I’ve always wanted to check out the areas that I catfish in the winter time, but with the currant, ice and wood in this area I knew it could never happen. There really isn’t any way to get to these areas without crossing some very dangerous ice as Don Lincoln and I would find out later in the day.
When I met Don at the unused since fall ramp on the Mississippi, it wasn’t long before a local came down to ask us what we thought we were doing. The fella wanted to warn us in case we were crazy enough to venture out on the ice. In fact, he said “I’ve lived here since 1979 and have never seen anyone on THAT ice! It can be frozen in the morning and open by noon.” Don explained we had everything under control. I was having second thoughts about this time…again!Don and I cross the main channel of the river and into a backwater area. We drove were a person couldn’t (and shouldn’t) walk without breaking through. There were many times the water would jump out from around trees or roots that where warmed from the sun and created an ice free ring around them. I felt safe, but I also had an eye on the PFD.
Once on the backwater lake I pulled out my H20 to ensure we were on the right track. Don put up the fish house top and started going a little faster…close to 20 mph by my GPS. Hard snow and ice made the trip a bit rough.
Once we arrive to our location, I couldn’t wait to drop the Marcum VS-825c down the 30-40 foot hole I thought might hold cats in the winter.
I was surprised to see all of that silt. I was thinking more rock down there. By the way, when Don spudded the hole, we had about 3 inchs of ice below us.
We continued to move up stream. I kept reminding myself that we were actually out here. No snowmobil, wheeler or human tracks…just animals and birds.
Once we arrived to the main channel, we felt we should go back the same way we came in because the river was open. Don reminded me that it’s faster traveling on ice than it is on water.
We shot some video of some of the snags I fish and since it was getting late figured we would head back.
While crossing the main channel, I watched as the front wheel went over a 3 inch crack in the ice. I don’t know if I can describe the feeling I had watching that…and then feeling the back end and the two of us breaking through the ice! PANIC for a split second!
Don, ever so calmly said, looks like we’ll have to do and open water extraction.
Don Lincoln is a sales rep for WILcraft. Water, Land Ice-craft. You’ve seen these odd looking motorized fish houses at the Ice show. They lower down onto the ice and the fish house cover goes over the top to give you the complete PORTABLE fish house.
What you don’t see when they are on display is that they float!
Don purposely broke through the ice to show me the safety features built into this fish house. Scared the crap out of me too!
Breaking through and getting back out of the water doesn’t look like much when you’re taking photos from inside of the Wilcraft. However, I did tell Don that “someones going to call the police thinking that we’re in trouble”.
Back to getting out. I moved to the front and pushed on the ice in front of us with a pole that he had along. This pushed the tires that he raised up against the ice. Each tire has 100 studs in it. The locking differential had those tires grabbing the ice and out we came!
Think of a flat bottom boat with flotation tires that move up and down.
Once out of the water, we drove around the hole we left and headed back to the landing. Guess what, we were met by the sheriff! “We had a report of an ATV breaking through the ice, you know anything about that?”
I was so pumped Don couldn’t get a word in edge wise!
Now I’m not going to tell you these machines are made to run out and break through ice for the heck of it. I’ll let the folks at Wilcraft tell you about these units being used by rescue personnel.
As an owner of a Wilcraft, I would not break through the ice if I could help it. Why spend 15, 10 or even 5 minutes getting out when I could be fishing? However, it’s much more safe than my four wheeler, more convenient than my wheeler and portable fish house and much easier to set up than my now discontinued Polar fish house.
If you ever see one of these on the ice, ask for a ride in one. You’ll have a completely different understanding of them from what you had when you walked by them at the ice show!
In fact, they are very comparable to a wheeler and a two man portable in price.
