Ice Fishing Traditions (Old Photos!!)

[hanson]

"How long have you been ice fishing Chris?", I'm often asked.

"Gosh," I say, "I can't really remember, its been along time though."

I had a day off from fishing this weekend and spent some time with the parents. We had a good supper of roast beef, gravy, and fresh potatoes from the garden. After supper, I went to the closet and dug out all the old family photo albums and paged through them. I realized there were many early childhood photos of myself and brother fishing and hunting. A good number of the fishing photos were taken during winter. For some reason, I felt compelled to share some of these early moments of my life with my extended family here at Fishing Minnesota.

I can't pinpoint the exact dates on some of these photos but they are from the very early 1980s. I am about 5-6 years old in these photos and my younger brother Mike is probably 2-3 years old.

I hope you folks enjoy the photos. I sure got a kick out of them. I would say they bring back many memories but I honestly can't remember icefishing when I was this young.

I'm fairly confident that all these icefishing shots were on Union Lake near Erskine, MN (NW part of MN). That was the only area lake we fished for the first 16 years of my life.

Here's me with what has to be my first bluegill caught through the ice. Not a bad little fish either. Pay careful attention to the handle of the spoon auger laying on the ice and the custom made jigglesticks w/ state-of-the-art fluorocarbon line.

The next 3 photos are of our families first permanent ice shack. Dad hand built this dandy of a shanty and is still out at our lake cabin. We quit fishing out of it years ago but now serves as a tool shed. One year, I even used it for a deer stand by placing a stump on top of it to sit on. The first buck I ever shot at was on the top of this shack. Unfortunately, I was very young and lost the deer. I thought I made a good shot but we couldn't pick up the blood trail. A couple weeks later, we were talking with the neighboring landowners and they found a dead buck in one of their fields that was not far from where I shot the deer. I was young, probably 14 or 15 at the time and remember being sick to my stomach over that incident. Thats not how you want to remember your first buck.

My brother, dad, and myself are in these photos. Notice that my brother got the hand me down winterwear that I was sporting in the 1st photos.

Should I mention that my dad thought we had the best bluegill bite we've ever experienced through the ice out of this shack on this spot. We were the only ice shack on the lake and were yanking 9+ inch gills out of that shack for weeks. Our lake has a tendency to put out some big gills but it is very cyclical. Boom to bust. The lake winter kills every 5-6 years or so too. Lots of ducks on the lake this fall, we think the freshwater shrimp are returning and that only means good things for the next few years.

The next bunch of photos is the Hanson family and Radi grandparents. Once again, we are on our favorite local lake, Union Lake. I believe this was grandpa Radi with the first use of his portable ice shack and Jiffy Ice Auger. Notice the box for the Jiffy in the foreground. My dad still uses this auger today (specifically a Jiffy Model 30), 22+ years after grandpa bought it. The shack? Its in the rafters of my parents garage!

I believe this photo is my grandma and myself watching the "men" put the shack up.

Ever since I've seen this photo, I can't wipe the smile off of my face. My dad is in the back with the hookset and my grandpa Radi is dancing for the camera. Half of the pictures gandpa has ever made it into he is dancing, why should this one be different?

The next shot is my brother Mike & myself in grandpa's new ice shack. Look at all those fishing rods carefully stored in that cardboard box. Its not a Stone Legacy Revolution but it worked back then.

This would be myself exhibiting proper slush scooping technique.

Here is my younger brother doing the same. I don't quite think he has the technique down yet.

But he does have good form while jigging!!

And finally, here's grandpa and myself getting some quality time inside the shack.

I hope you folks liked the pictures and didn't mind waiting patiently for them to load. This was what my family did when I was a young kid. I've got duck hunting photos that are just like these as well as a few deer hunting photos when I was a little bit older. I'll share the other photos some day in the future.

I hope to meet a few of you guys some day at an I.C.E. Series event or local lake. That way I can put a face to a name. Ya'll now know what I look like now and many, many years ago.

If you feel like jumping in on this thread with some old photos, by all means, go ahead!!!

I can't wait to see some other photos and stories similar to mine!

[Northlander]

Hanson you havent changed a bit. Still got those glasses dont ya?

Seriously though that brings back some good memories. Thanks.

[trapperdirk]

That was a fun read Hanson . Thanks for taking us down memory lane .

TD

[CrappieJohn]

I'll just post my picture...that is as old as tradition.

[Dave]

Cool photos, Hanson. Thanks for the history lesson.

[Dan Thiem]

Those pictures are pretty cool Hanson.

I had to think, my early days of ice fishing was back in the late '60's and early '70's. We had a gravel quarry that held a nice population of pan fish. Still does.

This place was absolutley off limits to my brother and sisters and me. But it was just too much fun to stay away. We would sneak a hatchet to chop open old holes left by other fisherman. Then we would gather golden rods from shore. They had a nice little waxie inside them. They would also make a nice bobber. Our home made poles would be nothing more than a willow switch and some cheap mono. Those willow branches did have another use besides tanning our hides. We would catch crappie after crappie. Freezing our little hinders off for sure.

Thanks for posting your memories Chris.

[CrappieJohn]

Willow switches.....now that goes back a bit.

When I began ice fishing (I got my start on walleyes) about 1960 we would take a few minutes to gather some willow canes and clean them of leaves. When the holes were chopped (yes chopped, with a spud bar!, as only the elite had augers and they were hand powered)we'd chip a small hole about three feet away and freeze a cane in it so that the cane's tip was over the hole. Then we'd use the old lead depth finder on braided line and put a haymaker's knot about a foot short of the bottom. After baiting up and dropping the rig down the hole, that loop made by the haymaker was JUST hooked over the tip of the cane. The cane would bow down almost to the hole when rigged right. At the hit, the loop would pop off the cane with no resistance at all, the cane would stand up signalling the hit and, well, the rest is almost like fishing tips.

I can also remember when people would rig up starter motor from old engines to those "cup" augers and run electric cables to their car batteries. It was a hoot to watch these dudes grinding away with that get-up and hit some soft ice. I saw plenty of dorks take a real ride when that happened along with some blood and black eyes.

Ice fishing today is pretty posh. And I have said often that if things were what they were fifty years ago you'd see a lot less in the popularity with the sport in all but the hardiest.

[irvingdog]

You can close down FishingMinnesota.com now. Hanson wins!

Best post ever.

Thanks. That was great.

[Scenic]

Great post Hanson.

When did we start ice fishing? Good question and man does this put age in perspective. I started in the mid to late 60's as well. I don’t think there is a sport that has advanced more then ice fishing. I remember using the old spoon style augers that took FOREVER to drill a hole after their first use. In late ice you only fished with one hole many times because it took way to long to drill many more then that one hole. If you were on a good crappie bit real late in the season you rushed to the lake so nobody would beat you to the hole you busted your butt on to drill the day or several days before. There were no locators until the brown boxes came out to tell how deep the water was under the ice. No GPS to put you on a spot the same time each year either.

Then came the Mora ice auger. Now we are drilling some holes!!! After using that spoon for so long now it was almost fun (for a while) drilling holes. Those things cut so much better and faster that it was not even a comparison.

Chair, rod bag and tackle box? Oh that was all in one....one 5 gallon bucket that is. You had two ways to fish. One was to stand outside no matter how cold it was and the other was in a wood shack with a wood stove that kept it about 110 degrees most of the time. There was no happy medium to this. Either you sweat or you froze.

No matter what or when we still had a great time. This sport has came a long ways over the last few years and I too feel this has contributed to the growth of this sport.

[Hemlock]

Hanson, dandy of a post! My ice fishing career didn't start until I was in high school. I'm envious of your childhood pastimes out on Union Lake.

When you get a chance, could you drop me an email? [email protected] Photo help/question.

[TMan]

Jeff/all - back when spuds and spoon augers were the only things around, fishing in another man's hole meant more than it does today (easy boys...). Just think, you go out and spud/chop/hack/sweat out 4-5 holes for you and your family, and the next morning someone else is in them... Bummer man...

Nice post Hanson.

[Stoneman]

What a great post, thank you. You are lucky to have had those times and saved pictures. Only iceing time i remember is going to the big pond with my step dad and got left out in the snow at about 2 in the morning and many degrees below zero.....He went back to the resort to have beers and thought I was in the back seat sleeping, the resort owners came out and found me along the road in the snow.... I didn't think it was that bad, don't know if we caught anything but a cold, but it was cold..anyway's, thanks again for your post

stoneman

[hanson]

Thanks guys.

I'm not sure if I'm the one to talk about ice fishing tradition though. After all, I am still a relatively young pup. I would love to hear more stories and photos from the old days.

I think Stoneman is right, I'm so glad that my parents took these photos. I also have duck hunting photos and deer hunting photos that bring up many memories for me. They may not be as old as these photos but they still capture very memorable moments in my life.

I remember my mom & dad telling me about dad purchasing a nice camera when I was still a young baby and not yet born. That is the only camera my dad has ever used, a Minolta 35mm. It still takes outstanding pictures. In my opinion, that was one heck of an investment.

The one thing I noticed is that only 1 of these pictures has a fish in it, if you even noticed the bluegill in the 2nd picture. Take many photos of your ice fishing trips folks, its pretty obvious from these photos that there is alot more to an ice fishing trip than icing a bucket full of fish or catching a trophy.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Hanson- You actually brought a tear to my eye today.. Not one I am quite ready to admit..but here goes the story........

I was about 4 years old.. Ice fishing with my family, my dad, my mother and my grandfather. More with my granps than anybody. The bite was exceptionally good, or so I hear. I really dont remember the day.. The story goes like this..

Fish were biting like crazy, one after another. I was a part of it for a while, then I quit and started messing around, as many a 4 year old would do. I put down my rod and was sliding around on the ice having a good ole time. When my grandfather who was getting a bit upset at the time semi yelled at me. Keep in mind this was supposedly the bite of a lifetime... So anyway, gramps says to me... "deitz, the fish are really bitting get back here and fish, what are you doing?" And again this was in a semi angry tone. I supposedly walked over to him, put my arm around him and stated... " gramps, if you would have caught as many fish as I have today, you would need a rest too."

Well, this last year I lost my gramps, and I miss him dearly... And to be honest I cant even remember the day as I was only 4. But the story will be one I will charish forever!

I miss you gramps!

Snellagutena(I am probably(ok, not probably, I know I am) spelling this wrong.. its what my grapms called me. supposedly, its a slang German for "good and fast", for anybody who know German, I would love to know the true meaning!)

[IndyEFI500]

Hanson:

Wow and thanks. It sure knocked the cobwebs out to bring back many good memories. I don't remember exactly when I got to go out ar first but I am sure it was the late 60's or early 70's.

A couple of the best memories I have were the time when I was quite small and we were walking off the lake. I was trying to show off of just how strong I had become. I was pulling the sled with gear in and grunting pretty hard but didn't want to give in. I wasn't watching exactly where I was going and stepped right into someone else's abandoned hole and sunk in up to my hip (my feet were a tad smaller then). I was so embarrased that I immediately yanked my foot back out and took off with the sled before any one could notice. We got to shore and my leg was almost solid but I wouldn't tell. When we got back to my grandparents house, my grandma got mad when she saw my wet pants thinking I had let my bladder go. When I told what had really happened the whole house almost erupted with laughter. I was still embarrased but estatic to get those half frozen pants off.

Another time, my dad had purchased two used snowmobiles. My grandparents were in Florida right before the season end so dad thought we would go pull off gramps house. This was my first time ever driving a snowmobile and a rabbit could have flown by me. About half way out to the lake, I see a guy walking toward the ditch at me. I pulled up to him and realized it was a game warden. My first run in with the law. He asked why my license was expired. Now my bladder almost emptied. Luckily my dad doubled back and after some smooth talking, got only a ticket for not having the license placed properly. I think it was $10. After that I rode a lot faster to get the house off and back home again.

Thanks again for the walk down memory lane.

[Waterbeater]

That was awsome Hanson. Makes me wish I had more pics of my grandparents on our outings together. Thanks for sharing yours.

[Ragenald]

Great Post.

My first memory of ice fishing is of my Dad taking me out on Clear Lake. My Dad was not much of a fisherman, but my Mom's family was. I give my Dad great credit for introducing me to the outdoors when he really had no interest. My Dad could build you a house, but had only limited interest in being on the lake.

Anyway, my Dad took me out on clear lake on an absolute frigid morning. As he set up the portable house (that he had borrowed from a co-worker because he knew how much I wanted to go) I put my tongue on the exhaust pipe of the stove. Like a Christmas Story I flailed and screamed until my Dad calmly exhaled on the pipe until I was free. I don't even know if we caught any fish that day, but I do remember my Dad being a hero for getting me free.

[hanson]

Thanks for all the compliments guys!!

I think these photos are just too good not to share so I had to bump this topic back up. I'm sure there are plenty of new viewers who didn't see this a month ago that will definitely be able to get some enjoyment from these shots.

If you guys pay close attention, notice the letter "C" in the lettering on my dad's ice shack was in the shape of PacMan. That was my touch. I loved playing Atari!!

[Perchpapa]

Wow, thanks for sharing hanson. That was great!

[Eric Wettschreck]

If those pictures don't take a guy down memory lane I don't know what will.

My dad didn't hunt or fish, but grandpa lived to ice fish. He used to take my older brother and I out on Linwood lake in his camper. I can still smell the hot chocolate he cooked on the stove. (ya, with milk!!!!!)

During one of our early adventures my brother caught his first northern. Pulled it through the hole, saw it's teeth, and took off runnin!!!!!!!!

[juggs]

We grew up fishing pool 9 of the Mississippi. Dad would take the three boys any time we wanted to go, but for some reason we never ice fished. Not until one of Dad's river rat buddies set us up with the whole shooting match of gear--rods, bait, a tent, and even a ride out on the snowmobile. He took us to the low end of Shore Slough in Lansing, Iowa. I can still remember sitting in that tent and watching bluegill after bluegill appear in my hole. This was the coolest thing ever! Fishing in the winter, not having to wait till spring, and being able to see the fish no less. My younger brother and I sat elbow to elbow and somehow I managed to outfish him something terrible. I remember employing a certain special jigging technique everytime a reluctant non-biter would examine my bait and when I did that, whamm-o, fish on. He got mad at me for catching so many but it just didn't matter at that point. That was my first time ice fishing and I never did it again until I was in my late 20s. Now I look forward to first ice as much as anything.

[Mr. Bear]

Crappie Tom,

I still fish with a tip-up rig like you described, except that instead of a limber stick I have two sticks that pin together so the top one can hinge down. There is a counter weight to make the whole thing balance and various pin positions to adjust how hard it is to tip. Even have little "sails" that can clip on to make them jig in the wind if you want them to. My grandpa made them and I believe they are similar to what they call an Appleton tip-up. There are still times when I catch more on those things than any other tip-up.

This is a great thread. I'm about the same age as Hanson, so I can relate to those memories. My number one enjoyment in fishing is spending time with dad and remembering grandpa. I think that is why my dad still hangs on to some of the old methods: homemade jig sticks, chiseling holes when he can, doesn't like using the flasher . . . He once convinced me to chisel holes through 30" of ice on Winnebago just so I could learn how they did it in the old days. I've since bought a drill

[sakazulu]

Yikes! This really hits home! Sure makes a guy REALLY appreciate why we all love the outdoors! We all owe it to somebody who introduced us to it and for that, I am especially greatful to my Dad, who taught himself and then his two boys to fish and hunt. What a great world we live in! This post shows us what great memories are made of!

[hanson]

BUMP!

In response to a few posts in the Ice Fishing Forum lately, enjoy these that I posted a couple years ago.

[TommyJ33]

Hanson, Are you sure you aren't Ralphie from the "Christmas Story"?

Carefull with the jiggle stick, you'll poke your eye out!