After we decided to wake for the morning runs (catching the fish who seek for their breakfast), we woke up at 7:30. morning runs are at about 6:00-6:30: at the crank of dawn. So, I guess we missed them. Mark got the ice hoger running, and made 2 holes. Gary then continued from there, drilled some more holes, and taught me the complicated method for drilling a hole in the ice – you hold the ice hoger, and let it drill for you. Don't press it down, just don't let it spin or shut down. Oh, and pull it up when you're done. By the time Gary and I drilled the holes, Clair followed us and cleared the holes from the ice and snow packed around it and in it, so it will be ready to use. So, I made also a few holes, and then I went over to Mark, to see how he sets the tip-ups:
Get the minnows from the minnow net (under the water, of course, on the other side of the tent.
Get the tip-up, the cooler with the minnows, a small net to get the minnow out of the cooler, get the big hard metal net (I know it has a real name) to clear the hole (if it froze). Of course, so need also a small weight, so you can drop the line faster
Open the tip-up, attach the weight, and let the line go all the way to the bottom. Make sure you're at the bottom. Them take 2-3 feet of line back, and attach a small copper weight to the line, to mark the depth you fish at (so you'll not have to recheck the depth every fish you catch).
get the line out, and get 1 minnow out of the cooler, using the small net.
Attach the minnow to the hook. This is done carefully, because the hook goes between the spine and the internal organs of the fish, so a small mistake will cause: a. the fish will run away. B. the fish will die.
Make sure you have a weight close to the hook, so it will drag the minnow down to the depth you set.
Ease the minnow down to the bottom of the lake. Use the metal big net to clean the1 sides of the hole if needed, so you will be able to set the tip-up horizontally.
set the tip-up over the hole, and set the flag down, if you are using Gary's tip-ups you will need to set it by leaning the flag against the middle cross in the middle. In Mark's tip-ups, made from wood, you'll need to set the flag on a small metal line.
So I've also made a few holes, and set a few tip-ups. So far, the hardest part is to get the hook into the minnow – both placing it correctly, and just getting the hook in there. I guess if you're going fishing, some fish will get hurt.
We set 5-6 holes in a straight line, and once we had some activity in one of them, we set 2 more in the same depth, by going sideways. Clair marked each hole with a branch, so snowmobiles will know to avoid them. I heard that sometimes they don’t, and you might loose a tip-up while fishing. We had 2 bites them morning, which I ran too, and Gary followed me, to guide me threw. I think I touched the line too soon, because we only had bites, and no fish. I was still a rookie, and I didn’t want to finish all the fish in the lake on the first day.
Gary made us his famous sausages, and we ate them with fries, bagels and home made (Tim) bread. We toasted it all on the ferniest. What a breakfast.
After breakfast, beer and liquor we decided to try our luck on the other side of the lake, east (not down). Gary Dave and I went to try our luck elsewhere, and Clair, Mart and Tim stayed in the tent, to get the holes running. Before we left, Gary and I boiled some water, so I will have some water to drink. After all, my body is not used to the type of bacteria in the water in a frozen lake. So we boiled a pot of water and set in on the ice, so it will cool down. It did, and also it sank until it reached the handle, which is made of wood.
Dave drove there, and I was supposed to follow; only my machine did not start. It took us about a minute to get it running, and I went after Dave. I taught I saw him, but after a while I wasn't sure, so I turned around. Gary noticed I'm coming back, so he came over to see what's wrong. I just didn't want to get lost. I followed Gary across the lake, and so a group on the ice. After them was Dave, one hole with a tip-up, he is sitting on his snowmobile, with a beer in his hand. We made some holes, and set the tip-ups. Gary explained to me the complicated rules of fishing in Canada: every one can have up to 2 lines at a time, there is a limit of fish you are allowed to have with you. You can have only 2 lake trout, but then if you eat one of them, you are allowed one more. For Northern Pikes the total is 3 fish per person. Gary also explained to me about the jigging – setting a small fishing rod, called a jigging rod, over the hole. Then I remembered that he explained on the way about the jigging: if Dave has a fish, but the fix escapes, you tell him he should have "let him run" / "set the hook". You decide which answer by the opposite of what Dave did. We stood there, tried to get a minor snowball fight with Gary, but it didn't catch. I guess he didn't want to scare the fish away. We stayed there for a few hours, and without fish we decided to head back to the tent. Over there, apparently, Tim decided to get a weekly supply of fire wood, so we heard the chainsaw working and working. Gary and I took the machines and drove along the shore, to find branches, so we can use them for isolation on the floor. We got a bunch of them, and when we came back there was a HUGE PILE of fire wood in front of the tent.
4 snowmobiles came along for a visit when we came back. The mysterious trapper whom we were supposed to visit on Sunday was there, with 3 of his friends. We all drank beer together. It is amazing, that on the lake, as long as you have beer, you will survive everything, and they always have enough beer out there. After the visitors left, Clair, Mark and I set the branches inside the tens, and then I went for the wood splitting exercise. I took the coat off, not to sweat too much, and got on with it. We heard from them that they also had no luck, which is odd, because usually that lake has lots of fish in it, and they love eating the minnows. Night came down, and with it some more alcohol – beer and liquor. Dave Mark and Tim got the BBQ going, so we can toast and make meet. At the beginning it didn't work so well, but eventually Dave fixed it. We have potatoes, which Clair pealed and cut, and then we dip-fried them. Also we had burgers, with buns. We had more food then we could eat, but eventually, we finished it all. Nothing goes to waste on the ice.
We finished eating, and got outside. We stood and made some more tasting of the liquor. Then Dave got the bowling ball on the counter, placed a hat on him, added a cigarette in the lower hole, and he was names "Wilson". The name was a must… then Wilson met the ice again, and we started passing around the bowling ball, playing soccer with it. Each of us tried to be wiser, and pass the ball in a new way, but it is a bowling ball, so your options are not as large as a real soccer ball. After we were done with playing soccer, we drank some more, and went to sleep. I made sure I will not sleep at the far corner, so Mark switched places with me. We all got saddled in, and then Tim asked Gary: "how about a good night sip?" Gary replayed: "only if Dave will go outside and bring it". Dave jumped on the opportunity, and said "sure, I'll go", but there was no need for that. Tim pulled out a bottle of peach schnapps, which made most of us happy and sweet dreams.
I hope you'll have some too. Good night.
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