Journal of a Minnesota Angler

Last time we were on the ice, Mark talked about the best bite being the hour around sunrise and sunset. We talked about the next time going out at 2:30pm and staying til after dark. We got our chance last night. My brother is in town for Christmas, so he and another friend of his, also an avid angler, joined us. There were quite a few fishermen out yesterday (see left). It was a nice brisk day without much wind. A perfect day to go ice fishing. We set up camp not far from our last outing.... (more...)

Our second day on the ice didn’t turn out as well as our first. We met at 6:30 as planned and were out on the lake from 7:00am to 10:30am and got completely skunked. When we first got on the lake, we set up near the same spot we caught the perch the day before. After nary a bite for about an hour and a half, we moved to the other side of the point. The only action was a tip up going off after we had moved, but the fish let go. We theorized it was a walleye that felt the line and dropped... (more...)

When I posted about ice fishing a couple of days ago, I didn’t think I’d be on a lake til at least the new year. But last night we had our neighborhood Christmas party and the topic of ice fishing came up. Several times, actually. It started when a mutual friend of a couple of neighbors was planning to go out in the morning. The two neighbors, Rob and Steve, decided they would go and invited me along. Unfortunately, Mark, my usual fishing buddy, had other commitments and couldn’t... (more...)

When you live in Minnesota, your fishing season is only half that of those in Southern states. That is, unless you are one of the many who turn the handicap into an asset. When the sun gets low in the sky and the weather gets cold, a transformation takes place. Liquid turns to solid and mere mortals can do the impossible. People just like you and me can walk on water. I speak, of course, of lakes turning to ice. And so begins the season of ice fishing. We’re firmly entrenched in the holiday... (more...)