Today was a perfect way to start the year with a positive experience.
While the outside temperature of -33 degrees Celsius was chilling to the bones, I managed to enjoy drilling test holes in familiar water on my way out to “the spot,” without hitting bottom this time.
I started drilling test holes for a couple reasons. First, I wanted to test out my new 4 inch Mora auger. The smaller cutting surface of the auger made quick work of my first hole. I was surprised at how quickly I cut thru the ice on my first hole. The ice was thick enough to safely continue with my oversized load that I normally pack on my sled. I checked the thickness with my fish ruler that has a 90 degree angle on the end. It worked perfectly to feel the different ice as I checked for thickness. The next five holes I measured had at least 3 inches of packed snow/soft ice. The other 8 inches was solid clear ice.
As I continued drilling test holes I was amazed to have the whole lake to myself (the cold weather might have had something to do with it). I arrived at a location that is known to have a few springs, so I proceeded with caution. The next test hole, which was close to the spring area with water on top, revealed water on the surface before drilling a hole. As my auger broke through the bottom of the ice, water started bubbling up through the hole. While fishing near springs can be productive at times, I chose to retreat to the next closest location where the ice was a little thicker and there was no water on the surface.
I ended up fishing over 25ft of water and close, yet far enough away from the spring that I retreated from. After setting up my tent (a strap broke), getting the big buddy heater going and preparing my rods, I was ready to get fishing. I took a quick picture of my tent under blue skies with the rising sun on the horizon and a quick video to capture my warm tent air meeting the cold crisp morning air.
My Garmin was cold, but fired up right away. It revealed fish swimming below me just ten minutes after starting my jigging process. I caught the first four kokanee quickly using a combination of baits. The most successful pairing was a mealworm and a pink synthetic maggot marinated in krill scent. The bite was fast and furious for an hour around 945 to 1045am. I missed many strikes and lost a couple kokanee at the hole trying to figure out how to guide them into a 4 inch hole.
The last kokanee took a while to catch after the main bite died off and the schools started taking longer to swim back around. I was impressed with the 4 inch hole, because a few of the kokanee shot straight up thru the hole once they were in it. They were not able to turn in the hole and had to come up to get out which landed them on the ice and in line for dinner.
I am thankful that I brought two full 1lb bottles this trip. I ended up using about a bottle and a half before my tent would warm up enough so I could use my 5lb tank. I could not have lasted if it were not for my buddy heater.
While my new auger impressed me this trip, I was also disappointed with it. I paid close attention to how I was handling it and focused on trying to find deficiencies in how I was operating it. The blades cut smooth, but I found it tough to keep the auger moving down smooth and from not moving side to side. I believe it was the side to side motion that made it bind almost every time just before the bottom of the hole. Maybe my short arms were not helping me guide the auger? Either way, I was both impressed and disappointed. I am now wanting to try a power auger to see what the difference is.
On my walk back to the truck, I started thinking about the great year we have had and the great year ahead. We learned more about lake trout fishing, but also fished a few kokanee lakes that I’ve been wanting to fish a few more times before venturing out to other new lakes. A quick count of my fishing calendar revealed that we caught 141 (and ate 134 so far) kokanee this year. I am happy to know that we have fed our family with a healthy renewable resource that is stocked for us to catch and keep. I am thankful for the opportunities of the past and those that are coming in the future.