Went fishing on Saturday,01/27/2007 South West North Dakota, Weather forecast was winds 25 with gusts to 35 , zero degrees, Got to the lake and we were kind of out of the wind loaded all our stuff onto the trailer and headed out with four wheeler, got to our spot and started to drill my first hole I thought I was going to Punch a bunch of holes as I had just touched up my blades on auger, it cut great on the last trip in 18", Set it down and it just hopped up and down on the ice , I quit and looked in the hole nothing started again and it would not touch the ice, ended up having to sit on it to cut 6 holes , whats up, buddy was having same trouble with his , could it be the ice became tempered as it was 60 degrees a couple days earlier? Took my new portable suitcase style shack since I thought we would be able to get out of the wind
.Took us each an hour to get set up. It was so cold the minnows would freeze to your hand while you put them on your hook, the humidity was so high anything made of steel would stick to your hand for an instant, and the minnows were stiff before you could get them in the hole.We fought the cold all day , We were using cans of charcoal next to our holes to keep them open. The holes in my ice house would not stay open and skimmed those to keep open.Missed two each when we first got set up then caught one at noon and nothing till 3:30, when the guy I went with said he was spooling' I decided I would stay till dark
. I loaded everything I did not need on his trailer and took to my truck , then pulled my truck close to where I would be, and left running because by now it was at least 5 below, he came down and checked on me before he left as it is close to 10 miles to the nearest farmhouse if any. While he was there I had two bobbers down, missed them both, while we talked the wind died for the first time all day, He took off and the fish did not give me a break, wound up with my biggest ever walleye 25" missed four or five huge fish,caught my limit. It was so cold every time I would real up my depth got messed up on my slip bobbers so one time While I was checking bottom I had that big weight on a clip gizmo, a frosties glow spoon and two minnows on I tagged bottom ,set depth and dropped down to check, when I picked up I thought I was hung on bottom, then it started taking line, I managed to get it near the bottom of the hole and saw the largest walleye I have ever seen, It must not have known what it picked up in his mouth cause he came up like lead until he saw the hole then he headed straight down in the confusion I let the line touch my hot can and he was free and I was sick
.The fish were still biting when I decided I better get out of there as I was probably the only idiot out there within 20 miles. I had to lift all my stuff up two separate 4' high spots left when the lake receded several times.Got to the top of buttes and called buddy to let him know I got out OK. Great day in the end, glade we made the trip but way too cold for one guy to be miles from anywhere alone. Someone was looking out for me though, I got home parked my truck until Monday morning,started it and went in to let it warm up, when I got out it had died, jumped it twice, would not run without cables, had it towed and the alternator had gone out.Man am I glad to have made it home safe.
