Ice is Nice

I've been a fisherman from the time I was 4 years old. Ever since I caught a "calico bass" on a handline while fishing from the Memorial Bridge at Island Grove Pond in Abington, Massachusetts, with my grandfather, I've been an enthusiast. I recall that my grandfather fileted this fish, but I don't recall eating it. No matter. I was hooked. Years later I caught a 4 lb. Largemouth Bass from this exact spot with a ridiculous lure of my own devising. As a teenager, I became a fishing fanatic.

Ice fishing came later. I don't recall ice fishing in Massachusetts (we played hockey on the ice), but when I came to Vermont in 1962, I promptly took up the sport. Ice fishing in Vermont is not for the faint-hearted. These days I have a 20-20-20 rule for ice fishing-more than 20 degrees F., less than 20 mph wind, and more than 20 inches of ice. With 50 degree F. temperatures today and less than 10 mph winds, I was golden.

Maybe I'm getting too old for ice fishing, but cutting holes in the ice is a lot of work. Right now there is 2 feet of ice at Keeler's Bay, one of my favorite ice fishing spots. I have never owned a gas-powered augur, preferring to cut my holes by hand. And I have never owned a shanty. One of the keys to successful ice fishing is mobility and it is hard to move a shanty around the lake. But some days I wonder. Wouldn't it be easier if.....!

Whatever. February and March are dependable ice fishing months in Vermont. Today was a glorious February day and folks who decline to go forth on the ice, flaunting my 20-20-20 rule, do not know what they are missing. The warm sun is a refreshing hint of Spring and the majestic Green Mountains are simply breathtaking. And the fishing is good. Using a simple ice fishing rod and a double hook set up of a Rapala ice fishing lure and a single gold spinner with perch eyes attached, I caught about 30 Yellow Perch in less than an hour. I caught no pike or pickerel this time, my main quarries, but they will come soon. The spawning season is less than a month away. For the moment-the ice is nice!