My nephew, 21-year-old Riley Schuster would be with me the entire weekend and my stepsons Travis and Joey Dushek would join us for the last two days of our winter adventure. As usual, my golden retriever; Ice, and cocker spaniel; Brownie, were also our companions.

Friday, February 5th
High 29, low 11
As soon as the snowmobile is fired up for the two-mile journey to camp, Ice is off and running. The big pup knows exactly how to get to camp and loves the run.

Generally, when I do this adventure each winter I stay for three days by myself, go home for a day and then come back on the weekend with “fresh troops”.

The second trip is always easiest as I am coming to a camp that is already built, which in this case is a 6x12 portable, ice shack.
Riley and I would have until shortly after sunrise the following morning before Joey and Travis arrived so we had a side bet for the longest northern pike that would last until I went in to get boys. By dark we had kept three gators and the longest was just over 30- inches.

When I was here a few days ago I experienced some of the best fishing for northern pike that I have ever witnessed through the ice, I had high hopes that the boys would have that same experience.

Saturday, February 6th
High 24, low 8
Riley and I had an interesting experience early this morning. We were in the shack and Ice and Brownie were outside of it. Ice gave a short bark, which is rare as he is a pretty quite dog. I knew I better take a look and to my surprise, I saw Ice heading in the direction of a coyote that was 200-yards away. I figured the coyote would be off and running but I still loaded up my 30:06 as fast as I could.

When Ice was about 40 yards from the coyote, I figured I had better shoot as the coyote would be running or Ice would be too close. I tried a free hand shot and missed, moments later I had a flag and iced a 29-inch gator.

Soon after that experience, the call came from Travis and Joey and I headed in to get them. This would be Travis’s first experience here and Joey’s second, to a part of the world where you do not see a car or a house.

After their arrival, the boys put out three, tip ups a, piece and then put up a 10x10 tent to sleep in.  All three of these boys grew up ice camping and I cannot ever remember a one of them getting cold, even though I had a heater with us we didn’t even use it when we went to sleep.

As usual, we had a longest northern pike bet and we also had lots of action today, but it was small northern pike for the most part. In the middle of the day, Riley and Joey went coyote hunting and had no luck with the dying rabbit call that they were using.

When they returned, Joey iced a 30-inch gator that would eventually win him bragging rights for the weekend. I had a bigger one on, that’s head cleared the hole by about 4-inchs, my gaff man messed up and we all have a memory that will last for years. After the fish vanished below the ice, the boy that messed up declared he was done gaffing other people’s fish.

Shortly after that, Joey caught a perch that took a large shiner. This perch must have been eating lots of pizza or living near a nuclear power plant, as it was a true pig.


Joey declared he was getting it mounted and I am hoping that he can get the job on the cranberry marsh that he has been hoping to get as the boy has an addiction to taxidermy.

I had hopes of someone icing a 40-inch gator or whack’n a coyote of which neither happened. What did happen, was each of us created another awesome memory about a place that we will all think about this summer when you need sunscreen, bug spray and ice to keep your favorite beverage chilled.

Keep the kids in the outdoors and you will have life long friends when they are adults!

Sunset

Written by Mark Walters

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