This past week I went on my first winter camping/ice fishing trip. My first ice adventure of the season is always a test for myself, of the aging process, and the gear that I use.

In the years gone by, I have always passed and worked with the equipment that I have to survive and enjoy life on the ice.

Until this morning I had planned on fishing and camping on the Flambeau Flowage in Iron County. That plan changed when I was buying bait at Bridge Bait and Tackle in Park Falls and Tim Doughty suggested I fish on Smith Creek Flowage, which is a backwater of the Flambeau River and is located a couple miles west of Park Falls.

Tuesday, Dec. 20
High 30, low 22

Winter camping on the ice, especially the first trip of the season, can be a formidable task. This December, just finding safe ice requires some research and hoping that a person could use a pickup to haul their gear onto the ice is not realistic.

The first thing I did when I reached Smith Creek Flowage, which is about 200-acres, was go for a walk with my golden retriever Fire and try to find where people had been fishing (there was no one on the ice).

Tim Doughty had told me about good-sized crappie in the 11-14 inch range and the potential for northern pike and walleye.

When I found an area with several iced over holes, and where there was 15-20 feet of water, I headed back to my pickup and the real job began, which was loading my 6-foot Otter Sled with as much gear as I could fit into it.

After two trips I was at my new campsite and it was at this time that I began working with what I believe may be the best tool that I own. That tool is a brand new Jiffy Pro 4 ice auger.

I generally do not promote products but this auger is unreal. The Pro 4 runs on propane and I am predicting that the entire industry will eventually go over to propane after all ice anglers run a propane-powered auger.

I put out three tip ups, as I did not have time to jig just yet and then put up my ice shack, which is also my winter home on the ice.

I use a 12x7 foot Eskimo turkey blind-style of shack. I can easily fit two cots into it and still jig in comfort and have a kitchen.

After my camp was built, I pulled two of my tip ups and started jigging in my cabin, on the ice, with one pole and rigged the other with a slip bobber, which I had rigged with a small hook and two crappie minnows.

I had been told to be ready for a potential musky and when my slip bobber vanished I had a 10-minute fight with what turned out to be a 30-inch northern pike.

It was at that point that I started catching bluegill on the pole; I was jigging as fast I could bring them up. All the action was right off the bottom and most of the gills were small. I used a tape measure and kept several between 7 and 8.5 inches but had to do a lot of sorting.

In the middle of the day I cooked venison backstraps from a doe that I harvested with a muzzleloader, and was very excited for the late afternoon bite which I was hoping would yield some big crappie.

The fish quit biting at 3 today and I did not have another nibble until 8 the next morning. I did talk to some other fishermen who confirmed everything I had been told about large crappies and occasional musky, walleye and northern pike.

When I put up my shack there was about six inches of ice. Just before dark the ice under my cabin was down to five-inches and I was concerned that my heater might eat a hole through the ice so I said to heck with it, opened all the windows and went without heat while I slept.

I sleep on a cot inside of two sleeping bags and, as always is the case when winter camping, I slept like a baby.

The next morning I was drinking coffee and fishing long before daylight and besides several bluegills, did catch a 12-inch crappie.

By far my favorite season of the year is here. I strongly suggest getting out and enjoying it.

Happy and Healthy New Year to everyone, Sunset!

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