I had a very busy day yesterday. Detailed all the houses, hauled north carolina out to the area I’m fishing. Moved. augered and banked florida. I had to get 3 loads of snow from shore to bank it. Wow a lot of shovling the back got a work out yesterday. The kids did not arrive untell late so we did not fish. All the houses are being used today so we will have to wait tell tomorrow to fish. I reinstalled the overflow tank on blue thunder and still do noy have good heat. I guess the next thing to try is flushing out the heater core. I must do that today as the temps are going to keep dropping all week. We have a full house today so we will see how the area I’m fishing holds up. I still think they are fish in shallow and could have good fishing in 8 to 9 feet of water. I still have not driven over Hillmens bridges but if you travel over them go slow

Good morning to all. I hope santa was kind to everyone.
Mike and Shell left a day early ,not sure why but when I talked to them and everything was fine, they even left me a tip. Rick and Diane arrive today for a couple nights in florida, I will be heading out to move it onto fresh ice ,detail it and auger 6 holes. There is no snow on the lake so I will have to shovel snow into the back of blue thunder ugg. Mother nature at work again . The temps are going to drop this weekend so I need to make sure all the houses are moved,blocked up and banked. If your coming up I would reccomend some type of ice cleats as its slick out there. Driving out last night to check the houses when we got home from town the standing water was starting to glaze over.It would be nice if it freezes up a bit before the traffic this weekend. All the grandkids will be coming today so we will be all wetting a line over the next three days, should be fun. I need to put blue thunders overflow tank back on today . I have also been drilling out two holes to bolt the plow bracket on the frame and broken 2 drill bits. Running out of room and not sure how to get broken bits out of holes. North carolina need a little more minor work also so I have a busy xmas daay.

First off merry christmas to all from Cookie and Kellie. Last night heading out to check on Mike and Shelly and there was quite a bit of standing water on the lake. I do not think theres enough running down the holes to make big holes which is a good thing. The fishing was a bit slower yesterday for mike and shell. I told them my houses never seem to get better the second and third day. Not sure why or how to correct it other then moving the house onto fresh ice. Its very quiet out of Hillmens road with just a couple andlers out there.
Buddy Hillmen has moved most of his fleet over the pressure ridge and has them stung out every 1/4 mile or so. Looking for the bridges became a adventure I was driving nice and slow and just could not make out a bridge untell I drove over a 3 inch wide crack of open water. I then spotted the bridge to the west. The second bridge was bigger but I did not cross it as I have no intension of moving that way yet as the fishing has been good where I’m at for now. I also noticed I still have no heat in blue thunder even though the temp gauge is around 189. When I got home I topped off the radiator,I then got a funnel and topped off the overflow tank. Turns out just like I thought the over flow tank is cracked and spewed out all the antifeeze I dumped into it. I then procedded how to remove it. I had to pull the battery,then the battery trey and move all the wires for the plow. Sure as sh the tank was cracked I repaire dit with goralla glue and will put it all back together today. I hope that solves my heating problem but I may still have to flush out the heater core.
I also set up Gary and Kay the farmer I work for . They fished montana for a couple hours and landed 5 fish with quite a few misses. They fish old school with jig sticks and bobbers and then hand over hand there fish. No vexlars or rods and reels Gary did not even have a depth bomb. So I set all there lines with the vexlar just off the bottom. Mike and Shell are on there own today as I have to go to bemidji this morning. Rick and Diane show up tomorrow.

WOW 35 degrees all day yesterday with a 15 mph wind melted all the snow again. Its 34 right now and never got below freezing last night. Headed out last night to check on Shelly and Mike. They had 5 in the bucket and caught there 6th keeper while I was there. Shelly fishes with out a vexlar or bobber and just jigs and waits for a bite . What a great way to fish as when a fish hits its such a surprise. Seems moving that 100 yards payed offed for now.
I buttomed up blue thunder yesterday and will take it out this morning to check out the three bridges crossing the pressure ridge out of hillmens. Buddy moved a few of his houses over the ridge yesterday. I will more then likly wait to push out as the fishing is fine where I’m at for now. Talking to Buddy it sounds like theres still a good bite in 8 feet of water but everyone wants to be further out. There were a couple portables fishing shallow yesterday and they never moved? I did not want to bother them so will have to wonder how they did. The family is coming up for xmas so I need to prep a few extra fishing rods for the gang as we plan on wetting a line. I also have to get north carolina out of the woods today as It is rented just after xmas. I may have to haul snow off shore again for banking the way it looked last night.

Spent my morning detailing old minnesota and doing a little fishing. I got my 3 for lunch and missed a couple more. Fatheads on a rattling flyer and vexlar. Missed a couple on the rattle wheel also. Jim and Mark are heading home and did well with the move. They went exploring yesterday and said they caught more in the house then fishing outside on the lake. Thanks guys

For sone reason it has been slow for quite a few fishermen the last couple days. Not sure why. I’m heading out this morning to wet a line . 34 degrees out good day to auger some holes and fish outside. Yesterday I moved florida and montana. Jim and Mark helped move montana as they are here one more day. Mike and his wife arrive later today for florida.
Tomm the local mechanic would not borrow me the tool I need for blue thunder as its a expensive tool and easy to break. I think I have a plan b and will try and buttom her up today with out driving all the way to bemidji. I have a couple days before I need to move old minnesota and stilll have to get North Carolina my new two man house out of the woods. I can move houses with the red baron but would rather use blue thunder as I can then un bank and bank the houses

From every thing I heard the fishing was a bit slow yesterday. Mark and Jim are here one more nite so I will move them today..I also have to move florida as Jim and his crew check in at 2. Kellie and I had freash fish with the guys in minnesota and florida last nite. Frank the rimg leader, Swaggs, little buddy/Dan, Mike and Bradly. We then played some texas holdem and had a good time. We got another lite coating of snow last night. Blue thunder is still down . I need a special tool to put a bubble on the trans line so the hose does not come off I will check with Tom later today to see if he has one. I will have to move the houses with the red baron which is no big deal. I never got to talk to the guys in the cabin and will have to wonder how they did.

At one point yesterday both the red baron and blue thunder were down ugg. The red baron was a esy fis as the starter connection went bad and I had no ignition. A two hour fix and she was up and running. Blue thunder on the other hand has turned into more of a project.I had a charlie brown moment and installed the trans cooler on the wroung side of the radiator, I had to improvise reeasttaching it as I ruin the four clips that came withthe kit. Then the bottom trans line broke in the new radiator ugg again. I will have time to work on it again today and hope to have it up and running for my nightly rounds.
Jim amd Mark checked into montana and have had slow fishing with only 2 keepers and two jumbo perch ,they plan on using there portable today and fish a rock pile that Jim found a few years back if they can get there. Frank and his crew are having a blast ,there playing cards, drinking beer and catching enough fish for a late nite fish fry. There a hoot and are constently shelling each other. They stay down at the lake every opener.
We got about a half inch of snow last night which will help with the banking.
Frank at North Country food and fuel said from his house on the shores of upper red lake he could drive all the way to center bar with no pressure ridges.He has his house four miles out and said its just crazy out on center bar. Buddy Hillmen was scoping out a path to cross the pressure ridge so we can push west and finish his road. I need blue thunder up and running today

Lee and Larry stayed in montana last night and I went out and had duinner with them .I caught a jumbo jumbo perch and 1 keeper walleye while visitting. They had fish for lunch yesterday. It was nice of Lee to clean fish outside instead of the fish house. I headed over to Gary’s and welded up some ends for north carolina and Lee and I beefed up the ends. I hope to haul her out once I have blue thunder running again and will have a two manWe had a very productive day yesterday. Lee and Larry not Carl, banked montana and florida with snow shovels as blue thunder is still down. We moved florida next to minnesota for Frank and his crew that will be here this morning around 8am, I will be heading out shortly to auger the holes in minnesota and florida. sleeper. I then headed to bemidji to get radiator and transmission cooler which I will install today.
The road and Ice is in great condition. Stay away from the pressure ridges as there unstable

Lee and Carl arrived around 3 yesterday and I sent them out to bank minnesota by hand. I moved a little snow around with the v-plow on red baron earlier when I was cleaning florida(I still gt a kick out of vacumming the fish houses) so they have some to work with. They also augered the holes and will fish and relaxe untill today when I put them to work. They had three keepers when I talked to them at 6 and were going to have fresh walleye for dinner. I drove the 1 ton out there yesterday, the red baron ,I went nice and slow and had no issues. I only drove where I have been driving to the houses. Theer were a few fishermen out of hillmens but very quiet out there. Buddy Has scoped out the pressure ridge and has a plan once we need to go further west. For now the fishing is still good a mile out. All though one of the spots we scoutted last week we were the closest fishermen to shore and we landed 3 at the crack of dawn before we moved.