White out Mille Lacs Jumbos

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!