What a day!

[FishOn!]

Yesterday was the kind of day that makes me question the madness of ice fishing! I was fishing for trout, in about 15 fow. The lake is very clear, so I was on my knees looking down the hole at my jig and the wagon wheel of tiny sunfish around it. Just as one of the sunnies was biting my waxie, I saw a big blotch appear right under the ice. A very large muskrat turned its head up the hole and looked me right in the eyes!!! My first reaction was to bolt upright and gasp. Then I just stuffed my rod tip straight into the hole and hit the thing right in the face! Well, he turned back down the hole, and it was at least ten minutes before my heart got back to normal! Also, missed a trout that hit my minnow line while I was clearing the slush from my other hole. He smashed it then let go before I had a chance to react! What a crazy game we play by ice fishing!

[jholland]

That's amazing, I've never seen a muskrat in the water during the winter, especially while looking under the ice.

We had something come through our hole today as well. My dad was out, set the hook on a small pike. Instantly after the hook was set the thing shot straight up out of the hole, into the house, spit out the hook, and conveniently flopped right back into the hole.

It was a very, very crazy day

[DonBo]

I also had a muskrat come up my hole while site fishing trout this winter, 3 times! I'm with ya, what a rush!

[metrojoe]

Those things aren't very friendly either. I'd hate to have to mess with one inside my shack. Great story.

[bturck]

An extra set of undies are nice to have along at that time. Had one come up in a spear hole many years ago. He didn't get into the house, but then I was outside so fast maybe he did....LOL Bill

[glenn57]

try sitting in a spearhouse once. they can scare the bejesus out of ya. especially when you are half napping. its also quite interesting when you leave the house for a while or overnite, they pile up the weeds on the floor and man does it stink. all in a day fishing, better than work. all they want is new air.

[bassphish2005]

Had one crawl into my 12 pack of beer once,I opened the door and reached outside the house and into the package and felt something wet and furry.About died,was so freaked out but my buddies had a great laugh over my reaction because we were sitting in a big 10x16 playing cards and 'fishing'.The dumb 'rat' came up a tip up hole about 30 yards from the house and took up his new home with my beer.I still have nightmares over that incident.

[FishOn!]

Yeah! its a bit scary! even though they arent very big, they still get you on guard! I work with a guy from bemidji, and when i told him the story, he told me of an old tale from way back where a guy was fishing in his spearhouse with his dog. The dog dove in the water chasing a muskrat! The guy was horrified at the thought of his dog under the ice and was very puzzled and heartbroken at the same time! Well, a minute later he heard the guy in the spearhouse closest to his screaming and swearing! He opened the door and to his surprise, here comes his dog! Now thats a crazy story!!

[talltines]

FishOn, best story I've heard in a long time. TOP NOTCH!!!!!

[Steve Foss]

Great stories, you guys! Total chaos!

[Eric Wettschreck]

A couple years back my youngest son and I were fishing on a local lake in a Fish Trap Guide. It's a nice house, but not the biggest.

All the sudden a muskrat swam up the hole, looked around, and decided this wasn't the place he wanted to be.

Let's just say there was a small amount of chaos for about 5 minutes. I couldn't get the rat back down the hole, but I did manage to get him out of the house after a small wrestling match.

[FishOn!]

Wow! I cant imagine 5 minutes! 10 seconds was enough for me!!

[Ruegs23]

Awhile back we had a spear house out on a local lake. We had not been out to it in about two weeks. When we returned, we opened the door and splash, down the hole go two rats. The house was filled with weeds and the hole was still wide open. The smart thinkers we were, we moved the house before we stepped inside. The rats had been coming and going so much they had actually expanded the hole to the size of the house!! If we would have stepped into the house who knows what would have happened!!

[UdeLakeTom]

Thanks for the laughs

[Thunder]

I would drop a deuce in my britches if I saw a muskrat come up my hole...maybe I should arm myself with a spear just in case!!

[FishOn!]

Yeah, it cant be imagined too well until it happens to you TOTALLY unexpectedly! Now everyone that reads this is going to be on guard next time out on the ice!

[OldBear]

I'm afraid if I was on my knees looking down the hole and it popped out their'd be one big hole in the shelter.

[Sandmannd]

Never had a muskrat. Couple of years ago I thought I would suprise the wife while she was gone and put the tile down in the entry way. Took the bar and hammer to the threashold and pounded away to get it up. Thought I felt something hit my mouth but didn't think much of it. Well a couple of pounds later I got a whole wasps nest from my front steps swarming at me coming into the house. I was stung about 12 times as I ran through the house screaming like a ten year old girl. Got in the bathroom and shut and locked the door (yea I locked it, figured they might turn the handle). Called the wife who asked about the dogs, I said they can fend for themselves. After a half hour of sitting on the toilet cleaning my stings, I peaked out and the dogs (German Shepard and Beagle) were eating the wasps off the window and such. I also have an african jungle cat and he was chasing and eating them as well.

Point of the story, if something like that came outa the hole at me, I'm sure I would run like a 10 year old screaming girl again and drive home leaving all my stuff on the ice Hehehehehehehehe.

[Brunsvig_slayer]

one of my buddies was fishing on a local lake last year and he was spot fishing and all a a sudden a muskrat popped out of the hole, I think that the muskrat was as shocked as my buddy was.

[hondavxr]

Fish on that sounds like something my dog would do. Great story