Finally dusted off the Vexilar and popped a few holes up on Spider Lake east of Hayward. Was pleasantly surprised to find 12″ of solid clear ice, very little snow cover (just enough for traction) and no slush at all. Snowmobiles and ATVs are being used on the area lakes, but I imagine that vehicle travel is not far off.
We weren’t being serious about the whole venture, just setting flags and watching them pop. By trip’s end we had about a half dozen LMB, one short eye, and one musky lost at the hole. It was my daughter’s first ice fishing trip, and as I was strapping her into her carseat for the ride home, she was already asking when we would be back….a sure-fire indicator of a successful trip!
