Ice Fishing Magic

FROM WHERE I SIT Ice Fishing Magic Dec. 25, 2013  Pat DeKok Spilseth

Ice houses are beginning to appear on the frozen lakes in Minnetonka.  Are ice-fishing men escaping Christmas noise and confusion at home?  Are gals hoping to avoid piles of discarded gift wrappings and dirty dishes?  On Carman’s Bay, kids are skating on shoveled rinks at a neighbor’s home; dogs are running, pulling hard on the cross country skier braving the frigid temperatures, and snowmobilers are flying across the lake in front of our house.  

Tracks are messing with the smooth blanket of fresh snow.  In our yard and down the sidewalk are hundreds of rabbit tracks.  Buddy, our aging Beagle, gets so excited to sniff their tracks, sure he can find the bunnies.  His attention is diverted when he sniffs the scent of racoons under the deck of our house or sees squirrels flying up the trees.  Hope is eternal for our precocious hound who spends his time eating, sleeping or chasing fresh scents in our electronically-fenced yard.  WIthout the electric fence around the property, who knows where Buddy would run to catch rabbits, dogs and cats in the neighborhood.  He’s a full-bloodied hound, determined to catch something, some time!

Buddy got a Christmas present from Charlotte, the new dog in our neighborhood.  She and her mom wrapped several tasty bones in cellaphane and left them in our mailbox.  Immediately, Buddy knew the treat was for him.  Christmas morning he ate three bones in a matter of minutes.  When I asked if he wanted to share the treats, I got an angry snarl...they’re MINE, implied Buddy very strongly. 

Though Carmen’s Bay is nothing like Crappie Town, USA, of Glenwood fame back in the 50’s, we usually have about a half dozen ice house of various colors and styles on the lake in front of our house.  When I was a kid, “Life Magazine” came to Glenwood to photograph the colorful lake village of ice houses with metal street signs, dogs, skating kids and fishermen, then printed a special edition of the favorite magazine.   Lake MInnewaska in Glenwood has always attracted people who like to fish and enjoy spending days and even nights on the frozen water in their cozy houses.  They cook coffee and eat snacks while checking their red and white bobbers for nibbling fish.  I’ve heard that some folks play cards and even do a bit of gambling.

No ice boats have flown across Carmen’s Bay so far this winter.  There’s only a smidgen of time when the ice is smooth, uncluttered by snow drifts and icy ridges, for the fast boats to sail across the ice.  Their helmeted, high-speed riders fear few dangers as they careen across the frozen water.  One of our neighbors grew up on the lake so he always carries ice picks to stick in the ice, hoping to pull himself out of the water if he would break through the ice.  When Dick careens across the mirror of ice, unhalted by pressure ridges or burps of ice chunks, I’m sure he feels that he’s a rider to the sky.

Fishermen and women have a look of contentment.  Bundled in wool or flannel shirts, insulated underwear, down coats, boots, hats and glovers, they know their days of quiet solitude will stretch on for at least one more month.  Sitting in dark sheds on the ice waiting for “Wally the Walleye” is a relaxing experience.  The experience is open only to those who brave the frigid weather for a few hours of solitude on the frozen lake.  

Televisions, IPhones and radios would spoil this aura of contentment.  There’s a haunting magic surrounding ice fishing.  In today’s busy world with its complicated problems of health care, raising kids, paying bills, and aging, a candle-lit ice house is the perfect solace many seek.  It’s grand to just do nothing, just sit and stare into the icy water hole.  Ice fishing is satisfying in its simplicity...as long as the propane stove keeps the coffee warm and pumps out heat to thaw freezing fingers and toes.  690 words