would not ride in a truck driving on ice, so they rode on the tailgate. It was late January on Mille Lacs and there was a solid hard pack snow on top of the ice, and we were loaded up like the Clampetts. Eventually we broke thru the 4″ of hard pack snow, and by the time we realized we were stuck and got out of the cab, the two guys were about a 1/4 of a mile away and still running!

Usually take a trip with some buddies from the east coast, first year we were at the cabin and those guys probably drilled 200 holes they thought the auger was about as much fun as you could have with your clothes on.

I’ll take “being dragged behind a grizzly on a ski-couch with Mr.Beads for 500”, Alex.

My now neighbor was on LOTW many moons ago and after a night of hard partying was sitting in his fish house the next morning when the ice cracked right through the house he was sitting in. Witnesses report the door of his house flew open and he belly flopped onto the ice and started dog paddling furiously. I think those witnesses are still laughing.

My Father had an encounter with a muskrat while spearing years ago. Apparently they fly right up through the spear hole into the house looking for air. This is exactly what happened. My Father speared the muskrat, kicked the door open, and came running out onto the ice with that thing on it. It wasn’t a fatal blow though and muskrats are tough cookies. Well he finally got it off the spear and gave it a good kick across the ice. He started heading back to his house and turned around to see the wounded, bleeding muskrat coming at him, looking for revenge! A fatal blow to the neck with the spear ended that lol

A few years ago the ice was getting off to a terrible start, was thinking I was not going to get to go fishing. But a cold snap hit before Xmas and a friend and I decided to walk out at Garrison even though it was going to be 30 below with no wind. As soon as we got the hub house set up and the heater going, a fog formed in the house that was so thick we couldn’t even fish. I can only assume it occurred because of the huge temperature change, but it took a good 5 minutes to burn off. Had a good laugh and started fishing.

About an hour into our fishing, the loudest rumble and shaking started to happen. I’ve never been in an earthquake before, but it was bad enough that we nearly fell out of our seats. I stood up into a crouch position ready to jump to safety in whichever direction I can, because I figure we’re going in. I look over at my buddy, and he is kung fu gripping the hub house….thinking this is going to save him. The shaking/rumbling went on for probably only 5-10 seconds but it felt like an hour. After all calms down, we go out and look around figuring we’re going to see the biggest crack or a mountainous heave. Nothing. Blue bird skies, could see for miles, nothing. To this day I still don’t know what caused that. Still haven’t told my wife that story either.

Didn’t happen to me but to a friend.

Happened when he was maybe 13. He and his dad were out in their permanent and had some tip ups set up as well. A flag went up and my buddy ran out to check it. No luck. His dad was watching him from the fish house as the kid set the tip up. As he was setting it up, his dad heard the ice boom. He watched as a pressure crack went flying across the ice, right between my buddy’s knees.

His dad told me this story, through tears of laughter, while reminiscing about watching this kid pretty much poop his pants. He’s pretty sure my buddy threw that tip up like Uncle Rico trying to get out of there!

A few years ago me and a buddy rented a castle from Red Lake Ice Cabins and they had it out on really early ice, they were touch and go if we could use it, but said it was a go. We made the trip up and meet him at the shore. He took us out in his Ranger and dropped us off at the house and said call if we needed anything but not to venture out from the house to far. We were on less than 9 inches of ice. Fishing was lights out, finally after needing some sleep for the drive home in the morning I pulled up most of the rattle reels and fell asleep, woke up to the lake cracking like crazy, I investigated but knew it was just making ice. Still hard to sleep though, my buddy slept through most of it, then a really loud one happened I woke up to watch my buddy jump out of bed and dash for the door. I thought he was gonna make a run for it, but turned and looked at me and I said its been doing that for hours, go back to bed. Needless to say he did not sleep another wink. I will never forget the look on his face.

Years ago (probably mid-80’s) when I was probably 7 or 8 yrs old my dad took me on a small metro lake…can’t even recall what the name is. We were fishing old school…hand auger, buckets, using the car as a windbreak, etc. But, we got on a great pannie bite.

Fast forward a year later and we head back out there. Have the lake totally to ourselves but couldn’t buy a bite. Neighbor guy walks out and asks what we’re doing. Then proceeds to tell us the lake was killed off by the DNR that summer due to some bacteria. There was a huge sign at the launch that we drove right by.

404 ERROR wrote:

I’ll take “being dragged behind a grizzly on a ski-couch with Mr.Beads for 500”, Alex.

Now that’s my kinda party. Not the kind when u guys buried me in the snow while I napped next to my tip up.on the rainy river But hey. That climate suit is warm

Couch being dragged around is pretty commonplace at the Leech Lake Eelpout festival. Craziest party I’ve ever seen.

We were in a sleeper on lotw last year and we might have been out the first week they had sleepers out. We were only about 200 yards from a pressure ridge and that thing growled and popped something fierce for the first day/night and made it hard to sleep. The second day it was calm and hours went by without any noise at all. About 7 or 8 pm came along and we were putting the kids in pajamas when a huge rumbler hit. I swear the house dropped a foot and shifted side to side several feet. Stuff clattered down from the walls and we felt several “waves” go by beneath the ice sheet as it settled down. I looked at my son and there was zero, absolutely zero color in his face. I thought he was going to throw up. Took me several hours and youtube videos to convince him it was a normal part of ice making and get him to sleep.

I was fishing on lake X on the hump, and Mr. A had his tip-ups out from his house. It was around 7 pm and A,s flashlight comes on out into the lake, He’s out there awhile. goes back to the house and gets his minnows, anyway he gets back to his tip-up, I see his flashlight going all over, then walks out to me, Stands by the window, ok funnyman where’s the fish. Mr. A, I don’t have your fish and start laughing, lets take a look I grab my spotlight and walk to A s tip-up. I shine the light and finally, I see tracks in the snow and drag marks, I, say to Mr. A, theirs you thief, A huge Coon dragging an 8-pound walleye between his legs. Coon was used to eating minnows but thought he had a big one. DK.

I have many. One that just popped into my head, was we were on LOTW’s late ice fishing pike in the shallows. Got all set up with like 10 guys. We were frying bacon, eggs etc. for breakfast on turkey burners. There was a tip up right in the middle of all of us BS’ing and making breakfast. Northern hits that tip up so hard it bounces up and slides right down the 10” hole. Gone. We all just watched it happen. We laughed for hours except the guy who’s tip up it was.

404 ERROR wrote:

I’ll take “being dragged behind a grizzly on a ski-couch with Mr.Beads for 500”, Alex.

trophy19 wrote:

Couch being dragged around is pretty commonplace at the Leech Lake Eelpout festival. Craziest party I’ve ever seen.

Forgot about that dam thing. Never did make it to eelpout to where it was gonna be in it’s glory. Thought the chair was comfier tho. Have to do something like that again

A long time ago when I was a young’n I tagged along to LOTW’s on my dads spearing trip. It was a group of guys a 7 or 8 year old probably shouldn’t have been with. I heard and seen alot of stuff an 8 y.o. Shouldn’t have and had a long talk on the way back home about what I could and couldn’t tell mother. Anyways one guy in the group spears a 24 pounder right off the bat. He decides he’s gonna celebrate, fires up his snowmobile and heads to the bar all day. He comes back late afternoon to sit until dark. We hear him pull up to his house and don’t think anything of it. 1/2 hour later we hear him screaming my uncles name and one hell of a commotion coming from his spear house. Knowing he’s drunk we all go running over there, my uncle opens the door and here he’s in there wrestling another huge northern. It fell off the spear and he was wrestling the fish so it wouldn’t get back down the hole. He had a black arctic cat snowmobile bibs on and he was white pike slime from head to toe. Another identical 24 pounder.

Picture of said couch. Wife though it was comfy, especially after 3 of Eelpoutguys Bloody Mary’s!

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Bearcat89 wrote:

Now that’s my kinda party. Not the kind when u guys buried me in the snow while I napped next to my tip up.on the rainy river But hey. That climate suit is warm

Is that why you decided to take a nap under my trailer the next day? Or was that due to lack of sunscreen?

Muskrat coming out of the hole. Between the feet of a very jumpy fishing buddy. That had never been that close to an animal in the wild.

Is that why you decided to take a nap under my trailer the next day? Or was that due to lack of sunscreen?
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Getting old man. I need naps now. Just 15 minute power naps. But ill blame it on the sunscreen. Couldn’t have been the Jameson and blue smoothies