Monday, October 13th: After sitting around the house like a slug on Sunday and watching three football games I decided to take today off from work and hit Island lake. After-all the clock on the open water season is rapidly ticking down. So at 8:30 this morning I pulled out of the driveway into a downpour bound for the Abbot landing. I don't relish the thought of fishing in the rain, but I figured why not give it a chance. Besides it was a warm day.

By the time I got to Chalstroms my mind was turning on me. It was raining harder and the guy on the radio said were were in for a day of a soaking rain. I walked into Chalstroms and walked over to the minnow tank. The clerk walked over to me and said you are either a die-hard or nuts. I quickly answered that I was neither and that I had decided that I wasn't mad at the walleyes anymore. We chatted for a awhile about the doe hunt that had occurred on the weekend and how pitiful the Vikings were on Sunday. After a 1/2 an hour I was headed back home.

After I parked the boat in the garage, I walked into the house and wondered what to do for the remainder of the day. It struck me rather quickly that today would be a great day to get the ice fishing gear ready.

Good story. I've been turning my attention to ice fishing gear the last couple days myself.

First ice with tip-ups for pike during the day and the 'eye bite in the evening. I'll build up to that and hope for some ice action by or shortly after Thanksgiving.

And then the buildup for January laker season, after which I generally leave my pike/'eye gear gathering dust and welcome my re-obsession with that tasty and hard fighting char. Mmmmmm, I reckon I won't be able to wait for the regular inland opener and will be walking into a Bdub lake a couple weeks before that for the lakers.

January 3rd could almost be considered a religous holiday

Makes me think about ginning up something like "The Ten Commandments of Lake Trout Pursuit."

Whatever we like to ice fish for, the ice, she is a comin! My boat's already winterized and tucked into the back yard and out of the way of the snowmobile.

I am hoping there will be enough ice on Vermillion Jan 3rd to drive across it. It has been too long since I have hiked into Trout Lake to fish. It is definitely addictive

Pray for a cold December. And almost no snow until Jan. 15. Then it can stay above zero the rest of the winter.

I have been home sick the past 2 days and I got a lot of stuff ready for rainy river, ice fishing gear was gone over weeks ago, and then Iwent through all my jigs and popped the paint out of the eyes and tied new Power Pro on some rods.
Then I took out the humminbird manual and got my graph set up just the way I like it. The 3d feature on the new Birds is just AWESOME. If you havent seen it search out Humminbirds and check it out.
Got some clothes washed and set for the trip and now mapping out spots I havent tried that I should.
Im still hoping to hit Island Lake and Fish lake a few times this fall. Maybe do Island one morning then Fish in the afternoon. Wed looks good.

Time to stick that 33 inch pig on Rainy, Steve. I can just picture you out there sitting in the boat in the garage fiddling with the electronics to get them dialed in.

Anticipation and preparation are at least half the fun, aren't they? I've got a nearly new shelter (new last year), new-to-me auger and Marcum, and just switching things out like that and getting to know the new stuff can put a twinkle in any angler's eye.

You didn't mention a camera. One must assume you'll have one along on a trophy hunt to the Rainy River.

Oh you know the camera will be there too.
Steve I need your opinion on a new digital camera. I need more zoom than my Kodam Easy Share DX7630 has. It takes great pics and I love to be able to shoot video but I want to be able to zoom in more and still get good picks. Nothing super pricey just something to be able to pull up to another boat and zap a pic of them or get a distant shot of a moose on shore. The simpler the better.
Ya playing with that new Bird is half the fun. I may figure it all out in a year or 2.
You got mail.

Everyone must be on the same page the last few days. I put the boat in storage last Thursday and got the sleds out. Sunday I cleared the deadfalls (all 22 of them) over my @1/2 mile snowmobile trail from the house to the main trail,

And I have been putting gear together for this weekend, I'm hitting Vermilion on friday afternoon with Doc Bob for eye's and maybe a little ski trolling late day. Then its off to Birchdale/Frontier for the day on saturday, then either back on Vermilion or bird hunting on sunday morning. A finer weekend would be hard to come by!!

But before all that, I've got to take Dylan out to a little rainbow lake near here on thursday, to hopefully catch enough for a nice family trout fry that night!
Its tough work but somebody has to do it

Explorer make sure you give me a report when you get back. Fishing is real good for 17-19" on the RR. Im hoping the pigs will be in by the 25th.
Oh by the way call me I have something you will want when you head to Vermillion and the Rainy River.

Vermilion's just started to catch fire. You should have great luck there, Chris.

Steve e-mail me yours keeps kicking back.

Sent!

Back at ya my camera guru.