losing tracks of days can be grueling to say the least.
Will start with John, Bernie, Ryan and Tom the giraffe slayer first. This is there third year and I be leave staying the longest of all my guest over the years on the ice. 4 nights. Two of them left the lake after we dug out for a few supply’s other wise they just fish, play a little cribbage, eat good and enjoy each others company. Just a great group of guys that fish hard.
The first night they got 7. Wednesday when the temps kept climbing they all fished outside all day and managed to catch around 30 fish with one, yes one elusive yet still catchable upper red lake crappie.
While they fished Jonnny boy and I kept busy as I made moves and plans for the up and coming snow and winds. I had every thing scouted out as I had a funny feeling my main road would be gone come Thursday. Its feels good when a plan comes together and after the wind stopped and the sun came out I was able to cut in a new road/trail with no problems. The red baron is such a huge tool, I’ll never understand how I managed to just use blue thunder 1 in the old crappies days. Looking back man did that good old gal take a beating she still lives on with many parts of her on blue thunder 2. the boom, the rear end, the front diff just to name a few. More then 3.
Jonny boy and I brought California out by us, blocked and banked, we then moved montana and north Carolina to new fishing grounds as the jersey boys would be rolling in Thursday.
Then old Minnesota was also moved and prepped. Jonny boy was shocked when he went in there and said dad what th e! I have never seen your house this messy? oops I guess I have been kinda busy and had never cleaned up much after our fantastic honey crusted walleye dinner out there Monday eve. Plus its my office, lunch room. when I’m on the lake all day. To funny.
About the time we headed in the ice was melting off the trucks as the temps had hit 34 degrees, The good old jan. thaw was here for 1 and a half days. As we were coming in I called Ron / jersey boys to verify there arrival only to be told they would not be making the trip?
Plan A had just changed to plan B. .
After coming home I loaded up the red baron and back on the lake to prep and clean old Minnesota, wet a line, and chill for a bit. My plan was not to fish the house hard as Steve and his crew would be arriving Friday. I have a pet peeve and do not like my houses fished before a guest arrival but again I was not going to fish it hard? Its kinda of a running joke how do you not fish a house hard. I only drilled two of the 6 holes and never dropped a line the first half hour out there. I finally dropped a rattle wheel down with a hammer gold gemieye and fat head. About the time I climbed up on the top bunk the rattle wheel went ding ding ding. I scrambled off the bed and gave it a good hook set plus a couple more as landed a nice 16 inch walleye. I threw him outside thinking it was still warm out I guess. I then kept cleaning and at some point put another minnow on the gemieye and dropped her down again. This time I was running the vacuum and ding ding ding my second fish . After throwing him outside I again ignored getting a line down and got all the dirty dishes put away before I re baited. At some point I dropped her down and it just kept going as the third fish must have been looking for his buddies. Lets just say he found them, as just like that, not fishing hard! I had another honey crusted walleye dinner on the menu.
Josh that is running a snowbear with guided trips om Red lake stopped by to visit for a bit before I packed it in. I stepped out side and the snow has started, the temps had dropped big time and my fish were frozen cigrs?
Thursday morning with 4 to 5 inches of snow and winds howling out of the nnw just as I expected the roads were gone and the lake looked like the moon.
I found out the hard way as I got a call from a guy named Rick that was stuck out there in a snow bank. Blue thunder and I headed out and 2 hours later we had him safe to shore but it was quite the adventure. Slow and patient was the key as there was no one to pull me out if I got stuck.
By early afternoon the snow stopped, the sun came out and the winds dropped just enough to re open all the main roads. with 5 plow trucks running full steam we had 90 percent of it reopened and called her a night around 9 pm. 7 hours straight plowing. Buddy and his help Kelly headed out earlier in the white out conditions to move houses before we started plowing. Talk about experience and confidence.
Yesterday we got all our customers checked in and last night every house had a few? plus I had set up Keith and his son Andrew in there wheel house on a secret spot and they had 5. Ken in his wheeh house also had 5 and got 1 while I was visiting. I also got a spot plowed for Barndon in his wheel house as he wanted a spot away form everybody. I had been plowing and checking a spot so looking forward to see how they have done over night.
well the red baron is running and I’m off to at good bye to john and his crew and get north Dakota on a new spot for Scott and his crews arrival.