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Future FMer's 2nd Annual Ice Fishing Get Together - February 21st


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Last year was a blast and we are coming back for a second round. We had about 45 kids and just as many adults attend the first annual get together last year and all the kids caught fish and went away with great memories on the ice. I am pretty sure all of them won prizes through out the day as well.

Anyway, we are going to do it again this year. Here is the whens, wheres, whos, and whys about it.

When? February 21st, 2009 from 1:00 PM until 3:00 PM.

Where? South Center Lake, Chisago County, MN. I will post a couple maps soon.

Who? Anybody that wants to come out and enjoy a day on the ice. The get together is catered towards getting kids on the ice and interested in fishing. Adults are welcome as well, but if you know a child that you think doesn't have an opportunity to enjoy ice fishing as much as you think they could, bring em along, you will be amazed at how much fun they will have.

Why? Why not? It was just way too much fun the first time around to not do it again and the kids love it. There are way too many children out there that don't have the opportunities many of us have for getting out in the outdoors. Getting them involved is the only way to ensure the future generations can enjoy the outdoors.

I will try to do food and drinks similar to last year. Boiled hot dogs with the fixins, juice/milk/water to drink, and some chip assortments. Stuff kids like, and its not too unhealthy, soda is fine, but it is up to the individual to bring it. Alcohol and Beer are off limits, as this get together is mainly targeted towards the children. Hazelden is just up the hill, I'll send ya up if you get outta line (Just kidding).

I will be working with a couple site sponsors and local businesses again this year to gather up some donations to hand out to the kids. We had a drawing last year and gave away tons of cool prizes. Ice fishing jigs, tackle boxes, rods, hats, shirts, decals, all kinds of cool stuff.

We try too keep this get together short in duration as kids generally will lose interest and want to do other things. The main reason this one got a start last year is giving the children an enjoyable experience on the ice to remember. So the next time Dad wants to go ice fishing, the little ones are begging to go with. We will have a soccer ball out there if the kids get bored with fishing, after all it is fishing and some times the fish don't want to cooperate the way we want them to. I plan to have several underwater cameras set up for the Future FMers to watch as fish come and bite their lures, and we will have some extra flashers out there to display as well. I along with several others will be out checking ice conditions and fish movements frequently to ensure the safest possible conditions for the day. Last year we had about 28" of ice on the lake where we were fishing and parked about 35-40 cars on the ice in the area. Most people will drive out on the ice but if you are not comfortable with doing so we can make arrangements to help out, you will just have to let me know in advance. We will target panfish as they are plentiful in the area, but there is a good chance to hook into a large pike or even a good sized bass. One little boy last year even got a small walleye. We will also have quite a few people out there with cameras to capture the moments and may even have a guest appearance. I am still working on that one though.

Last year we had to postpone the get together for a later date as mother nature had different plans for us. It is always a good idea to bring a change of clothes and footwear for the kids in the odd chance they put a foot in the hole or something like that. I prefer to have an adult for every child out there, but I know that may not be realistic. I do want to be sure that each Future FMer under the age of 4 has an adult with them at all times though. This will help eliminate potential accidents. Plan ahead and watch the weather reports, it could be pretty cold, or it could be balmy as it was last year. It was about 35 degrees last year and many of us were out in bibs and a long sleeve shirt, and even that was getting warm at times.

I can't wait to get out there and catch some fish. For a recap of last years event, click on this here link thingy.

I really hope to see a whole bunch of people there again this year.

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Lacylynn and myself will be there, maybe Ill get my youngest (she will be 2 in June) out there too. This isnt the take a kid Ice fishing weekend is it? I will also see if my Neighbor wants to come. so that will be ...4 kids, maybe less but we will be there.

Shawn

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I'm planning on being there with my 3 year old and new 11 year old daughters. I have talked to a couple of folks with the counties and trying to get some foster care kids out there as I think this would be a great experience for them. I can bring my huge flip over that we can using as a warming tent or to put the food in or whatever. I can also bring my wheeler to help people get on and off the ice if you want. I will help drill holes as well. Let me know anything else you need help with Tom, you have my email addy. Also, if you want, I can offer up a guide trip as a prize for the spring on the St. Croix for a child and their parent.

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Hey Polar,

You know I am in for helping out. Any excuse to use the monster auger is a good one. I have my eye on an 8" since the 10 inch bit may turn into a swimming hole for the munchkins.I may bring my daughter as well. Let me know if you need me to bring anything else or if you need the truck to transport anything. I have the 6 man hut so plenty of room for keeping warm. Just drop me a line.

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Tom, I'll be hoping for another cold weekend so the date will be pushed back. I am teaching a Bowhunter Ed class that day. frown

I will however do whatever you need for signs again, just let me know. I kept the ones from last year so they can be used again.

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Sounds good Ole. Looking forward to meeting you out there.

Just an update for those attending, Bruce Mosher, the owner of Today's Tackle has donated a whole bunch of Ice Buster Bobbers to give to the kids. We will also have quite a few jigs to hand out to the kids as well.

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I am pretty sure that I can make it down there this year, not bringing any kids but sure glad to help out. Good chance for me to see a couple of old familiar faces and meet up with a bunch of new ones. I have about 8 tip ups, many rods, Aqua-Vu, Vex, Wheeler, and a 10 X 10 Easy up tent with sides if ya need one.

email is barb at bjmwebs.com

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Glad to see you are putting it on again this.

Had a good time last year, and will bring the

grandsons out again this year.

Thanks to Deitz folks for drilling and scooping

some holes for us,and Deitz for helping the boys

find a some fish.

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Barb, that will be awesome if you can make it down. You might win the longest drive award. If you are trailering only the wheeler, you might be able to leave it at home. The lake has a good road on it that leads right to the spot, might save ya some fuel economy. I was able to drive a front wheel drive car around no problem. I am going out there tomorrow to do a little fishing and come back with a scouting report.

pljllo, will be nice to have you and the grandsons out there again this year. I didn't get a chance to meet everyone last year and I think you were one of the groups I didn't meet. This year, after having a bit of experience from last year, I hope things run just a bit smoother. Would be glad to take some time to chat with you this time though. I will be running around in the red Arctic Armor suit.

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This is an event you do not want to miss if you have kids and are in the area. I know some came out last year that did not have any gear and gear was shared by others. If you do not have any gear and do not want to impose, Frankies or Gander in Forest Lake has very cheap jig sticks, poles and tip-ups. My boy bought his own jig stick with his own money last year from Frankies and it camewith a bobber and jig on it and I am almost postive it was under $3.00. He caught many gills on it last year at the FM kids GT grin

Tom (Polar)does a great job of rounding up goodies and stuff for the kids. There was plenty of free stuff to go around last year for the kids. From tackle box's, nice rod and reel combo's, tons of jigs and other stuff. No kid last year walked away empty handed wink. I may have been hungry, but the food was second to none also.

It was a great time smile

Unfortunately (as Tom knows), I will not be able to make it this year. I have a prior commitment. I do not even want to bring this up to my kids, as I know they will not be happy with Dad whistle!

Good luck to all who go. Again, it is a very fun event. The closer we get to it, the more people will start to post they are going.

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I'm psyched and so is my Girl Scout troop! They had a blast last year and have asked me about 100 times when I will take them out ice fishing again. I hope the weather is as nice as it was last year, too.

BTW - If you haven't done so already, make sure to order some girl scout cookies in the next couple of weeks. Sales are down this year.

Tom, I'll give you a head count when the date gets closer. I'll probably bring about a half dozen kids with me.

See you all on the 21st.

Skiinglady aka Jane (Yes, that was me with the big deer and my dad and daughter in that photo/article in the Outdoor News)

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Looking forward to seeing you out there again this year Jane. As Shackbash said, this is a really fun event catered towards the little ones and we have quite a few donations starting to pile up to give out. Not as many rods as last year, but I am still working on it.

Lets get out and have some fun.

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I got my neighbor and his 10 year old into ice fishing this year and they are really having a great year. They and my son and I are planning to come out to this great event. We have morning commitments so will not be able to get there until 1:30 or 2. Do you think that would be ok?

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