Rain or shine, we were going ice fishing today and were excited to try our new waterproof boots.
Today I wanted to leave our ice tent at home and try hole hopping for kokanee, but when we stepped outside to load the truck I quickly changed my mind. Instead of a calm Sunday morning as I had imagined it to be, we were greeted by rain drops falling all around us.
Driving to the lake felt like we were heading up into the mountains for an adventure soon to be discovered. The rain was coming down in copious amounts on the snow covered roads. The water logged snow was turning to slush and was making navigation a challenge. Soon after we got used to driving in the slush, the rain disappeared and we found ourselves in a blizzard. The outside temperature was zero degrees Celsius, and the snow kept falling and sticking to the road that was now a frozen snow covered highway.
When we arrived at the lake, we were thankful we brought the tent. While we expected rain (which would have been worse), we welcomed the wind blowing cold snowflakes in our face at a forty five degree angle. The main path was starting to fill in with snow, but we managed to make it out to the marked area that someone put in place for other kokanee anglers to use as a baseline.
We worked quickly to get our tent set up as the wind had died down and the chances of it blowing away down the lake were at a minimum. Once inside, it was amazing how much warmer we were, even without the buddy heater on.
Today’s experience was one I will not forget anytime soon. Recently, we decided to buy the rest of the family some warm and waterproof boots. Austin would not stop talking about how warm and dry his feet were. I truly believe that warm and dry feet saved the day today and I owe this to Dryshod Footwear and Circle ‘S’ Western Wear.
We started fishing at 9:00am and were excited with what we saw as soon as we turned the fish finder on. Unfortunately, the schools of kokanee were not interested in our offerings and we ended up waiting until 10:15am before the bite started. The next hour would prove to occupy our minds watching fish cruise around at different depths. We even put a few on the ice. Then, as quickly as they came they were gone. It always amazes we to see how much kokanee move around in the winter.
After some snacks and smokies, we decided to hole hop in anticipation of finding the school that had left the area under our tent. We tried a couple spots, but the wind picked up again and we made an honorable retreat back to base camp. One thing we noticed while outside the tent was the deteriorating surface conditions. We were starting to fall thru the top layer of false ice as we walked which kept us on our toes every step of the way.
Back at camp, I ended up catching a few more kokanee, but failed to get my limit before it was time to go. Austin hooked 3 nice fish, but lost them at the hole as well. I was amazed at how well he was handling not catching any fish. He even started talking about waiting until 1:30pm to see what the afternoon bite looked like and then he figured we would pack up and leave (which we did shortly after). His understanding of the situation and mental preparation for planning his day comes with many repetitive trips. I believe repetition and structure helped him realize how to manage his time, even when he was bored (of course he also ran a couple laps around the tent to burn some energy off).
While the bite seemed slower this trip, we managed to entice a few kokanee with our bait choices and changes. We used mealworms, scented corn, synthetic maggots and scented gels. Each combination we tried got us either a bite or a fish on the ice. Mealworms by themselves seemed to catch the most fish. I also increased my leader length which I believe helped “seal the deal” with otherwise wary fish.
As we started packing up our gear after last bite, we noticed someone walking out onto the ice without a sled or gear in their hands. We were greeted by a conservation officer soon after. A quick license check and conversation was had, then he was off to the next set of tents.
Austin decided that he wanted to try and pull the sled back. He did well until he broke through some false ice which got his heart rate up. Thankfully, his new boots kept him dry and we were able to continue back to the truck at a leisurely pace.
To round off the day and encourage good behavior for the next trip, I surprised Austin with a McDonald’s hot chocolate on the way home. It was just what we needed to finish a day that was warm and dry.