WI Women Fish
New Years Eve in a Sleeper Shack
By Barb Carey
Our Women’s Fishing club recently had a trip to Lake Mille Lac’s in MN. The plan was to spend New Years Eve weekend in a sleeper shack and be able to fish 24 hours a day for the holiday weekend. To some, the idea sounded dreadful but to 20 brave souls it was the perfect way to bring in the New Year. We had Women join us from WI, MN and IL and some came from quite a distance.
Lake Mille Lac’s, along with several other MN Lakes has the reputation of having acres of frozen water with plowed roads, road signs and colorful ice shacks placed throughout the landscape. It often brings back thoughts of Grumpy Old Men and the history of this type of winter recreation goes back for generations. The Ice Houses these days are equipped with a variety of luxuries and some even have a satellite dish mounted on the outside. They come in a variety of colors and on your first trip out onto the ice it is not unlike visiting a foreign country where small different colored huts make up a village. There are some that are on special trailers that drop right down onto the ice and others look like mobile homes. Team loyalty is evident by the MN Viking shack as yes there was even a Green Bay Packer shack.
Our expectations were high which is a common symptom of most die hard anglers. Many of us had been looking forward to this trip all year and the video of the monster walleye catch from last years trip here teased us into a mouth watering frenzy.
The day came for us to leave for the trip and where I left from in South Central WI, it was pouring. I was confident in the fact that I was traveling 6 hours North and thought for sure it had to be snowing at our destination. The closer we got to Mille Lacs the harder it seemed to rain. I couldn’t believe it. As I drove on the way up, my cell phone started ringing and all the nervous callers where wondering if we were going to be able to go ahead with our plan. I contacted our hosts, Hunters Resort, and they told me the ice roads were closed to protect them but the ice was perfectly safe and they would get us out to our shacks with out a problem.
We arrived in Isle MN, home of Lake Mille Lac’s and it was just pouring. We stopped in the local bait store to get our out of state license and the clerks were kind enough to go in the back room and dig out some rain poncho’s for us to stay a little dry. We continued on to the the meeting spot, the bar at Hunters, and everyone pretty much was in a state of disbelief. The excitement could not be contained and it was obvious the show was going on no matter what Mother Nature threw at us. There was a 68 degree difference from this year from last year. Last year during our weekend there it was 30 below zero and now the temperature was 38 degrees.
We began the caravan out to our rental sleeper shacks which would be home for us for the next 3 nights. As we followed our escort out to the shacks we could not believe how much water was on top of the ice. As the trucks moved forward, a wake was created and it was of upmost importance to keep the speed under 10 mph to avoid doing more damage to the ice roads. For a minute I thought the TV show, Ice Road Truckers, has nothing on us. I has the urge to stop the truck and put on my Arctic Armor because a floating suit seemed like a good precaution in these conditions.
Our first stop was the 10 person shack, where many of the followers were to bunk. As we got out of the vehicles I noticed that there at least six inches of water on top of the ice. That meant as you walked on the ice your boots were actually under water and the water was so deep, it was coming over the top of my boots. This is when my thoughts went to our liability insurance policy and I hope I had enough coverage. The rest of us went to our shacks which were two 6 person shacks. The three shacks were set up about 2 miles out and were placed in a big triangle.
What surprised me at this point is that the excitement was still present, and there was a buzz in the air that couldn’t be suppressed. As soon as we were unloaded, my next problem was finding a place for my little 15 pound dog Roxy to go to the bathroom. If I put her down on the ground she would have had to swim in the icy water. I found a patch of snow still remaining in front of the shack and it was about that time when Wendy said “hey we can set tip ups there”. Sure enough the next thing I see is Wendy and Tara setting tip ups in the one small area of snow that remained in our area. As they knelt down on the snow it looked as if they were kneeling next to a river running as the wind was blowing the water to look like an actual current.
We managed to get unloaded in our shacks and began to peel off the wet clothes and boots. The first order of business was rigging up some clothes lines. The heat in the shacks is controlled by a a thermostat so we could set it where we wanted. As we nestled in our shacks we noticed that the temperature outside began to drop and the rain stopped.
The next morning we woke up and the lake looked like a normal frozen lake but there was not a speck of snow on it. Creepers were a must and everything that was left outside in the water was frozen into 4 inches of ice, including the trucks which had to be pulled out to dislodge the hold the lake had on them.
Friday was spent fishing of course and welcoming in the few that were unable to join us the night before. Once everyone was settled I went to check out the other shacks to see how things were going. I stopped in at the 10 person shack and found everyone tucked in tight. Some of the bunks were stacked three high and gear, food and women was scattered about. They had underwater cameras set up and flasher units going. There were crock pots and dice games and banners and smiles on everyones faces. The underwater camera showed big rocks and perch milling about with an occasional walleye. A variety of baits were put in from of their noses and it was soon determined that the smallest jigs were necessary to get any of the perch to bite. The walleye remained tight lipped.
In the other 6 person shack all the women were from MN so it was kind of their turf. As I visited with them I heard tales of last weekends outing where 40 - 50 walleye were caught on a different lake and it had a familiar feel like the old adage “ you should have been here yesterday”. I did find they were quite good anglers and a fun bunch to be around. We talked about having an outing on Saturday out to the “flats” to see if the fishing was any better out there and having them be familiar with the lake was a huge help.
Meanwhile back at our shack Wendy and Tara were tip up machines. From 6 am to midnight, they had tips ups in and checked them every 30 minutes. Many times the bait had been picked and they probably had over 25 flags over the weekend. Some of the flags there would be about 6 inches of line out and the bait would be gone. At one time we had 3 flags at once. The third flag was the charm, and a 20 inch walleye was hauled in by Wendy. Several big perch were caught as well the biggest being just shy of 12 inches.
So Saturday rolls around and the fishing is far to slow for our liking so we make a decision to head out to the flats to see what is happening out there. Now the temp is about 10 and its lightly snowing and after making the announcement I was shocked to see that there were 15 takers on the road trip. Our caravan started out and we were in 5 vehicles. As we left base camp the snow seemed to hover just on top of the lake in a manner that it looked like smoke. It would twist and turn and make little mini tornados.
The MN gals led the way and it seems as if we drove for miles. We crossed pressure cracks that were bridged, and it seemed like a lonely desolate place thats for sure. After we drove about 5 miles we began to see shacks on the horizon and stopped to have a brief consult and take a look at the gps map. We found a nice bit of structure in the flats and headed that way. Sure enough as we got close we noticed that there was a group of shack there, many permanent ones. We stopped on the spot and began to set up portable shacks. We had pop up shacks by Eskimo including a six, four, and three person types. These women jumped out of the vehicles and began popping up shacks and drilling holes and before you know it our own little red village was erected on the mighty Mille Lacs. With conditions such as these, you want shacks that go up fast, and the ice anchors that hold the shack really do the trick. The funny thing was is after we got all set up other shacks started arriving and setting up around us as if we were right on the hot spot.
Beth brought her under water camera and we had a view of the murky mud flats and spotted an occasional walleye milling about. The fish seems like they were not into eating anything and would not even react to a PK lure which always catches me fish. We up sized and down sized and changed baits and the fish seemed few and far between. The occasional sighting of one on the camera gave us hope but not a fish was caught out there. We did have some laughs, one at Barb’s expense when she almost took sail in her pop over shack. Good thing she fell out of it or it would have been more like ice boating. We did get a text from Tara with a picture of a jumbo perch and she said they were getting flags at base camp while we were gone.
Sure enough two hours into it the snow started and then the wind and before you knew it there was white out conditions. We made the call to bail out and before you knew it the shacks were down the trucks were packed and our caravan was on the way back to the sleeper shacks. This is one of those time when the magic of women working together really shines through. Every person pitched in, knew exactly what to do, and got the job done quick. I was so impressed with everyones ability to chip in and get things done in a Jiffy. And speaking of Jiffy, we just LOVE Jiffy’s new propane auger. One pull and it starts even in the extreme weather conditions.
The ride back was like you were in a desert but instead of blowing sand it was blowing snow. We passed a full sized passenger van that looked like it was lost and I think our caravan helped them get their bearings on where the road was. Thanks Cindy for leading the charge.
We all made it back safe and sound and got tucked into our sleeper shacks during what seemed like a mini blizzard. There was even a rainbow around the sun as it went down. It was beautiful. The night came upon us and a few wild card games were had and lots and lots of laughs. The women talked about how it felt like we were on a trip to the Arctic Circle and the conditions were so extreme we felt a sense of accomplishment for just surviving. That is one thing that some people don’t realize. This kind of stuff makes you feel alive. Its danger and excitement and hard work. Its takes fortitude, and courage and a passion that not everyone gets to enjoy. It would have been awful if just one of us would have been there but as a group, as a team, its a challenge that we were up for, that we conquered and are better because of it. We have made new friends, have wild stories to tell our Grandchildren and we did it. WE DID IT. Not bad for a bunch of old ladies and I use that term proudly.
So as far as the fishing it wasn’t that great. Several small walleyes, one 20 inches and numerous small perch. Most of the perch were very light biters, 5 inches or so and I wouldn’t have even been able to catch them if it wasn’t for my St Croix Ice Rod with the spring bobber. Four perch were of noteworthy size and somehow I ended up with them. Thanks gals. It was some consolation that the top guide that works out of there was also struggling to catch fish. We finished up the weekend with an awards ceremony. Once again Holly out did herself with the hand made trophies. Wendy and Tara’s non stop tip up dedication paid off and they took top walleye, top perch and the big fish pool. Pat received a special trophy and there are some things you just have to see in person to believe. I can safely say that everyone had a good time, new friendships were formed and WI Women Fish just got stronger. Women who ice fish are a special breed and I am proud to be one of them.
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