Hunting and Fishing: I Gear Up for Ice Fishing

!±8± Hunting and Fishing: I Gear Up for Ice Fishing

On Saturday at the Arctic Circle® I talked with a man who had just got back from ice fishing at Gray’s Landing on Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir. He had four fish from two to four pounds, rainbows. The wind had come up blowing him and his son of the lake at 35 miles per hour. When we left the “cuisine center” of our small town, he asked my wife and me if we would like some fish. I like to catch my own fish and my wife doesn’t like trout so I said, “No.”

A girl in my Sunday School class told me that she had ice fished at Gray’s Landing. That was several years ago when we had first come to Idaho. Also, my son lives near the great lakes and there are always ice houses on the lake until they sink to the bottom along with their cars in the spring thaw. (The Coast Guard rescues the fishermen so that they can spend the summer building new ice houses.) Anyway, I had the ice fishing thing in my craw.

The sun was out yesterday to my surprise so I asked my wife if she would like to take a drive. I didn’t hear an answer so I looked around the house for her.

I couldn’t find her with her bears and dolls nor in her office.

There was no light under the bathroom door nor was she in the master bedroom or in my bathroom.

As usual, I checked the garage.

She wasn’t there either and I decided to call 911.

Then the car horn blasted. I went back into the garage and there she was in the front seat of the car.

We call that cabin fever up here in Idaho. That’s also what we called it in Colorado and Iowa when the snow was over the roofs of some houses and we drove through “snow tunnels” to get to the grocery store.

Wife: Where we goin’?

Hack Writer: Just for a ride.

When we headed south on Highway 69 toward Nevada she said, “You’re going fishing, aren’t you! Take me back home.

Hack Writer: We’re heading back to Arizona.

Wife: I didn’t pack for Arizona. I didn’t pack at all. Where ARE we going!

Hack Writer: I don’t even have a fishing license yet.

Wife: Since when did that stop you from fishing?

Hack Writer: Not for game fish. Besides, I don’t even have a fishing pole with me.

Wife: I saw you pack that big Styrofoam® carton from Omaha Steaks®. You put that short fishing pole that Barry gave you in there. I saw you.

(I had forgotten about that short fishing pole that my son had given me. Darn! I should have stopped for a license.)

Hack Writer: I’m just checking out a fishing spot for spring.

Near the Nevada border, we turned down to Gray’s Landing. The road was a washboard but for some reason my wife didn’t complain except to say, “SLOW DOWN!”

Bumping down to the shore of Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir (the reservoir that didn’t fill up for 80 years because of the lava rock sucking up the water faster than the arid Nevada mountains could supply it) we found a half-dozen cars and about ten people fishing through the ice. This reservoir is full of fish because we raise a lot of trout in Idaho and sometimes the hatcheries have an excess of big trout and they dump them by the thousands in the nearest lake.

There was a rainbow trout flipping around on the ice. I heard a voice:

“Don’t walk out here! You’ll fall on your arse!”

I thanked the guy.

“I fell on my arse this morning.”

I thanked him again.

One guy had a camera in the water to look at the fish swimming around. I wanted to see that but I didn’t have ice skates or snow cleats. I was unprepared for a sojourn on the ice.

I got out a pair of binoculars, then a larger pair, but Big Foot was nowhere to be seen.

I told my wife to jot down a list of things I would need for ice fishing, which she did. When I got home, I got on the net and priced out the equipment as follows:

http://www.llbean.com

Polartec Power Dry Zip-T, Midweight, A Moisture-Wicking First Layer Is the Key to Comfort .00

Polartec Power Dry Pants, Midweight, A Moisture-Wicking First Layer Is the Key to Comfort .00

Mountain Guide Parka, Gore-Tex 9.00

Snow-Sport Pants 9.00

Gore-Tex Mountain Guide Gloves ,00

http://cozywinters.com

STABILicers Sport - Snow and Ice Cleats .95

WarmGear Battery Heated Fleece Vest 9.95

WarmGear Battery Heated Stadium Seat Cushion .95

http://www.allseasonssports.com/

5-Frabill Arctic Siren Tip-Up Light .99

http://www.fishusa.com

Bottom Line Fishin' Buddy 2202 9.95

StrikeMaster Strike-Lite 4-Cycle Power Auger - .95 domestic shipping!
Your Price: 9.95

[http://www.altapower.tv/]

69192 - ProFish 250 - 73" Tall - 2 Man Shelter
Our Price: 9.99

Well, that aught to do it! Let’s add it up.

15.60!!!

Well, spring IS just around the corner.

The End