Ice Fishing Convenience
Prior to having a snowmobile. I would load all me ice fishing gear, auger, pop-up shack, heater, and more and drive to a boat launch for access to the lake and follow some plowed path to a spot near some other shacks and then set it all up. From my cabin to having a couple lines in the water was about 1/2 an hour with the shack popped up and in place and the heater just started. Really not bad at all. Just limited by the access I have to the lake and plowed paths. When there is deep snow on the lake, venturing off the paths can lead to getting hung up on the snow.
But now I have a new way to approach ice fishing. I already have a utility sled and now what I can do is hook the sled to the back bumper on the snowmobile and load it with my gear and head out to fish, anywhere I want. There are some spots I want to fish that are not very accessible, unless one has a snowmobile. One spot in particular is a great spot to hook Perch and is not far from my Cabin. Previously unfishable by me in the winter. I went there last week on a beautiful sunny day. Did not bother with the shack as my snowmobile riding clothes were plenty to keep me warm. Drilled a few holes and started pulling out Perch almost right away. Rode back to the Cabin for some supplies and back at the fishing for a few more hours. Wonderful day.
There are other spots I hope to try this weekend, the last weekend before the ice fishing season closes. One spot is just off a shelf where the water depth falls from 6 feet to 20 feet and is one of my summer fishing hot spots. I will know tomorrow if the Pike are there in the winter as well.
