I went fishing Wednesday morning and met up Kevin and Reg. There were also a bunch of other people fishing at the usual spot on Ten Mile. It was a lot of fun and I learned and experienced a few things while out there.
The morning started great. I was up and out of bed before my alarm clock went off (it helps that I had a terrible sleep and forced myself out of bed). I was going fishing and the day was going to be perfect, or at least that’s what I hoped.
I loaded my gear into the truck. Thankfully I remembered the mealworms and my plywood sheets for the tent heater and feet. Away I went with a freshly brewed coffee and my morning toast and peanut butter.
Everything was looking up. Someone plowed a nice wide path out to the local “honey hole” and I was off to tent city to join the crowds of people fishing for kokanee. I did not notice at first, but what came next was exhausting to say the least.
Some history on my ice fishing sled is needed to fully understand my dilemma. I had received a set of skis from Larry last summer and was planning on installing them on my sled in August when it was warm outside. Due to unforeseen circumstances and a dash of procrastination, I had not installed my skis when I should have. Instead, I waited until it was too cold outside and half way thru ice fishing season to try and figure out my sled modifications. It was during our group get-together last month that I saw the need to install my sled’s skis. The snow was sticky and my sled was definitely overweight. I tried pulling it out to our meeting location, but had to stop every 20ft or so as the sled and snow formed a bond that was difficult to break. I was sweating and definitely out of shape (I’m still out of shape and hoping to go fishing more to get back in shape). After our group get-together, I found the “energy” to install my skis that had been sitting idle for 6 months. Of course, I was in a rush because I was going fishing in the morning and did not put too much thought into the install. I drilled holes right thru the skis and used bolts and nuts to lock the skis onto the sled. I knew I’d be re-doing the skis and sled modifications later so I didn’t worry about my quick installation. My first couple trips with the skis were amazing. My sled now glided across the snow effortlessly.
As I entered the well plowed path, I noticed my sled was not gliding with ease as it was previously. The journey out to the “middle” of the lake now looked like a daunting task. My sled felt like lead again. I had changed nothing since my last trip. What was happening? I should have been able to pull my sled my one finger on this smooth pathway, but what I quickly noticed was the nuts/bolts on the bottom of the skis were digging into the ice and creating enough friction to make this task difficult again. What I later learned was I shouldn’t have drilled all the way thru the skis. Next time, I’ll use the binding holes and only goes into the skis this way.
I finally made it to the fishing hole sweating and exhausted once again. I spent some time recuperating as I talked to Kevin who was already setup and into a couple nice kokanee.
I set up my tent and started fishing as soon as I could. The kokanee were not active right away, so I played around trying to film different angles on my fish finder screen so I can make a better “how to” video for everyone. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a better angle and will try again next time. Any ideas on how to film a screen better?
I missed the first bite in the morning but was patiently waiting for the second bite. Someone here mentioned that kokanee are hatchery fish and are “programmed” to feed at certain times more than others. I’m now curious to hear what the feeding times are for kokanee at a hatchery. After 3hrs of waiting for the second bite, I became more and more curious if the hatchery comment was true. The bite turned on like a light switch and kokanee were going into a feeding frenzy at 13:00. This was approximately the same time last year as well. Of course, it helped that I changed my bait and I believe this is part of what was helping the “bite.”
I had tried a few different dodgers and jigs over the first couple of hours. What I believe helped the most was the bait. I switched to one piece of Canadian peaches and cream kokanee corn and a mealworm. By using these two baits, I was able to watch the kokanee go crazy. I decided to try and film again underwater and get some more footage of kokanee behaviors when the bite is on. Stay tuned for a YouTube video when I get the time to make it.
I spent the next hour or so crouched over my hole handlining with one hand and trying to film with the other. My Kokabow dodger caught the first fish, but all the other kokanee were going crazy for my Gibbs Dogtail dodger and William’s wobbler spoon. This technique of handlining and trying to film with the other hand proved difficult as you will see in the video. I ended up losing one kokanee I got onto the ice. I got it out, but was too focused on getting footage. She flopped around and then went back into my 8 inch hole, turned around and quickly swam back into the lake. If I had to take away one positive thing I learned from losing this fish, it would be a 4 inch hole would have been harder for this kokanee to turn around in. Maybe next year I’ll finally break down and buy a 4 inch auger.
As most days during the week, my warning alarm (to pack up and leave) went off and the fishing was just getting good. I ended up having to leave with only 4 kokanee on the ice and a very sore back from crouching over the hole for more than an hour. What a fun day once again. The kokanee were very aggressive once the bite turned on. I will be back again before the ice thaws. If I’m lucky, I’ll be back more than once as we might have ice until May.