Having More Fun!

[DTro]

As I pulled into the small Northern MN town of Ely, I said to myself, "no matter what happens today, at least you can say that you've been Lake Trout fishing through the ice.", because after all, this was my main goal when I hopped into my vehicle and headed North that day.

The year was 2004 and I had just arrived at the annual Ice Leaders.com Burntside Bash. As I arrived, I was greeted by guys I only knew virtually online as "Surface Tension" and "STFCatfish". They quickly gave me a tutorial and sent me on my way. I had a small one man house, a hand auger and a piece meal combo thrown together that I hoped would handle a Lake Trout. I spent all day peering at my shiny new VX1 flasher and you know what? I didn't mark a single fish all day, yet when the day was over, I connected with a bunch of great people who took the time to show me a few things and I gained a little bit of confidence about what I needed to do and where I needed to go to catch a Lake Trout through the ice, and most of all, I knew that I would be back.

Fast Forward to 8 years later and I find myself not only as an Administrator for that same HSOforum where I first learned about the Burntside Bash, but also now find myself showing other people what I like to do to catch MY favorite species of fish and also sharing my experiences.

Ice fishing is a strange sport/hobby. People outside of the Upper Midwest, NorthEast, or Canada, just don't get it, heck even a lot of people who live here don't understand the fascination of drilling a hole in the ice and waiting for a fish to bite in the bitter cold. But those of us that DO, can spout off terms to each other like "flasher", "portable", "euro larvae", and "springbobber" like school kids speaking pig latin to each other. So when I stumbled upon a HSOforum one day that catered to ice fishermen, it was like I struck gold. Because not only do I love to fish, I'm also a geek when it comes to computer and techy stuff. What I discovered after all these years though is that it really isn't about the fishing at all. It's about the fun experiences and the lifelong friends you meet along the way.

Each year HotSpotOutdoors.com hosts a number of events or more commonly known as "get togethers" for its members. From everything such as Spearing Pike to taking photos of Timberjays in a bog. If you have an outdoor interest, chances are you can most likely find an event to attend. Heck, I don't even watch NASCAR, yet I found myself one day at the Mall of America racing virtual cars with a bunch of motor-heads from HSO. Guess what....I had a blast!

Some of the events have really evolved into an annual rite of passage. A few choice events have became almost like a Holiday to some of us. For example, I simply cannot make it through a spring season without attending the annual "Sturgeon Excursion". This is an event held on Lake of the Woods/Rainy River in which anglers have a very good chance at boating fish over 50lbs and a even a few up to 100lbs are caught each year. There are not many places you can say THAT about in this region. But the funny thing is that as good as the fishing is, it's not the fish you remember, but the experiences that happen during the trip. It's not the 60" fish you remember, it's Jonny P being carried to the ER on a picnic table because his back gave out fighting a fish. You forget about that 58" fish, yet having a snowball fight on the open water between boats is etched into your memory bank. That 63" fish is sort of there, but that drive one night from Schuster's Resort to the WigWam with "Hanson" is still there like it was yesterday.

There is another such event I've been a big part of over the years. This one is called "Cool Cats" and we meet on a lake near St Cloud, MN and catch catfish all day (or at least try). When we have enough, we fry em up and eat them right there on the ice! For me, this has been one of those "can't miss events". Mr and Mrs "Boilerguy" drove 3 hours to be there on Saturday...yet didn't catch a fish all day. The two of them most certainly "get it".

Some events are maybe not as big, or popular as others, and they even change from year to year. Matter of fact, there might even be a surprise or two. At our Cool Cats event this year, Rick (the owner of HotSpotOudoors) unexpectedly showed up and presented a random member with a new Clam fish house! We also had an impromptu big fish contest and members had a chance to check out the latest and greatest gear from Marcum, Otter, Clam, Humminbird, Aqua Vu, and Striker Ice. But once again memories of that stuff will fade and sometime down the road when someone mentions Cool Cats 2012 to me, all I'll be able to come up with is "Buzbunni" nearly blowing up his CanvasCraft portable and how the smell of burned beard lingered around the area the rest of the night.

I can't recommend enough to attend one of these events. But don't just attend, get involved and make some memories. Oh, by the way, it took me a few trips to the Burntside Bash before I finally caught my first Laker through the ice. Honestly, I don't remember that first one, but I sure remember "The Wabbit".

Speaking of the Burntside Bash, it’s coming up here around the corner. Be sure to check it out in the Events Forum and try to plan on attending!

We truly ARE Having More Fun!

[reinhard1]

this year will be the second Grindstone Lake GTG. i've only been on HSO since May of 2010. right before the trout opener last winter i thought about having a gtg on the lake because i seen the other gtg's being held. well we had 9 people show up. fishing was slow but we got together at noon and i brought some venison kielbasa up there which Leech cooked on his portable grill. met people i have never met before, and all were guy's anyone would want to fish with.

these gtg's are for everyone who wants to come. very informal. come when you can and leave when you want. the only thing i do is ask those that want, to come to a designated spot on the ice at noon to eat and introduce ourselves and talk about the day and share information and a tip or two. isn't any different than going fishing with your friends. this year so far there are 15 FM'ers who have said they will be there for sure. if there is anyone else, just post on the Grindstone get together thread in the Forest Lake/Hinkley forum.

i'm looking forward to this saturday to meeting some great people and hopefully having some active fish out there. good luck.

[Scott M]

dtro's post was one of the best I've read in a while.

[muskE]

+1

[brian6715]

Awesome post DTro. It's the guys like you that make this HSOforum what it is.

[aanderud]

Can't say it much better than that, Darren. It seems like the majority of the folks who I have met since moving to MN who I hang out with on a consistent basis folks that I met through this HSOforum, starting with Sturgeon Excursion in 2007. Having more fun, meeting more people, this is what it's all about.

[Gordie]

Darren thanks for the reminder why I love this site so and just how much fun it can be.

These GTG's or so called Events are probably the greatest time I have ever spent on the water.ice or the outdoors..

Great people and even better food at times and the camaraderie that is so much associated with this HSO site.

Oh and you cant forget the laughs I mean stomach hurting for two days after the event laughs . That’s what I enjoy the most .

I have been to a several GTG’s and last year The Burnside was one of them I had the time of my life.

I really hope to make this one again and get my jig back from the trout that snapped my line.

Guys/Gals I’m serious don’t be bashful check one out Go to the HSO events forum and see which one you can attend and See that its true here at HSO ... We do HAVE MORE RUN.

[Beast26]

I need to go to one of these sometime......

BTW - nice post

[hanson]

That 63" fish is sort of there, but that drive one night from Schuster's Resort to the WigWam with "Hanson" is still there like it was yesterday.

Don't forget about what happened at the Wigwam either!

[Rippinlip]

Great post Dtro!

I have only been to a couple and want to make more.

[dan z]

great post Darren, I have had some great times because of this HSOforum also.

[Nilsfisher]

dtro's post was one of the best I've read in a while.

exactly.... Great post!