Mike Rainone
Hammertime
It is quite likely that the invigorating outdoor practise of ice-fishing started many centuries ago when skilled hunters in animal skin parkas chopped a hole on a frozen lake or ocean and quietly speared their wiley prey in order to survive and support their families.
Over the years the sport of ice fishing has become a very popular outdoor winter pastime, with avid family members of all ages converging on most Alberta lakes and waterways to test their skills and drop their supersonic spoons, lures, and bait into the frigid depths for many long and happy hours to try and attract many species of elusive finned creatures.
These hardy fishing fanatics just can’t wait until the ice gets thick enough for them to dress up in layers and dash out into the fresh air with their fancy huts and trucks full of equipment and get on with some ‘laid back’ fishing fun out there among a happy day-to-day bunch of good neighbours, family, and friends. Like so many others, as a kid, I loved fishing in the old Battle River, snaring suckers at the CPR dam, catching a few big jack-fish, and selling them to the nice man at the Chinese restaurant on 50th Street for two bits apiece. Among my very favourite early memories were of heading out on Gull Lake in a real neat pontoon boat owned by my very good friend and work-mate, Gord Galbraith, trying to catch a few pickerel, perch, and pike, and then heading back to the cabin to carve them up and pop them into the pan for a glorious feast and just a few beers. I also enjoyed a family fishing excursion to a remote lake in northern Saskatchewan with my father-in-law, and while my wife caught all the fish and I got only weeds and a cold, it was he who later got me hooked on ice fishing.
The new era of ice-fishing
What I vividly recall about my first venture out onto the ice was that right away I got that ‘sinking feeling’ as we drove across Gull Lake in Lawrence’s old camper, but once we stopped, drilled some holes with the auger and dropped our lines in the water I got quite excited about trying to catch the biggest fish of the day to show off to the big crowd of ‘happy hooksters’ who were always hanging around out there on the big pond.
We didn’t have the luxury of a hut at that time, so we sat on stools or on the tailgate of the truck, huddled around a fire in a big pail if we got cold and drank lots of hot chocolate, but we always caught a few to take home for supper, where somehow Mike always managed to get out of the cleaning and cooking.
As we fast forward a decade or two there is absolutely no doubt that the keen spirit and challenge of the ice fishing family fraternity has always remained the same, but they do have to admit now that the equipment has certainly changed just a little along the way? If you look out at most of our pristine provincial lakes in the middle of winter these days one will now see a frenzy of trucks and huts surrounded by several generations of avid anglers having a great time no matter how cold or windy it may be. Many of these classic and one-of-a-kind fishing huts have been personally created and built in the garage or at the shop during the warmer seasons, while others come in all sizes and shapes with lots of fancy fixtures, can be purchased at any number of hardware or sports stores, and are even available with your own personal coloured logo on the outside. Yours truly hasn’t had the pleasure of being out on a frozen lake for quite some time, but my buddies and angling experts tell me that these present ‘fishing condos’ now come complete with everything from fish-finders to plush seats, stoves, TVs, heaters, port-a-potties, and many other amenities that make it a fabulous and comfortable family fishing experience during the coldest months of the year. I have even heard that these wiley anglers can drop their lines into the depths, then relax and have a game or an afternoon nap, to be awoken only when the bell on the rod rings to inform them that they may just have a ‘lucky strike.’
The only rules of these great winter fishing sessions out on the lakes are to only venture out when the ice is thick enough to travel on, always check the weather forecast, dress for all changing conditions, play safe, and take along a cell phone and your fishing license just in case. Then, by all means enjoy lots of refreshing fishing fun and camaraderie and hope for a great and fair catch all season long, or until it’s time to take your favourite fishing hut home safely before the spring thaw.
In the meantime let’s keep thinking spring no matter what, and then have a great week, all of you.