My North Country Winter Hobbies - No. 1 Ice Fishing

When you live in the North Country, with our long (sometimes snowy, sometimes icey, sometimes brown)winter, you either have to learn to find hobbies to do to get you through the winter or be extremely bored.  I have plenty of indoor hobbies, but I am an outdoor person at heart so I go ice fishing with the BF.  Of course we rarely keep anything, only maybe some larger walleye or perch but it does get you out of the house for at least a morning and a little exercise since I run everytime I have a flag!  For those of you non-ice fishing people, each person gets 5 tip-ups that have a reel, a hook, a minnow and a flag, you setup each on in a hole and leave it until you get a bite and the flag comes up and you have to go pull it in and see if there is a fish on the other end!

The BF's checklist for a successful fishing trip with me:

1.  I fall down at least once - check
2.  I royally screw something up - check
3.  I get cold - check
4.  I want to go home - check
5.  Maybe and just maybe we catch some fish. - check

This trip was a success by completion of the checklist above.  I am a clutz, therefore me + ice = guaranteed fall. I got so excited when I actually had a flag that I pulled up the line and left it in a pile and it got a huge knot, the BF was not impressed, but he still got the knot out :).  After spending over $120 on some excellent cold gear and smartwool socks from Wear On Earth in Potsdam, NY and wearing new Columbia boots the BF got me for Christmas, rated for -65 F, my feet still got cold!  The rest of me was toasty in my new extreme weight Terramar  base layers, which will also be excellent for snowshoeing, outdoor skating and hiking!  Good luck with all your outdoor winter endeavors!  I will share other pictures of mine!

My First Northern Pike of 2010, the funniest part is I will hold or pull in one of these fish and try to run away at the same time, they are so ugly!!

Brandy Brook St Lawrence River Waddington, NY

Brandy Brook St Lawrence River Waddington, NY

My 2nd Pike

My 3rd Pike