When it comes to ice fishing, believe me, you never know when it’s going to be your day. You can prepare and take copious notes and document everything and try to predict the perfect moment. You can play with lures and try different baits and techniques all you want, but the truth is, you just never know when it’s going to be your day to catch that trophy fish. That’s what makes it so addictive, that is what drives men like me to the ice every season, we are addicted to it.
On a cold February morning in 2015, I woke up not really wanting to go ice fishing. Addiction aside, I was feeling lazy and I was going to stay home. But my wife, Laura, who the week before had caught a Trophy Northern Pike at Baptiste Lake, was excited and raring to get out on the ice early. She convinced me that it was going to be my day, so I went.
We got on the ice at Baptiste around 6:30am and got set up with bait in the water by 7:00am. The only thing I caught all day was a small Pike and a few small Walleye. By the end of the day, in a still sunny location, I see the flag pop up on my ice rigger. So, I run over and grab the rod and reel out of the holder and set the hook on a fish that took off and nearly peeled all the line off my reel. After about 40 minutes of fighting and worrying, I pulled out a 20-pound Northern Pike. Laura, laughing, yells at me, “See I told you it was going to be your day!”. I unhooked the fish, got a quick photo and put the fish back in the water. I walked around with a giant smile on my face the rest of the day. Like I said before, you never truly know when it will happen, when the trophy fish will visit your line. If it had not been for my wife, I might have stayed home that day and missed that fish. With that in mind, what day is it today? You know, it might be your day!
Gary C. Love
About Gary. He’s a professional angler from Alberta, Canada. With over 35 years experience, we were thrilled to have him join our team of Heroes in 2017. Gary describes himself as an angler that “does a ton of fishing every year – Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Keep the fish busy!”. Thanks for the great story, Gary! Team Deeper.