Life's lessons and Memories.........

[Laska]

Ok so growing up I never liked panfishing on the ice- just wasn’t my thing to catch things the size of my hand and the try to clean it and so forth and on top of that I hate being cold! All the while my grandfather would keep nagging at me to go- I’d go once in a great while and that was it. But overall I always said heck with those little fish and let’s go catch some northerns!

So almost 4 years ago I came into the sport of spearing pike thru the ice and I could live with that because I’d have a widescreen "TV" to look down and stay warm in a shack no matter what! Thus has been the case up until this last weekend. Things changed when I went to Winnie with my grandfather...

Now right before we went to Winnie my grandfather got me into wrapping custom ice rods with hand carved red cedar handles that I carved... So I made 2 for myself for the trip to make him happy and to see if I could be any good at it....

The trip

So there I am sitting at my "TV", I just got my grandfather set up in his shack and it’s time to jig the decoys. So I wait about 30seconds after I jigged my fancy super-duper color x decoy I carved and here comes the panfish.... I mean tons!! At one time I counted 30 sunfish all over 8" long and more perch than anyone could ever count... SOOOOoooo I decided what the heck might as well try my new ice rods out... I drop my line with a minnow on it, and here comes these enormous perch one right after another just swallowing my lure like it was nothing, I’m talking perch over 11" jumbo's ya know, meanwhile my grandpa is in his shack catching small perch every half hour or so, not catching much needless to say he's only 10ft from me. Not to mention in the middle of the madness I pulled out a 13 1/2" perch which was the biggest perch I’ve ever caught (that nearly took me down the hole j/k)... It will probably be mounted...

So after about 2 hours between Heidi n I we had just about our limit. At this point Heidi n I asked my grandpa who hasn’t had much luck to this point to join me and Heidi would sit in his shack. And this is the way it went for another 2 hours.

The fish were still coming in left and right and my grandpa was finally catching fish which really made us both happy, more me than him because I always want him to catch fish when I’m with him. During this time I went to go see how Heidi was doing- I was gone maybe 10 minute’s tops, I come back and my grandpa has the spear in his hands... I’m thinking "What the"... I go "What ya doing see anything?" and he goes "yeah just saw a northern if it would waited 5 more seconds I woulda smucked em!" All I did was laugh and say "NO WAY". It’s my luck to be outta the shack when the northerns come in I swear! See my grandpa is old enough to spear without a spearing license just in case anyone was wondering) But needless to say he almost limited out on sunfish and perch as well. So overall it was a purty gosh darn good day spent out on the lake with my 2 favorite people-the guy that taught me how to fish and my lovely fishing buddy wife!

Now this wasn’t my first rodeo but the very first time I really caught some huge panfish. And got to spend some time catching some fish with my grandpa which we haven’t done much at all lately. And this really got me thinking.... What if I were to start fishing for perch- a person who hates fishing for small fish... Could I grasp some more awesome memories with my gramps and still spear at the same time even tho he hates live suckers swimming around his line? Well I think it sealed the deal when that night we all shared are experience in the cabin and we all talked the night away talking about the few little fish we bonked on the head with our lures to catch the bigger ones and my grandpa almost spearing his first pike... My grandpa says now he'd rather fish out of my size hole!

In conclusion when you think you'll never do something because you don’t think you'll like it or it’s just not your thing, try it anyways and you might just be surprised on what you'll find out. For me, it’s another beginning in a chapter of my relationship with my grandpa n fishing as well as a new chapter in my book of fishing memories. I never would have thought I could have so much fun catching fish no bigger than my foot but I did and will continue to fish at least for now for PERCH!-perch are bigger... Grandpa says I’ll get into sunfish as well but I told him not to push it! But another thing is now I have yet another hobby, making ice rods for grandpa!

Sorry this is so long but figured you guys might get a kick out of it, and if it wasnt for spearing this memory wouldnt have happened!

[Whopper Stopper]

A very nice story Laska. I never had a chance to fish with my Grandfather. Did log thousands of hours with my Dad in a spear house and those memories are gold to me, especially now that he is gone. Time goes by in the blink of an eye. Enjoy your Grandfather all you can!

WS

[scott-z]

Great story Laska. I no longer have my grampa's to fish with and I just lost my dad about 3 months ago. I spent many hours in a fish house with my dad and enjoyed them all. Fortunately I have good friends and my kids to keep me company in the house.

[MJ1657]

Nice story larka. You should write that down and pull it out about every ten years as a reminder of the great memory.

[GK22]

Very nice. My grandpa also taught me to fish and I feel the same way every time I get him out on the ice or in the boat. I hate to say it, but you never know how many more trips I'll get out with him. Thats a great memory to have and I have a couple like that myself.

[merkman]

And that is what life is all about!!!

Two thumbs up Laska!!!

[glenn57]

cool story laska!!! but gotta challenge ya on te sizes of them fish! at least form stories pink spear told back in dec!!!!!!!!

[Gordie]

And that is what life is all about!!!

Two thumbs up Laska!!!

what he said plus two more thumbs

[Laska]

Now im thinking of getting the vertical showdown I saw on the in-fisherman show last night, I better keep carving decoys if Im taking up this habit I mean hobby too...

The thing is I got 2 up on the reg panfish guys

1. Throw a spinner down the hole and watch the little fish come in to it

2. No 8-10" all 4x3 foot sight fishing hole hahahahahahahaha!!

[GoneFish'n71]

Laska writes a new book. "Chicken Soup For The Fishermans Soul" Looks like you just found yourself 2 new hobbies!

Great story,keep em comming.

[bassNspear]

awesome story bud

[PinkSpear]

Awsome story! My dad pasted away so, Besides John, this is the man that I fish with all the time when John wont take me. He has taught me just about everything about fishing and takes me out more then he takes John. lol. Dont take life for granted!

[MJ1657]

I would take you out fishing more than John too!

[Laska]

somebody's gotta work! How do ya think all the trips this spear season have been funded Decoys!!

[MJ1657]

somebody's gotta work! How do ya think all the trips this spear season have been funded Decoys!!

I thought maybe you paid for them by cutting back from 7 to 6 cases of Diet Pepsi a week.

[Laska]

that too hahaha!