On Friday afternoon, a group of friends and family arrived at Hunters point.
After reading Calvin Svihels report and getting great advice from Bobber and other members, the trip north was filled with excitement, the entire crew anticipating getting in on some hearty Mille Lacs jumbos.
As a group,we knew of the severe conditions predicted for the area .Fierce winds with dangerous wind chills were to be knocking on our three, six man shack doors in less than twenty four hours after our arrival.
Quickly getting settled in and firing up the camera and flashers it became obvious that the perch were not in our area.
Grabbing my Strike Master Lazer Mag, holes were cut
outside, in search of that big school.Still nothing marked……Grrrr. Feeling a little anxious and starting to get concerned is when I heard the news of my brother James icing a jumbo out of his shack that was set up over a hunred yards away.
Grabbing my gear,I headed in that direction and cut a quick series of holes in that area.
What happened after that was exactly the reason we were there to begin with.
Watching my jig fall I was instantly rewarded with the thrill of seeing a healthy "red slash" sky rocket, greeting my Moon Glo jig four feet up from the mud.After a great clear water tussle the first mega perch was iced!
Remembering Calvins advice,I quickly got my bait back down, trying to stay on the school before they roamed off.WHAM BAM THANK YOU MAAM! Another pond jumbo was iced and the weight of the world,the tensions of the trip and everything negative in my life were brushed aside.
Being joined by a few of the crew,this area ended up producing the main bulk of our week-end catch.
Knowing that the bite would not last long with the impending weather coming in,we worked this area hard and were all satisfied with the quality of these dynamite little fighters.
Saturday morning arrived with a short, fish catching window behind it.Jumbos were taken early but as the winds picked up and the temps on a steady decline,it was becoming clear that phase one was ending and that Mother nature was going to make damn sure we all paid attention to phase two!
I have seen storms through the years,been out in alot of them,fished through my share,always in awe at some of the conditions that are thrown ones way but,……..never in my life have I ever seen the likes of Saturday night and Sunday morning!
Winds topping in access of forty mph.with a wind chill in the area as low as fifty below.
Staying overcast for the first part of the storm made for a complete "White out".
Thoughts of Jumbos were being replaced with the concern of everyones safety.
It’s kind of funny in a way when a guy starts to re-evalute certain conditions that are potentially lethal. For instance,let’s just say,if a person were to walk out side,slip on the icy entrance step and crack his noggin. If not found,chances of a good outcome are slim.
Getting lost was a huge concern too.Hearing the stories about people getting turned around quickly by just doing the simple task of walking from one shack to the next was becoming very easy to understand.
A conversation that evening regarded to having to wear a life line of 80lb.fire line tethered to ones body if having to venture outside.The idea was met with a little humor but slowly,all agreed that it wasn’t the worst idea in the world.
Reading a thread last night about white out Mille Lacs,Chris Tuckner made a comment on the importance of assigning a shack leader .Great tip Tuck and down the road that is exactly what our group plans to do.
As the storm howled throughout the night it was becoming quite clear how safe we were in our Hunters point 6 man shack.Not once did I hear the creeking and cracking of a poorly constucted fish house.All three shacks handled this storm well ,attesting to their hardy construction.
A big Thank you goes out to George and his entire crew.
After losing heat in one shack,the crew from Hunters were Johnnies on the spot and had the place up and running before it lost it’s core temp.
They also did a great job maintaining the roads to make sure everyone could safely get off the lake the next day.
Sorry we couldn’t talk longer George but it was obvious how busy you were.Top notch accomodations all the way!
What a week-end!!
The crew this year had a great time despite the weather,the food and drinks were good,conversations and laughter were non-stop and the company was terrific along with the great fishing.
Never have I seen a body of water that wears so many different faces. She has the ability to smile at you one second then turn around and try to kill ya the next.
I loved every last second!
Great read Jeff,
Good to hear you guys were able to get on some nice perch before the storm
Hopefully mother nature has that crap out of the way……it’s my turn next week
A few more follow up pics.Dan Larson is holding the largest perch of the w-end.Remember,Dan is 6’6″-300 lbs.That perch was a horse! Great seeing you again Dan,I always learn alot about the pond when you are around,your insights are unique to say the least.Looking forward to the open water musky season,come on June!
The other pic is Del after finally finding his lucky hat.You happy now Del
Jeff,
Thanks for putting together a great weekend, and getting the location of those perch nailed down before I got there. My side still kind of hurts from laughing so hard on Saturday night, or maybe it was the spot I selected to shut down operations. Make sure to let the crew know that the evenings in the shack were absolutely priceless, and next time I will remember the flour to go with those biscuits!
Can’t wait for some open water to get back in the boat with ya, let the rest of the guys know that I have an open seat anytime they want to make the drive up.
No Pout pictures made it on the post though… Kind of disappointed, as there are two things I know about Eelpout; they all bite between 2 and 4 in the morning, and without fail they will tangle every line in the house!!!
Great report and pictures.
Dan are you tired in your pictures or was a cool drink helping the cause??
I did not see Dan sip on anything the entire week-end.
Chugging mabe,…….but not sipping
How about we just say, from sunrise to well after sunset, ol’ danny boy was feeling no pain!
Great report Jeff…mille lacs is no place to mess around on, especially with those temps.
After hearing and reading the reports…..I’m glad I was warm and safe in the house on shore!!! just looking out on the lake made me feel cold!!! when that wind picked up around 11:30am Saturday morning. It was game on baby!!! Just to drive around on the lake would have been difficult.
Sure glad you got into some perch!! I hope to get out midweek and locate some for the contest on Saturday. We have a pretty big group tagging along on Saturday. Looks like the weather gods are going to be nice to us!! 20’s temp’s on Saturday!!!!
A few more pics from the week-end.
The first two is my sister “Crazy Bell”.She thinks she is way cool
The outside pics give a good idea of the conditions on Sunday morning.
After that here’s a shot of Gary who took these pics.Nice jumbo Gary,sure hope to see you next year
Finally,a shot of the southern gang who I am sure will never forget this week-end
Great report! Awesome pictures!
Looks like I missed out on a good time! It just wasn’t possible for me this year!
Good job y’all!
We all missed you too TJ.
Once in awhile your name would come up and we would all bow our heads and cry a little.
Next year Jay,no more school.
Great report Jeff
Those are some beauties 
This looks like a planet from star wars. Awesome pictures! Glad you survived the weekend buddy and very nice perch.
Nice report Jeff!
Those sure are some dandy perch.
Boog
nice job jeffery! those were some wicked looking weather pics. next year count me in!
Great report.
Sounds like your group had quite the expierence with the weather. 
Wow Jeffers, you guys had a crazy trip! I don’t know if I am glad or sad that I didn’t go with. Next year FOR SURE!
Great to hear from you Nichole and welcome to IDO
Yeah,it was one of those trips but when it was all said and done,the good out weighed the bad by a long shot
Mike and yourself are going to love this place,check out the muskie forums,alot of great stuff