01-17-2005, 06:22 PM
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]My friend and I rode back out to FG over the weekend on a whim and we worked the old river channel and quick drops (for the most part) for a few miles between Halfway Bay and south Confluence point area. The Mac bite was slow to say the least but I managed to ice a couple like last trip but zero monsters this go-round. Infact, I only seen perhaps 10 small dogs caught the entire weekend and by far Lost Dog was the most popular spot to fish if a person wanted company.. The Bow bite was hotter than the Mac by a long shot and in depths from 6' - 14' so late Sunday afternoon we tinkered with Bows before coming home. But the weather was nice all weekend. Highs about 30, lots of sunny with very little W on both Saturday and Saturday. In fact, Saturday I had to get rid of most of my warm wear by noon because I was baking in it! Friday it was a bit breezy at times and Sunday it was cloudy but the big W's left us alone. Other than a little around the shorelines its pretty much open water from Current Creek bay and south. [/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]The "Big Slash" took place just after sun down Saturday evening over a water depth of about 40'. [/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]All day Friday and Saturday we'd drove my wheeler back and forth several times over a pressure ridge that had broken then re-frozen sometime in the past. The ice at the plessure fracture was cloudy on the south side but it was easy to see it was 10" thick due to the small crack lines but the north side it was covered in about an inch of snow. Just as the sun was about to set Saturday my friend returned from the Blacks Fork Arm to a spot we'd fished early Saturday off the Confluence we're we mark a few earlier and I decided we do a little night fishing instead of heading in. We had every thing we needed with us including the Coldfooters Hilton set up and ready to go, but, we'd didnt have the lanterns,, (DAH!)... Well just as the sun was about to set I decided to run back on the wheeler to the pickup parked south of Confluence Point and grab the lanterns and fire up the pickup to make sure all was good,, (it was supposed to dip down around -3) and I didnt want to have problems when it was time to head for the motel room. However, due to the fact it was getting dark and I was running without my headlight turned on I couldnt tell the pressure ridge had re-broken suddenly I drove straight into the water! My heart dumped straight up my throat as the bike and I started downwards and a large blanket of water came over me from the front tire! Before entering the water I couldnt tell it was again water on the far side of the ridge and NO way to stop in time because I was traveling at 15-20mph when I entered the water. But lady luck was on my side this time because there were still two large slabs of ice under the water forming a V at the bottom witch held me and the wheeler up long enough for me to power my way up back up the second slab of ice and out of the water on to the hard deck again (a distance of about 30'). All I can say is,, I feel very lucky and Thank God I had tire chains on the old wheelers tires. I dont think I would have came up hill without them! The wheeler actually dropped down to wear the tires were completely under water before it started back up hill. Needless to say I got soaked, lol! We do carry 2way hand helds so I radio my friend and said I'd be back in about an hour (about the amout of time it would take me to load the wheeler, drive out from where the pickup and atv trailer was parked at that point, up the highway, and back in to where my friend was. On the ice its probably about a 1/2 mile trip from where we'd parked the pickup to where my friend was. But by a snowy dirt road, then the highway, and another longer dirt snowy road, its probably 20 mile trip. [/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]So I trailer the bike, shed the soaken wet outter layer, and off I went. Once the rode trip was over to Lost Dog and I was again at the shore line and I tossed on dry outter wear and tried to fire up the bike to ride out to my friend was waiting (who was still fishing outside of the Hilton just north of Confluence point by way of the portable sun). I had to thaw out the ignition and choke switches on the wheeler because it had also gotten soaked in the big splash and had frozen solid after be pulled an hour or so on the the trailer. But when all was said and done a lantern hanging from the handle bars under the switches and draped with a shop towel did the trick to thaw the switches in a few minutes and I slipped back onto the hard top at about 7pm. and to the Hilton. We then fished all toasty in the C-Hilton until about 10.30pm without a single taker, LOL!! [/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Needless to say I feel extremely lucky to be able to pass on this report of the past weekends events. I blame the Saturday evening ordeal completely on my lack of caution and not paying attention. Those of you that have known me for awhile and on this board know that I live for Ice fishing and have for 40+ years. I wouldnt normally end up in such a situation as I didnt Saturday evening but being in a hurry to get set up for night fishing I tossed caution out the window and blew across the ice to get light and that was a mistake that I knew better than to do. Have I learned form it? No doubt! And I hope its taught you old timers to the ice as well as new comers to ice fishing something also.. [/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Yep, I feel pretty Lucky and it sure made my old backside pucker but I didnt see my life pass before my eyes, just ice cold water, so now its back to the business of ice shishin' FG again soon. I'm sure glad I had tire chains on the old wheeler though! [/size][/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]The "Big Slash" took place just after sun down Saturday evening over a water depth of about 40'. [/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]All day Friday and Saturday we'd drove my wheeler back and forth several times over a pressure ridge that had broken then re-frozen sometime in the past. The ice at the plessure fracture was cloudy on the south side but it was easy to see it was 10" thick due to the small crack lines but the north side it was covered in about an inch of snow. Just as the sun was about to set Saturday my friend returned from the Blacks Fork Arm to a spot we'd fished early Saturday off the Confluence we're we mark a few earlier and I decided we do a little night fishing instead of heading in. We had every thing we needed with us including the Coldfooters Hilton set up and ready to go, but, we'd didnt have the lanterns,, (DAH!)... Well just as the sun was about to set I decided to run back on the wheeler to the pickup parked south of Confluence Point and grab the lanterns and fire up the pickup to make sure all was good,, (it was supposed to dip down around -3) and I didnt want to have problems when it was time to head for the motel room. However, due to the fact it was getting dark and I was running without my headlight turned on I couldnt tell the pressure ridge had re-broken suddenly I drove straight into the water! My heart dumped straight up my throat as the bike and I started downwards and a large blanket of water came over me from the front tire! Before entering the water I couldnt tell it was again water on the far side of the ridge and NO way to stop in time because I was traveling at 15-20mph when I entered the water. But lady luck was on my side this time because there were still two large slabs of ice under the water forming a V at the bottom witch held me and the wheeler up long enough for me to power my way up back up the second slab of ice and out of the water on to the hard deck again (a distance of about 30'). All I can say is,, I feel very lucky and Thank God I had tire chains on the old wheelers tires. I dont think I would have came up hill without them! The wheeler actually dropped down to wear the tires were completely under water before it started back up hill. Needless to say I got soaked, lol! We do carry 2way hand helds so I radio my friend and said I'd be back in about an hour (about the amout of time it would take me to load the wheeler, drive out from where the pickup and atv trailer was parked at that point, up the highway, and back in to where my friend was. On the ice its probably about a 1/2 mile trip from where we'd parked the pickup to where my friend was. But by a snowy dirt road, then the highway, and another longer dirt snowy road, its probably 20 mile trip. [/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]So I trailer the bike, shed the soaken wet outter layer, and off I went. Once the rode trip was over to Lost Dog and I was again at the shore line and I tossed on dry outter wear and tried to fire up the bike to ride out to my friend was waiting (who was still fishing outside of the Hilton just north of Confluence point by way of the portable sun). I had to thaw out the ignition and choke switches on the wheeler because it had also gotten soaked in the big splash and had frozen solid after be pulled an hour or so on the the trailer. But when all was said and done a lantern hanging from the handle bars under the switches and draped with a shop towel did the trick to thaw the switches in a few minutes and I slipped back onto the hard top at about 7pm. and to the Hilton. We then fished all toasty in the C-Hilton until about 10.30pm without a single taker, LOL!! [/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Needless to say I feel extremely lucky to be able to pass on this report of the past weekends events. I blame the Saturday evening ordeal completely on my lack of caution and not paying attention. Those of you that have known me for awhile and on this board know that I live for Ice fishing and have for 40+ years. I wouldnt normally end up in such a situation as I didnt Saturday evening but being in a hurry to get set up for night fishing I tossed caution out the window and blew across the ice to get light and that was a mistake that I knew better than to do. Have I learned form it? No doubt! And I hope its taught you old timers to the ice as well as new comers to ice fishing something also.. [/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Yep, I feel pretty Lucky and it sure made my old backside pucker but I didnt see my life pass before my eyes, just ice cold water, so now its back to the business of ice shishin' FG again soon. I'm sure glad I had tire chains on the old wheeler though! [/size][/font]
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