Seems everybody is waiting for the snow to melt, and the lakes to open here in Minnesota. We are beyond over and done with it. But the reality is – we have snow banks over six feet tall lining our driveway, and at least two to three feet still standing in the woods and yard. I’d bet there’s upwards of three feet of ice covering most of our lakes. My prediction is – late ice open, and cold water for the opener. The good news is, the sun is out, and melting is going on today! I’m sitting here reveling in the fun I had over the winter in my little ice shack. Normally, I put a 30 foot Ice Castle out on one of the area lakes, and I live in it much of the winter. But this year, with late ice forming, then snow, then slush – it wasn’t exactly conducive to big trucks and hybrid RV’s. So I put out a spear house on a local lake, and spent the winter deep in though, or not – staring down a hole with my buddy Sam by my side – listening to good spearing music – like Metallica, Foo Fighters or Uncle Ted Nugent. Angry music seems to make the fish come in! If I listened to the soft stuff, I’d probably fall asleep, tip over, and take a very cold bath. The name on the outside of my house is “Black Death.” I harpooned lots of small to medium pike – as well as some lake whitefish. Every day that I harvested fish – I went straight home and had them fresh for dinner. My family and I enjoyed many a meal!
I’m also reveling in a fun “Cast and Blast” trip, or in the case of my website name “Hook and Trigger” trip to Western Minnesota last late December, where we shot a limit of rooster pheasants – then fished a small waterfowl production area that has some good-sized perch in it. Some were pushing 13 inches. That’s a big perch!
Once the game fish season closed at the end of February, I committed to having my right arm fixed. It was hard to do, but the months of March and April are about my only down time. I had severe carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel, and had lost most of the nerve conductivity in my right arm. Too much fishing? NEVER! Anyway, I got-er-done, and had to wear a cast for a few weeks. The arm is dead, and weak – but I am able to type, and do a few basic things. No real lifting, and to tell you the truth, I couldn’t fish if I wanted to. But the plan is to be back in action later in April.
I have some acquaintances who were out on Gull Lake recently, catching eelpout (freshwater lobster)! Others are catching tulibees, and perch up on Leech and Cass Lakes. Normally, I would be out looking for panfish, or hunting for sheds – but hopefully that is yet to come! I will let you know if I hear of anything good – so stay tuned.
