Winter Fun!
Ahhh, winter is finally here. The loud drone of an ice auger chiseling its way through over a foot of ice echoes for miles across the lake, shattering the otherwise quiet morning. It may be cold out, but that won’t stop the diligent fisherman from getting his lines in the water. If you’ve never tried it before I could see where ice fishing may seem a little silly to you. ‘You’re telling me you’re gonna drill five holes, set five traps, then sit there and wait for the flags to go off all day in the freezing cold?’ Although this is definitely part of ice fishing, it barely scratches the surface of all the fun to be had on the hard water. When I was just a little kid I have vivid memories of skating around the traps with my sister, chiseling what we thought were works of art into the frozen snow and ice on the shoreline, and the unmistakable taste of the cans of Dinty Moore beef stew dad had prepared on the Coleman stove. Growing older the childhood fun has turned into getting whooped at cribbage, game after game while enjoying a few adult beverages in the warmth of a cozy shack (getting soft with age I know..) and enough laughs to give you an ab workout. Maybe even a little messing with your buddies… if you hook a small frying pan to the end of their line, drop it to bottom and trip their flag while they’re not looking, it fights like one hell of a fish! Needless to say, with over 15 inches of ice out front it is looking like it’s going to be a great year for fishing. As I type this a buddy of mine just pulled a beautiful 15-inch native brookie from the cove. A good omen for sure! Don’t miss out on your chance to catch some gorgeous fish and make memories to last a lifetime!
Along with the abundant ice, Mother Nature has left us with no lack of snow! A few big storms early in the year made for great trail conditions. Whether you’re going to take a ride up to the top of Coburn Mountain in search of some deep powder to play in or take an incredibly scenic ride to Jackman or maybe the Forks for lunch, this is definitely a good winter to be out riding! Just last week ITS 66 was marked across the lake by kineo, opening up even more good riding! Don’t forget to thank your local snowmobile clubs and groomers for all the hard work they do to make sure you have smooth trails!
While you’re in the area, don’t forget to bring your skis and snowboard! The same snow that is making for great riding has made for some amazing trail conditions at Big Squaw Mountain. Friends of Squaw Mountain has put in a ton of work over the last few years and its really paying off! Bring the kids with you and there is no doubt that they will have a blast tearing up the trails and laughing with their friends! Whatever winter activity you choose, you definitely don’t want to miss out on the fun! See you out there!
