Fishing, Riding, Relaxing

[skiroule]

My wife and I decided a fishing/riding trip would be a good way to see in the new year so the Monday after Christmas we loaded up two “snow machines”, three dogs, ice fishing sled, gear, and extra food (just in case) and headed north to the Canadian side of Lake of the Woods.

We didn’t tear up the fishing but we caught enough keepers each day we fished to have a hearty fish dinner in the evening. The bite was mostly small Saugers with an occasional 14 – 15” mixed in. The Walleyes weren’t as plentiful but averaged 15 – 16”, perfect eating size in my book. We also caught a few small Perch, which we kept because I love Perch. I did lose one big Walleye when I screwed up trying to get him in the hole. He probably wasn’t a personal best but I got a good look at him and he was big.

Temps were cold but not extreme. I think the coldest day was about -27 but it was below zero about 90% of the time and the wind was in the 15 – 25 mph range most days which made for some impressive wind chills. By the time we got in from fishing the fish were froze solid and had to be thawed out to be cleaned. Sorry but I’m not stuffing Walleyes in my pants just to keep them from freezing. We woke up to snow and zero visibility today so our trip got extended a day. It cleared up later in the day and it was time to do some joyriding around the area which is essentially deserted this time of year. Lots of mogul pounding today after the snow/wind.

Sleds ran great. Three pulls and the TX fired up even on the coldest days. Very pleased with the Voyageur, surprisingly good ride, super-smooth clutch, great for pulling the sled and when not pulling it goes as fast as I want (and need) to go. Think it was a bargain at the price.
As fun as the fishing/riding was, it felt great to get back to a warm cabin at night, kick back, have a good meal and a refreshing beverage or two and listen to some music.

Hoping to get back up in Feb. and give it another go.
Here is a little photo set from the trip.

Drilling test holes at -51 windchill

Our setup

Typical eaters

My wife seemed to prefer the new sled

Bigfoot comes to mind

Just couldn't resist

What a difference a day makes - after the snow/wind

My favorite time of day on the lake

 

[rp7x]

very nice

 

[6hundy6]

Cool stuff eh! Nice set up. The ol TX is looking sharp!

 

[Deleted member 10829]

Very nice Kelly! What a trooper your wife is to be out in that weather!! The Voyageur is ideal for that application. I hope this gets enough views in this area.

 

[HardwaterHoosier]

Nice looking outfit and fish.

 

[skiroule]

Thanks guys, it really was a great trip and it was pretty fun to be able to use the TX on the lake – think I might be entering my second childhood. Most likely you now have some idea of how much my wife likes to fish and 9 times out of 10 she will out-fish me (didn’t on this trip though).

We’ve done our share of boat fishing but this is the first year we’ve really geared up for ice fishing and we had never winter fished this area so we were happy to just find some fish. Picking spots was just based on hard-copy charts and a hunch. It’s not like you could ask anyone. There is no one around.

The Fat Fish is not as fast as a pop-up but we like the room and I’ve made some floor boards for it so it’s very comfortable. We can set it up and tear it down pretty quick now.

Yeah, I guess this thread could have gone in more than one area but since the main focus was fishing it seemed like a good fit. Plus I might actually get “Catfish Hunter” up through the hole next time and have a big fish photo.

Hardwater, it looks like we’re running a similar boat rig. Sure looks like an Alumacraft Trophy to me.

 

[garyl62]

Nice looking set-up and sounded like a good trip. Always fun to hear the winter fishing stories.

 

[gogebic_sledder]

Nice write up, where on LOTW were you just curious. The voyager looks like a great sled for fishing

 

[skiroule]

For lack of a better description, I would say we have been fishing the east-southeast portion of the lake. We’ve fished some in Sabaskong Bay but mostly the areas west of that bay. There is a nice public launch at the end of highway 621 (north of Morson) that we use in the summer.

Hoping to get back up in February – I have a score to settle with a big Walleye. Sounds like the fish might be getting a little more active now.

The Voyageur has turned out to be a pretty fun sled. I think going to the RMK style chassis was a huge improvement. I was impressed at how well it handled the windblown drifts after the snowstorm. The 155 Cobra track is a plus. Yes, it's old school but the air cooled engine is nice for running on marginal snow and for pulling at low speed. Now I just need to teach it to find fish.

 

[skiroule]

Decided to switch up the bait and go with green this fishing trip. John Deere "Mean Green" to be specific. It isn't real pretty but maybe the fish aren't into pretty.

Hoping to have at least one fish pic to show for our efforts. If not, just getting a vintage sled on Lake of the Woods is worth the trip. -21 this morning, -38 windchill.

 

[Deleted member 10829]

Glad to see you got her running and are using it! Very cool.

 

[skiroule]

Yep, so far the Deere has been rock solid.

Had a little visibility issue of our own for awhile today.

No big fish pics (yet anyway). We seem to be stuck in Saugerville. Not much for size but mighty tasty. Catching fish is always good but this is another reason to winter fish - amazing sunsets.

 

[skiroule]

Gambled on a couple of big Walleye spots today and lost. The lake won today, but it still beats being at work. Besides, after a nice glass of red wine and an awesome northern lights display, I tip my hat to the winner.

My wife decided to head back early and I think I’ve found my second ice fishing machine. The Deere was happy as a clam pulling the sled back.

Saying goodbye to the lake for the winter but we’ll be back.