An Outdoorsman's Journal

Ice Camping Challenges

Hello friends,

   One of my annual winter adventures takes place near Gladstone, Michigan and it is winter camping on the northwest tip of Lake Michigan on Little Bay de Noc. For myself I first discovered this section of hard water back in about the year 2000 and that first trip I lived out of my Jeep Eagle and all I caught was an eel pout. On the next trip I used a tent and caught a couple of beautiful walleyes.
   Two years later the gang that I run with started camping here, there were at least 20 of us. We fabricated shacks with bunks beds and four fathers and a ton of kids caught walleye, some gators and laughed our heads off. Time has passed and now all that's left is my buddies Jeff Moll and Doug Cibulka and we live on the ice for 3 nights, generally catch some big walleye and have a very difficult time eating supper before midnight and going to sleep before 3:00.

   Tuesday, January 27th
   High 11, low minus 7

   Adversity breeds success has always been one of my mottos and it was required today. The three of us hit the ice pulling two loaded trailers of gear and a golden retriever. I found the honey hole of super, incredibly monster walleyes 2 years ago and that was where we headed.
   First, was just believing that we could drive anywhere on the ice and not get stuck, we did that and we had already got dressed in as many layers as we could handle as there was gale force winds and for 80% percent of this trip that would be the story.
   Second, was finding the right water, shallow, with deep, next was drilling holes and spreading out our tip ups before we started the monster job of rigging 2 Eskimo, "Outbreak 850 XDP" ice shacks with lights, heat, flooring and cots with the real challenge being not having them blow away until we had them properly anchored.
   Back to drilling holes, one of the main stories of this trip. Doug and I both have top of the line, 10-inch, electric augers, with 4 batteries between us. Problem number one, after 1 hole in 32-inches of ice, mine was not wanting to cut and using plenty of battery. No problem, we pulled out Doug's, it drilled a maybe 3 holes and was laboring and I knew we had trouble, clue number one, both of these drills were sharp before this trip.
   We had our tip up holes drilled, had used almost 3 of 4 batteries, generally one battery lasts an entire trip, and we needed holes for fishing in the shack before we laid down our flooring.
   There were some guys from Merril camping about 400-yards away in a dandy sleeper shack. I walked over to ask if I could borrow their drill for our final 3 holes. I was told their auger would not cut ice and they had nothing to borrow. I bulldogged 3 holes in the shack, we rigged it and life was good and the wind was blowing snow like a sand blaster outside, but not inside "Fun City!"

   Thursday, January 29th
   High 13, low minus 7

   We have now been on the ice for 40 hours and not had one bit of action. Doug Cibulka broke the ice with a 21-inch northern pike this morning and we had hope. We have bets for big gator, perch, walleye and most walleye.
   Here is our reality, milk, beer, drinking water, food, in our shack, it freezes unless it is directly in front of our Big Buddy, six inches off to the side and it's a rock.
   About noonish something hungry and heavy took my dead stick with an unlucky shiner on it and the fight was on. The boys recorded the event and in the end, I iced a 31 7/8’s inch gator, it was a fun fight on light line.
   About 4:00 pm. Mr. Moll had a flag and were we ever happy when we saw the spindle on the tip up spinning. After a good tussle my buddy iced a 31 1/2 inch gator. I felt really bad for Jeff as I really did not want him to beat me, I mean I wanted him to beat me, for a change.
   The next day was supposed to be beautiful, instead it was constant snow squalls a high of 10 degrees and a wind that could make a lot of electricity. We broke camp in that and I'm looking forward to the next outing.
   On the augers, research was done. Sounds like "dirty ice" dulled our blades.

   I am 64 and realize that in 30 years or so I might have to hang up my auger, until then, c ya on the ice!

   Sunset