Fishing First Ice in Northern Minnesota -

On the evening of Saturday Dec. 12, my band Matt Ray and Those Damn Horses played the last set at Beaner’s Central in Duluth MN. After arriving back home in rural Gilbert MN, I scurried about the garage and kitchen for what seemed like hours, and my head didn’t actually hit the pillow until 1:00 a.m. After a solid 2 and a half hours of very restful sleep, the coffee pot clicked on and the alarm went off, and at 3:30 a.m. I headed downstairs to suit up for a day of fun on the ice. My pal Tim, briefly waylaid by “dog issues,” showed up soon after, and by 4:30 we were on the road and heading east towards Isabella MN. My truck’s thermometer read minus 4, and I commented that, “Well, at least it’s going to get up to 10 today.” Tim let fly a borderline evil laugh and said, “Ha, YOU didn’t check for the new weather forecast. THIS is IT.” Several years ago after countless miserable sub-zero trips, I arrived at the “10 /10 rule.” If the forecast low temperature at night is colder than minus 10 or if the high temperature during the day is expected to be less than 10 above, I forgo any serious outdoor activity and stay indoors and lounge about the house instead. We were heading out to spend the day exposed to the elements in violation of that rule.

After a 55 minute drive, we pulled off the highway onto the snow-covered dirt road and made our way to the public landing on our chosen lake (a lake in this general area). We observed a few sets of tire tracks on the road, but there was no evidence of traffic out on the ice. Because it was a smaller lake and since the weather had been favorable for the formation of safe ice, we walked out from the landing with confidence but cautiously followed the shore in a somewhat circuitous route to our fishing spot. The temperature had dropped to minus 8, and the lake was rapidly making ice. From low moans and melodic pops to explosive cracks that shattered pre-dawn silence, the sounds were truly amazing. We sunk our first hole a hundred feet from a rocky point and found a good 4 inches of nice black ice. Our assumption, based on years of Minnesota ice fishing experience, had been proven correct – the ice was safe. For a heart-stopping 3 seconds I clung desperately to that fact when, while kneeling on the ice setting a tip-up, a mile long and half inch wide pressure crack opened up directly under me. The concussion sent a jolt through my body that shook me to the core – an experience I’ll not soon forget! By the time the first hint of day light appeared on the eastern horizon, we were in the right spot with four lines down and fishing quietly…and it was “noon somewhere.” ;-)

Here in northern Minnesota the influx of cold Canadian air is often associated with a low pressure system, and that sort of weather usually has a negative effect on fishing. Tim and I set out on this trip fully realizing that our chances of fishing successfully were lower than usual. By the time the sun started to come up, we hadn’t experienced a single bite, so we quickly moved his portable shelter a hundred or so yards up the bay from 12 feet of water and sand / clay bottom to 9 feet and a muddier bottom. Well, we should have set up in that spot first, because we immediately started to catch fish. Granted, they were small northerns and walleyes, but as we sipped or breakfast beers, the action was a welcomed amusement. True to form, the one nice fish that hit my line – what I estimate to have been a walleye in the 2 pound range – threw my hook almost immediately. Perfect. After a few beers and some good conversation, we decided to try the “plan B” area on the other end of the lake, and within 10 minutes of making the decision to relocate, we were on the move. With the air temperature hanging right around zero and a stiff 15 mph breeze in our faces, we made the 1 mile hike down the lake.

Upon arriving at the new spot, I started to sink holes through the ice while checking the depth, and Tim went to work setting up the portable shelter. His portable was a collapsible Eskimo Quickfish III with a built-in frame, and he’d had some strange problems with it in the past. When he went to set it up on this side of the lake, something went wrong, and one of the frame poles became hyper-extended. Despite the fact the he tried to maneuver the errant pole back into position with great care, a two foot long rip developed in the tent material, and an adjacent frame pole broke. I’ve had nothing but good experiences with my “antiquated” Clam Classic in the past, and I seriously question the design of any piece of outdoor gear that is able to be virtually destroyed by a single minor error in operation. Just before Tim grew irritated with his portable and decided to drag it back to the landing, I had a tip-up flag go up and after a brief fight landed the largest fish of the day – a 4 or 5 pound northern which I released after an unconventional photo op. In my efforts to play, un-hook, and release that fish and then reset the line, my gloveless hands were wet and exposed to the wind for a minute or two, and I froze the tip of one of my fingers. It thawed out again after a short time in my pocket, but it was a powerful reminder of just how dangerous cold weather can be. It was also good supporting evidence of the validity of the “10 / 10 rule” – I should have been napping at home on the couch! I took a quick stroll around the shoreline, inspected a beaver pond on the interior of one of the points on the lake, ate 2 roast beef and Swiss sandwiches, and packed up to join Tim back at the landing.

Although we technically failed to take full advantage of the great fishing potential offered by a “1st ice” angling situation, it was still a great day. Back at the office on Monday, I learned that Tim and I fared a lot better than many other local anglers – it was apparently a slow weekend in our part of the state. With Tim’s messed-up portable laying in a heap at the end of my driveway and my sled and gear sitting in the middle of the garage exactly where it was deposited on Sunday afternoon, the date of my next ice fishing trip is uncertain, but with Christmas Vacation and 5 days off just around the corner, it can’t be too far away – I’ll keep you posted. ;-) I’m happy to be back – thanks for reading! Peace.