It was 2:23 this afternoon. Kids were playing. Dog napping. The thermometer read 24 degrees…balmy for winter river fishing in the boat. Grabbed the gear and headed for the barn to hook up the boat.
Called Mark on the phone. He was in. I told him I had all the plastics, jigs, and rods. Just wear warm clothes.
Met him downtown Red Wing at 2:45. Oooops…forgot the boat seats, plastics, jigs, and no food.
We figured a plan would come together at Everts. Once again, Steve pointed us to this and that plastic and jigs.
Tim Miller watched us swoop in with all kinds of problems. I asked if he wanted to go along for the short trip. He had shorts on. He dashed for the truck and got some clothes, Steve lent him a rod, and he grabbed some plastics and jigheads.
We were off.
Mark hammered saugers right away on black/orange one-eye. Some were small; some were keepers. Tim was HOT HOT HOT on the orange head with green/orange core ringworm. He made it look easy.
Me–very few.
They had doubles. Singles. They laughed at the fish. They cheered. Me–I drove the boat around…
Pleasantly, we caught nearly as many walleyes too. Mark lost a 20 inch walleyes trying to hoist it in the boat. Rookie.
At dark, I tied on the voodoo (purple/black head) with small peanut butter moxie. Slid in to 13 fow. BANG! Two nice eyes.
Cold crept in with the dark…eight fish went home. A bunch went back to the river.
We did a drive-by at the boat landing trying to stir up the ice flows by the landing…kinda worked.
Got out of the water without anybody slipping. For not even a three hour tour, it was grand! Turkeys, whistlers, eagles, mallards…man, I love open water in the winter!
Carved ’em up–check out the FOUR INCH shad in that sauger!
Get out there and take Tim with you! 
