OUTDOOR Adventures

By Brian G. Schommer

As I sit by my keyboard with a nice cup of coffee to my left-hand side, a quick browse to the bottom of my screen indicates that currently, the temperature is negative ten outside with sunny skies. This is called the old bait and switch. It looks nice outside but when you step out to grab the morning paper, let the dog out to do their duty, or head off to work, you realize quickly that it is plenty cold out and any thoughts of partaking in an outdoor activity later in the day may have just vanished. You have to be of “pretty hearty stock” as my mom used to say to venture out when the temps drop to double digits below zero. Granted, the thermal wear of today far exceeds what my mom grew up with and an “Ice Castle” was a homemade shack made of warped plywood, which certainly provided some shelter but you still kept your coat on and zipped up. It may seem like a recurring theme, but when it gets really cold out, it certainly is a lot easier to stay indoors.

On a recent trip to Lake of the Woods, we got to chatting about how it was when we first caught the ice fishing bug. None of our ice fishing poles had reels on them. They were simple jig sticks with two pound test monofilament line wrapped around two dowels that were near the base of the rod. There was a rubberized type bobber held in place by a chunk of toothpick and a plain hook or simple jig head completed the rig. There were no fancy Vexilar or Marcum depth finders, underwater cameras, or clothing that floats in case you break through the ice. We had a couple tip ups, which have also come a long way since then, a few jig sticks, and a small amount of tackle in a bucket. Oh, and while powered ice augers certainly existed, we were kids and ours was still a crank by hand type. Yet, we kept doing it. We were bit by the bug.

As we got a bit older, technology continued to make some serious strides in the ice fishing industry and due to a thing called money, that we started to have in our billfolds, we found these newly invented items to be a worthy budget expense for us. Our rods now came in ultra-light, light, medium-light, medium and heavy, each with a reel that oddly looked just like the open face reels were used during summer fishing, but smaller. While we brought the manual auger with just in case the gas auger got flooded or some other malfunction would occur, the Jiffy gas auger cut through the ice in a much quicker fashion. Our tackle no longer was just a few jig heads, plain hooks, spare bobbers and a few lead sinkers. The amount of jig heads increased dramatically, as did the various colors and sizes available. No longer were we just going to chase Sunnies and Crappies. Walleyes and Saugers became new targets as did Pike. While we still were using tip-ups to catch Northerns, we could also go after them with a rod and reel through the hole. The bug had bitten even deeper and it was clear that at no time soon would it be taking a vacation.

In recent years, there have been some major game changers that have elevated the crew that I ice fish with from fans to fanatics. I mentioned Vexilar earlier and for those who do not ice fish, or fish at all for that matter, these marine electronics provide an advantage that we certainly did not have growing up. The basic concept is that a color flasher indicates the depth and bottom of the water that you are fishing. It also will indicate where your bait is and if there are fish in the area. When “I’m marking fish just off the bottom” is uttered, the adrenaline begins to rise. Another huge game changer is the technology that goes into rods and reels nowadays. The materials used in the rods are much more sensitive when a fish strikes. While some ice fishing folks still prefer the conventional reels, the freefall types put out by 13 Fishing and others have revolutionized ice fishing. They have a trigger mechanism that allows you to put your bait at a specific depth and their graphite frame is very light and maneuverable. Like anything, with time, there will be technological advances and these are just a few that have kept a group of guys venturing out onto the ice in search of fish.

Two of the guys I fish with have passed the bug on to their kids who join us frequently and they did it right, in my opinion. The kids started out the same way we did back in the day. They have fished for panfish with a simple jigging rig and caught fish on a plain hook and waxworm. They have drilled a hole with a hand auger and caught a northern on an old-style tip up. You know the old saying, the more things change, the more they stay the same. In many cases, this is true. When it comes to “Outdoor Adventures,” it is also up to those of us who are a little further along the way of life, to keep the old ways alive a bit. That is easier said than done on days when the temperature is negative ten. As a kid, I am sure we would have bundled up, grabbed our buckets and ventured out onto Lake Rebecca. If I go today, it will be with a portable shelter, a propane heater, the Vexilar, and all the updated rigs I have at my disposal. Who am I kidding, I will be hanging with my coffee today. When it warms up a bit, “Get Out and Enjoy the Great Outdoors.”