What’s your most memorable ice fishing trip?

I probably have a hundred but one that always comes to mind is my first trip to Lake of the Woods. My gal and I left the cities at midnight. We ran into a blizzard in the Red Lake area. We got to Zipple Bay Resort at about 7am. We got checked in and my gal headed to bed for a nap. I got my fishhouse number,grabbed my rods and gear and headed to my rental. The drive out on the lake was truly awesome. Everything I had heard about LOTW was racing through my mind. I was like a kid on Christmas morning.

This was a Wed morning and there was little traffic on the lake. I found my house which was clean and nice and warm and ready to go.

I got all set up and placed my Vexilar transducer down the hole and the whole bottom was lit up with fish. I was shaking as I was baiting up my spoon. I had no sleep in the last 24 hours and the adrenaline was pumping. I had a friends camcorder with me to shoot some film. I lowered my spoon to the bottom. With in seconds I had a strike. A nice 13 inch jumbo perch to start the day. I was still marking fish and began to smack the saugers. Nice fish in the 14-18 inch class. The bite was fast and aggressive. Then I boated a nice 19 inch walleye. I kept thinking, should I go wake her up? Nah, let her sleep some more

I had almost had a limit of sauger and a few walleyes by 11am and was ready to go in for some lunch. Another fish came on the screen on my Vexilar and thumped my spoon with a vengeance. I thought I had a tire on the end of my line. This fish would not move. My heart about jumped out of my chest. All I was thinking was, if I lose this giant walleye, I have no witnesses. Camcorder!!!. I was fighting the fish with one had, and setting up the camera with the other. I quickly turned it on and laid it on the floor of the house aiming it at myself hoping it was a good spot. I fought the fish for over 20 minutes trying to get her to the hole. Finally she was starting to wear out and she was coming up with ease. I grabbed the camcorder figuring I could at-least get a quick shot of her incase I could not get her in. I felt she was about a couple of feet down and pointed the camera down the hole and pull the rod up. The camera view finder was filled with a gigantic eel pout. SOB I was swearing my head off. I bet they could have heard me from shore

I put the camera down and got her out of the hole and pulled her up. She tipped my digital scale at just over 10 pounds. What a creature she was. Ive caught many pout in my day but this one was truly a monster. I took a few pictures of her and continued to swear at her. But she gave me a good fight and I put her back in.

Hows that for a first impression of Lake of the Woods?

Dont all post your stories at once.

Someone has to have a good one?

It really was not an ice fishing trip , but my senior year in high school I had a great shop teacher who thought my idea of making an ice house for a class projcet was a great idea. My dad agreed and thought, yeah and in the end we will have the shack to use. Well it was one fun project, but it sure got spendy for my dad. We ended up getting a frame for the house that cranks on and off the ice. From the frame we built the house (8*12). We never did get it done that spring and we finished it up over that summer. The ice house is so well done we call it the TAJ , short for TAJ Mahal sp?. Well anyways this thing has got to weight the most out of any ice house I have seen. That first day out when the ice was FINALLY thick enough, I remember my dads knuckles just white as we pulled this heavier then heck house out behind our burb. Cause nothing else can handle it haha. It is just a memorable experience for me because everytime we pull that out or take it in or move it around my face and Dad’s face always has the best expression. By the way we keep it out on french lake. Tim

Like you, Derek, I would have to say my most memorable ice fishing trip was one to Lake of the Woods, also. I was very inexperienced at ice fishing, and a buddy of mine, Scott, and I went up there I believe towards the end of January. We went to a spot over Pine Island real early in the morning, got all set up, started jigging for a while, and got nothing. Scott stepped out of the shack to go do something while I kept jigging. Next thing you know, I get a solid thump on my line, set the hook and the fight was on! I’d get it pretty close, then it would take off on a little run, then do it all over again. Finally, after I figured it was a nice northern, I yell to Scott that I’ve got one on. He comes back in the shack to see my rod doubled over. I finally get the fish to the bottom of the hole and both of our jaws just hit the floor. It was a very large walleye, much to our amazement. I get it headed up the hole and he pulls it out of the water. This thing’s like eleven pounds! At this point, Scott(who is one of the most prolific LOTW icefishermen I know) is just shaking his head, giving me crap about beginner’s luck. Well, after that the bite wasn’t gangbusters, but 45 minutes later, my rod goes over again and I’m ready to haul up my fifth fish of the day, when the line starts to sing. After playing it out and eventually getting it up to the hole, we see that it’s an even larger ‘eye! He pulls this one up through, shakes his head and says “You’ve got to be f’ing kidding me.” I’m in disbelief myself, as this fish was well over 12 lbs! A few more fish and about an hour later, lo and behold, my rod doubles over AGAIN! Much to my chagrin, I got this one almost to the hole and lost it , not that I really had anything to be bummed about. The rest of the day we caught a bunch more fish. I’d have to say that’s my most memorable day on the ice, but I’ve been lucky enough to have had many other opportunities to fish with Scott on LOTW that were almost as impressive.

Derek, he and I will be up there from the 14th-16th of Dec. Did I read somewhere that you’ll be in that area then? If so, we should try to meet up either on the ice or off.

Mark

Wing nutt. That was a great story. Mwchiefs, two pigs in one day? That is awesome!!! Great story. I will be up the middle of Jan. Post your report!!!

I was crappie fishing north lake, off of Pool 3, when the crappies were bitting really good a few years back.

There were walleyes and pike every once in a while as well…

I’m watching my flasher, as this BIG, THICK line comes up to my jig. I wiggle it a bit, and the float goes down. Set the hook and I missed!!!!!!!! DAM!!!!!!!!

I keep jigging and here the fish rolls in again…. AGAIN, BIG, THICK LINE ON THE FLASHER!!!!!!!

I set the hook and connect!!!

The drag screams and the fish puts on the afterburners, on a big run. I’m working it and holler to my buddy to get the gaf. I’m fighting and fighting, then the fish turns and starts coming back towards the hole……….Does a fly by and I see green. Lot’s of green. Looks like a big pike and I have 2lb test on a light action ice rod. I’m all pumped and I’m working this pig for about 5 mintues, all excited………

It comes to the hole, and it is a flippin, dirty, rotten, stinky, nasty, DOG FISH!!!!!!!!!

I didn’t hear the end of my “big pike” for hours after words……..

One more……..

A buddy and I were fishing Cedar lake, over by new prague. Jigging for walleyes. Keep in mind that there are Tiger Muskies in there……..

We are in my portable and BAM, he connects on a big fish. He is fighting and fishing and I spot the fish through the hole. I was about a 35″ Tiger. He was so excited that he reached into the hole, grabbed it by the gill and pulled it onto the portable floor. The fish flopped a bit, so he grabbed it with a bear hug technique (Sorry if he didn’t handle the fish properly, but he was so excited, I thought he was going to wet his pants). As he attempted to bear hug it, so she wouldn’t get beat up, she slid through his arms, and down the hole………..GONE!!!

This all took place in about 5 seconds……..

He was so mad, I bailed out of the house, laughing and rolling on the ground, as he made up a few new words!!!!!

If I wouldn’t of seen it, I wouldn’t of believed it!!!!!

Would have to be one day last year, not a particularly special trip, got out one weekday morning on the mighty mississip, put out some tip-ups, and started catching fish. Later in the morning, a flag goes up, I pull up a 22 inch largemouth with a 16 inch girth, not sure what she weighed, but I punched it into a weight calculator that I found and it said 7.04 pounds. I would guess closer to 6, but anyway, it was the biggest bass I’ve caught yet. Less than an hour later, I get a 37 inch northern, which was also the biggest northern I’ve every gotten. My buddy also landed a 20 inch largemouth that was probably 5 pounds. All in all, we caught several bass from 18 to 22 inches, and several northerns up to 37 inches. By far my best day ice fishing, other than the old guy who came over and chewed my butt for letting those good eating fish go, (lots of fillets on them big fish ya know!) I told him politely that I preffered selective harvest, so he started arguing with me about how much meat is on them big fish, it ended with me suggesting he put out his own tip-ups, which he did, then promptly landed and filleted a fat 39 inch northern DOH!

Great stories guys.. Those were fun to read.

Well guys, I just have to tell this one.My dad had not been ice fishing in about 30 years, so last year I ask him to go with me. He said nnah, too cold for me. I told him we had a portable shelter and a heater, he would stay nice and warm. So he decides to go, well we were catching panfish, one after the other, he was so excited, I was just laughing. He’d see a fish in the hole and syas theres one, ooh ooh, damn missed it. Well he is wearing these black rubber zip up over boots, yeah you quessed it, he’s so intent on looking in the hole his boot starts to melt, he says man what is that smell. I look down and say dad your boot is melting, so he and I are splashinbg water on from the hole, then we start to laugh so hard. I told all the family about it and we’ve been laughing ever since. But it sure was a memorable day and what fun. John