Lake Trout...Finally

After what seemed to be an endless fall and early winter, I took my first Lake Trout ice fishing trip of the year this past weekend. After much planning and snow machine wrangling, I met up with the Smoked Fish Guy, Chief MLB, the Lieutenant, and the Farmer and we headed north early Friday morning. It was slow going at first with icy roads, but we made it to the border, where the Smoked Fish Guy and I were selected for a more thorough search by the Canadian authorities (once again). We passed the inspection, and drove another hour through rural Canada to our destination lake. After checking in at the lodge we were staying at, we got the snow machines going and cruised through deep snow to our first fishing spot, "Trout Point." I had had good luck at that spot last year, but this year it was slow. The Smoked Fish Guy had some bites, including a bite off by a bigger musky or pike and Chief MLB caught a small trout. We cruised back to the cabin at dusk with more snow falling, hitting a big pile of slush on the way in, but no one got stuck. We enjoyed visiting and catching up that evening while eat smoked ribs provided by the Smoked Fish Guy. Delicious. We talked fishing for a while with Smokey Joe, one of the lodge managers. He offered to go fishing with us the next day, which we gladly accepted.

On Saturday it dawned cold and clear, with a bit of a breeze. We made a longer run out to "Old Baldy," a spot I had not tried before. Chief MLB caught four trout right away, seemingly before the rest of us had even gotten our jigs to the bottom. Smokey Joe also caught a couple trout in short order. The Lieutenant and Farmer had a bit of luck as well, but the Smoked Fish Guy and I managed to keep losing the fish we hooked, sometimes right at the hole. Around noon, fishing stagnated and the other fellows took off east in search of a new spot that Smokey Joe pointed out. The Smoked Fish Guy and I stuck it out on Old Baldy and it paid off, as the SFG got a very nice trout and I caught a nice eater. I did lose a bigger fish at the hole again (sigh). We cruised back to the cabin at dusk, again hitting some slush. The amount of slush seemed to be increasing. We had grilled trout for supper, perfectly prepared by the Chief.

Sunday morning was frigid, but sunny. It took the snow machines a little while to get fired up and the Lieutenant had some issues with a stuck choke, but eventually we all got rolling towards a new spot to try. Unfortunately, the slush had really come up on the lake over night. We had to keep our speed up to avoid getting stuck in the messy snow/ice layer on the lake. Finally, Chief MLB, the SFG and I set up on a point off "Love Island." The SFG caught two lake trout right away, including a 5-6 pounder. It took me a bit longer to get started, but soon I had pulled four trout up, including a 7-8 pounder. Chief didn't have any luck, nor did Farmer or Lieutenant where they had set up. The sun went under that afternoon and a chilling wind picked up, which, when combined with a subdued afternoon lake trout bite, inspired us to go back to the cabin a bit earlier. The return ride revealed even more slush had formed on the ice surface, but again, no one got stuck. We had a variety of sausages and potato dumplings made by the Farmer and Lieutenant that night. The fellows surprised me with some generous gifts as Sunday was my birthday. It was really thoughtful of them to remember. There was another big surprise as well-a birthday cake brought down by Smokey Joe. It capped off a great day.

Monday morning revealed a fresh batch of snow that was still coming down. The SFG and I fished right outside the lodge's front door. He caught a nice trout and lost one. I managed to catch two very small perch. The other guys went to a nearby island and Chief MLB caught the fish of the trip-a 10.5 pound laker. I couldn't think of a more deserving fellow. After packing up the gear and eating a bit of stew, we headed down the road back to home. The roads weren't real hot due to the snow, so it was a slow trip, but we made it unscathed.

It was a great way to start the season and a very fun time with good friends. By the last day of the trip slush was beginning to take over the entire lake. I hope that clears up before my next trip.