So, my wife caught more fish than me today. Not by many, but it still counts. This feels similar to our last pike adventure when she caught the largest pike. We left knowing that we would need to go again one day.
We arrived on the ice around 9am this morning and left around 4pm. Kevin was a huge help and saved me time as soon as we arrived. He has an electric powered drill with an auger on the end of it and he drilled our holes in no time. Kevin, you rock! I was optimistic that we would catch our limits and bring home 40 kokanee so we could smoke a few more batches, but the day started off on the wrong foot as I forgot to bring my camera equipment to film the epic day that was about to unfold.
We met up on the lake as always in our agreed upon location and had a get-together with a couple members from the group today at Tyee Lake. I had a great time sitting under the heat of the sun trying to catch kokanee (key word here being “trying”).
There were 11 of us fishing in the same generalized area. Kokanee ice fishing is turning into one of my favorite winter activities, especially with a group. There are many benefits to kokanee ice fishing with a group. One of the benefits is, when the school shows up, a larger group has more lines in the water and helps keep the school around before they move on. Another benefit is more people to talk to and learn from. Rick was using some of his secret recipe kokanee corn (maybe if someone asks nicely he will tell us what was in it?). Rick offered me some, as he was catching fish. Of course, as usual, my stubbornness set in and I was bound and determined to catch a few on the bait I brought.
The morning “bite” was not as great for myself as others around me. I was still enjoying the day, but was not having much luck. I wish I could pin point what I was doing wrong, so I could adjust and fix my lack of chrome on the ice. Sarah caught her first kokanee before lunch time and she caught her second just as she was reeling in for her lunch.
We brought our tent, but did not need it to escape the weather. We used our tent as a cook house. We brought our buddy heater to cook hot dogs and smokies for lunch. There’s something about cooking on the ice that I’m getting used to. Maybe it’s the warm food or maybe just that smell of cooking on the ice, but I’m liking it.
We had the pleasure of meeting one the local Conservative officers who was out checking people for compliance. It’s always great seeing someone coming out to see how we are doing and to make sure we are following the rules. We also had the pleasure of meeting a local biologist who was driving around doing a creel survey. If you have never participated in a creel survey, they are a great thing to be a part of. The one question that got me thinking was something along the lines of, “what would you like see happen in the region to increase your enjoyment?” I would like fish cleaning stations (but this would need manned by people to reduce bear encounters).
I learned 2 things today (one of which I kind of already knew). The first thing I learned was to always drill your holes closer together if you only have one fish finder and will be fishing outside. We found it hard to locate the kokanee and our presentation when we couldn’t see what was happening. I also learned to pay more attention to our kids’ behavior when we have been fishing for a while and especially at the first mention of “when are we going home?” Time would eventually prove the day was plenty long enough for the boys. They did a great job entertaining themselves when they were not fishing. Taking a kid fishing can be a challenge, but we went prepared. We brought chips, candy, hot chocolate and lunch. Next time will be the same. We just need to pay more attention to their ques when it’s time to go. Kids truly dictate your trips enjoyment level, but something else happens that we might not be aware of. Kids will enjoy fishing when introduced at a slower pace. There is only so much they can put up with when the bite is slow.
We left after the last person left the fishing hole. Although my kokanee numbers and family kokanee retention numbers were too far away from what we had originally hoped for, the day was still filled with blue skies and warmth from the sun which is a reminder that the heat of summer is on it’s way.
I’m feeling like I got some sun today. When I look in the mirror I think I might have got a sun tan. My wife was not so lucky. A reminder of the sun and potential sun burn/wind burn is evident hours after we left the lake.