My dogs first time out.

[smbrickner]

I don't know if you guys will find this as funny as I did but oh well. So my wife and I have a Golden Retriever and when he was about 9 months old I decided to take him fishing on day with me.  I went out the the permanent and started the fire and drilled a couple holes.  It was about -5 or so so a little chilly.  I had just about got everything set when my buddy calls and asks me to pick him up at the landing cuz its a steep hill and his truck is a 2wd.  So I left the dog in the shack because he was napping on the floor and I would only be gone about 5 minutes.
When I got back I realized I should have taken him with.   When I walked in I could smell burnt hair.  He had leaned up against the wood stove and melted/burned the hair on one side.  Of the 2 dozen shiners I had brought with there were 6 left.  It turns out that he sticks his head in minnow buckets and eats the shiners like a treat. 
My fault for leaving him there alone..now I either put him in the truck or tie him up outside the shack if I have to leave for any reason.

[anglinarcher]

Ha!

I remember my dogs first time out. We have a cocker spaniel and a buddy of mine and myself had just finished drilling a few holes and were setting up  when the ice shifted. Water shot out of the holes a good three four inches and we both had that sensation of sinking for a split second. It did freak us out a little bit but we felt safe since there was at least eight inches of ice. However my dog lit out of there at full speed. He made a B-line striaight for the bank about 100 yrds away and didn't look back until he was on top of a hill. He ahd the both of us rolling from his reaction! On top I had to coax him back onto the ice, which took some doing.

[Irish Jigger]

I haven't taken my boys out yet they are 9 month old Gordon Setters and have seen snow for the first time this week. They are nuts for it, they chase every thing that gets kicked up, bury thier heads in it, and look into the air with this crazy look like they can't decide which snowflake to chase. I'm wary of taking them out I've seen too many dogs hurt on the ice, pulling muscles or ripping tendons slipping on the ice and last year a friends dog got cut bad on an auger that someone didn't cover when they were done with it. I'd like to take them out but they are nuts and run like mad, and when they are together they don't pay attention to anything but kicking each others a$$. My wife and I don't have any kids so they are our babies and it would kill me (or she would) if anything happened to them.

[JimmyJr]

I haven't taken my boys out yet they are 9 month old Gordon Setters and have seen snow for the first time this week. They are nuts for it, they chase every thing that gets kicked up, bury thier heads in it, and look into the air with this crazy look like they can't decide which snowflake to chase. I'm wary of taking them out I've seen too many dogs hurt on the ice, pulling muscles or ripping tendons slipping on the ice and last year a friends dog got cut bad on an auger that someone didn't cover when they were done with it. I'd like to take them out but they are nuts and run like mad, and when they are together they don't pay attention to anything but kicking each others a$$. My wife and I don't have any kids so they are our babies and it would kill me (or she would) if anything happened to them.
(Image removed from quote.)

Beautiful dogs.  Look at the size of those paws!  What's funny is my wife and I adopted a dog from the humane society a couple years back and we always wondered what type of dog he was...looks like a Gordon mix to me.

[Irish Jigger]

Beautiful dogs.  Look at the size of those paws!  What's funny is my wife and I adopted a dog from the humane society a couple years back and we always wondered what type of dog he was...looks like a Gordon mix to me.

Very well could be. The one with the huge paws was the runt too. We got the runt and the pick. Bandit (the runt) is bigger than his brother Killian (the pick). My friend bread them he's in his 60's and it was his last litter so I jumped at the chance to get one and ended up with 2 for a great price.

[boomer91]

I remember the first time I took my german shorthair ice fishing. We were tip up fishing in the morning for northerns. My fishing partner caught a fish and threw it on the ice so he could re-set. As soon as the fish hit the ice, my shorthair grabbed it and ran! I thought he was running off to chew it up, so I was yelling trying to get him to stop. He ran right back to the truck, and dropped the fish next to it! We all had a good laugh, and ended up letting him carry the fish back to the truck the rest of the day.   

[kinwashkly]

I took my Brittany spaniel ice fishing last year to s stocked trout pound, we were using power bait , after I caught one I put it on the Ice for him to retrieve it back to me which he did, as I was re baiting my hook my other rod went off and i dropped the rod to grab the other rod and Mickey went over to the power bait and ate it!!!! the next thing I see is my rod following my dog as he tries to walk away, I told him to whoa and grabbed my pliers, thank god for barbless hooks, I took the hook out of his cheek and everything was fine, now everytime I catch a fish thru the ice he comes over and growls and snaps at the fish, pretty funny, also with tip ups he will just sit there for hours staring at the hole waiting for that d**n fish to come up the hole so he can have at it.

[Nosaj]

It was not his first time out but it was memorable.

Fletch was a 80 lb yellow lab that was super friendly typical lab.  We were out on Lake Nubanusit in Nelson NH fishing for lakers.  The action was slow and the game warden showed up and started checking our licenses.  As I was show my credentials to the game warden my cousin Mike starts yelling FLETCH NO   The game warden and I look down and Fletch has his leg up soaking the game warden from the knee down.  At that point I chewed a hole in the side of my cheek to keep myself from roaring with laughter.   I still could not keep from laughing.  The game warden didn't think there was anything to laugh about and wanted to know if I trained him to do that.   I assured him that I did not and I asked him if he had a dog and maybe Fletch could smell him on his wool pants.   At this point he even saw the humor in the act and didn't give us any further problem.  His comment then was "great now I am going to have dogs lifting their leg on me all afternoon".  He asked to use our ladle so that he could try to rinse the worst of the offense off but by that point Fletch's signature had soaked all the way in to the wool.  That was the one and only time that he had ever done that to someone but the timing could not have been better.  We had to say good bye to Fletch this November at 15 but we will never forget that Feburary day on Nubanusit.  Even though Fletch was moving very slow last winter he did make it out one time last year on a warm day when there was just a little frozen snow on the ice that made the traction perfect.

You and your dogs can have a great time on the ice....just be smart.  Take them out on days when there is good traction for them and watch your hooks and auger blades.

Jason Perron 

[Donquad]

The only thing that could of been better about this story is if he lifted his leg on Marcoo/Marcue (Sp?)
He deserved it!

[fishlessyooper]

Took my wife & two cocker spaniels ice fishing on a small inland U.P. lake.  There was a small amount of snow on the ice & it was a partly cloudy day.  Our eldest cocker (Teddy) wanted to explore the lake's shoreline & the other cocker (Oreo) wanted to play ball.  I would throw Oreo's small rubber ball & it would bounce on the ice; giving some distance to the throw.  He would promptly bring the ball back & drop it in my ice fishing hole.  Needless to say, I didn't get much fishing done (between throwing & retrieving the ball from the hole).  Teddy was happy just to explore the lake's shoreline & make my wife yell for him to come back.  A bonus to the day was that my wife laid on the ice while two hawks circled overhead.  Funny how our dogs adventures with us become everlasting memories.  Teddy has passed on due to cancer; but I feel his spirit on the ice & in the garden.  Good ice fishing to all & may your pets be safe on the ice.   Jeff

[Nosaj]

The only thing that could of been better about this story is if he lifted his leg on Marcoo/Marcue (Sp?)
He deserved it!

Fletch was on that day!!  I was trying to remember his name and it escaped me, but it was Marcoo/Marcue/Marcou.......just after he started in the area.

[Oldfart]

Nice Gordons! Just got one myself, but at 4 1/2 months he wont be on the ice this year. They can be a very hard dog to find when you are looking for great bloodlines. A very long wait to end up with pick of the litter but we got him. 

[Tainterslayer]

How about a picture of him fellow goatboy??
Thats a great story and I've always liked golden retrievers.  Hopeful some day I will have one.

[smbrickner]

I don't know how to post pictures..otherwise I will.

[hardwater7]

I got my dog as a pup from a shelter not knowing the breed. A year later one ear that the tip was missing stands up , the other hangs down weighing in at 135 lbs in lean condition. This dog will catch your eye. One evening heading back to the truck with Yogi pulling the sled a group fishing late stopped us and asked what kind of dog is that? I replied that is a "walleye hound". Craziest thing I've ever seen. He can smell a school of walleyes through 10 inches of ice in 25 feet if water. They all looked at me and my dog and each other. Without another word we continued on. It wasn't my first out with Yogi but I will never forget the blank looks on their faces!

[smbrickner]

Here he is sniffing a lil walleye I caught this spring.