Memorable night on the ice

[DonBo]

Was sight fishing for trout last night on my favorite local lake. First, I missed a big trout. Twice. Then I saw a flash of something just under the ice so I brought my jig up and here it comes...right up the hole...OMG!...MUSKRAT...three times he tried. Three times I jamed my boot down into the water to stop him. Never seen that before!

A bit later I iced a nice trout, then something big took my bait. My poor 24" UL St. Croix was bent to the handle. Three or four minutes later I pulled a HUGE northern through the ice. My camera was in my truck 200 yards away, no other fishermen within 200 yards. All I could do was get a rough measurement and put him back down the hole.

She was about 36" long and so fat she filled my 8" hole! 20lbs?

[TwinkeeDink]

had a muskrat come up through the hole one time in a permanent. had one buddy screaming like a girl so loud, after about 30 seconds running around the house, back down the hole she went.

[CrappieNut]

thats nuts, i'd have to change my long underwear after something like that

to bad about the camera

[Shack]

LOL! Glad you are ok. I guess what could a muskrat do to someone, besides bite your boot.

[fishinlocal]

Those UL St. Croix rods are pretty versatile. Caught a 3lb LMB on mine the other day.....Awesome catch, never seen anything come up my hole....YET. I think I would have dropped a load in my shorts!!

[reelemin]

awesome story - don't ya love them fun filled times on the ice

Pulling those huge northerns through the ice on a rod and reel is truly exciteing. I haven't have one THAT big, ....yet

[DTro]

I had a muskrat come up a spear hole one time and start doing laps around the shelter.

Well about the third lap my dad kicked at it and knocked over a homemade 5 gallon barrel stove. So now we have a muskrat trying to kill us, but in the meantime we are choking from the smoke.

I gotta believe anyone around us got a good laugh of seeing us girls flying out of the house in a cloud of smoke.

Sounds like a great catch on that pike! It was probably somewhere in the mid teens for weight.

[The Grebe]

I've never had a rat come into the house, but did have one of them big, greenish gray, nasty looking water beetles, with the big pinchers, and shiney bb shaped black eyes, make it's way unannounced into my house.

I bent over to pick something up and in the gloom of the portable, something walked onto my fingers! Being that me, the minnows and the few waxies I had in a box in my pocket, were the only living things that were supposed to be in that house, it was an instant case of potato eyes and elbows! I must have made 400 movements in one second!

I'd bet that the outside of my fish house looked like a blue Jiffy Pop popcorn container! Looked like the WWF was having a match in there!

I got the bug kicked back down the hole, but my hair was standing up like the thorns on a thisel...my hat wouldn't even fit on my head! Took about a half hour before they laid down, all eight of them and I had the willies the rest of the night!

[SSSTaxidermy]

 Originally Posted By: TwinkeeDink

had a muskrat come up through the hole one time in a permanent. had one buddy screaming like a girl so loud, after about 30 seconds running around the house, back down the hole she went.

Did a beer can fall out of the sky and crush him? Men should act like men! I love those Millwakees Best commercials!

[Lisa Almquist]

Grebe,

That story creeps me out. I think a muskrat sounds cute and cuddly next to a GREENISH GRAY WATER BEETLE! Makes ME want to scream like a girl.

[dairyman]

Had something come up the ice hole last nite and before I figured out that it was a northern(thought it might be an eelpout)it turned and left--scared the tar out of me!!!! Next time got to keep the glove handy!! It was bigger then the last one I caught....and that one was on a line!!!

[CrappieNut]

these stories are crazy, i've never seen anything come through the hole except on a line. what depths are you guys fishing?

i usaly fish in 20 - 30'

my girlfriend would freak if that happened lol

[The Grebe]

Lisa...No the muskrat is not cute and cuddly, thats for sure! I've had a far bit of experience with them rodents, having been a trapper for over 20 years.

If cornered, like in the confines of a fish house, they can be just as aggressive and nasty as anything and them teeth are razor sharp from all that gnawing. I've known a few people that have been bit and a few that came close.

Usually, when they come into the fish house and it is occupied by a fisherman, the very first thing they do is deposit some musk, thus declaring the inside of the fish house their territory and then they make a leap for the throat, gnawing and clawing!

They whip that scaley tail back and forth like a short whip and it opens cuts with it's sharp edge! It keeps you off balance whilst they search for a place to make a lethal bite.

The bad thing about it is a person can fight off one, but usually if one gets into the house, a short time later, a whole bunch of em will appear and then a person is in real trouble!

Some of em are known to be carriers of small automatic weapons also!

[The Grebe]

Cn...Years ago, we had been fishing all day and into the evening and getting pretty tired...I looked down the hole and there was a face staring back at me...scared the beejeebers out of me!

I jumped back and for a second, I thought it was a dead guy under the ice! When I looked again, I realized it was my own mirrored reflection! I thought to myself, "Wheeeew! From the looks of your reflection, you best start taking some vitimins and stop this marathon fishing...get some sleep!"

[sodajerk]

That's a great job bringing a big northern in on a UL rod! Was it a Legend, and what pound test was the line on it?

I've never had a muskrat come into the shack, but did have one swim by the hole one time years ago when a buddy and I were spearing carp. We had about a 2'x2' hole in the ice, but the 'rat ignored it. Surprised us though.

[cRaPpiEMaN8265]

yea dont mean to spill the beans on ya but a 36" fish is maybe 15 pounds MAX

Nice Catch though! sounds like an exciting night!

Later,

Ryan

[hanson]

 Originally Posted By: cRaPpiEMaN8265

yea dont mean to spill the beans on ya but a 36" fish is maybe 15 pounds MAX

I'd agree with that. Still... one heck of a nice Pike for the state of Minnesota!!!! Not too many lakes in the state that consistantly produce fish like that.

Congrats on the nice fish man!

[fishcast]

Awesome stories! Sightfishing is a blast! I've had a lot of fun sightfishing and reeling in 3lb northerns on a medium action rod, I don't know what I would do with that big of a northern on an UL.

[NyQuiLlama]

Further props for icing such a hog on an ultralight setup. That's the real trophy! Well done, your drag was set right and you were very patient!

[zamboni]

 Originally Posted By: The Grebe

Cn...Years ago, we had been fishing all day and into the evening and getting pretty tired...I looked down the hole and there was a face staring back at me...scared the beejeebers out of me!

I jumped back and for a second, I thought it was a dead guy under the ice! When I looked again, I realized it was my own mirrored reflection! I thought to myself, "Wheeeew! From the looks of your reflection, you best start taking some vitimins and stop this marathon fishing...get some sleep!"

Hey THAT guy looks familiar!

[wlmrs]

 Originally Posted By: TwinkeeDink

had a muskrat come up through the hole one time in a permanent. had one buddy screaming like a girl so loud, after about 30 seconds running around the house, back down the hole she went.

Now that's hilarious!!!

[matt_bewley]

well ive never saw a muskrat in my house but i know at least one has been in there 3 years ago I had git done fishing at about 9:30 at night and just left my minnows in my 5 gallon pail in the house, when i got back in the morning i had no minnows left and alot of muskrat [PoorWordUsage] on the floor.. what a treat early in the morning.

[DonBo]

No, the St. Croix rod was not a legend, next step down, not sure what it is called. I was using a 10 lb. braided line otherwise I would have been fishing 2 lb. ice line for the conditions and probably would not have landed that fish.

As for the size, this lake is famous for its short, FAT fish. It literallty filled the 8" hole. I have caught some big pike in the past and nothing has even come close to the girth this one had. Not saying it was a true 20 lbs, but thats what I'm gonna call it cause there is no proof to say otherwise.

Grebe, I had no idea that muskrats could be so deadly, glad I was able to defend myself.

[The Grebe]

DonBo.... Real killers they are! Have even been known to take an occassional horse now and then!

[Lisa Almquist]

 Quote:

Some of em are known to be carriers of small automatic weapons also!

GREBE!! You had me freakin' man!!