Post January Morson reports here

[Wild Thing]

Too much snow, too much slush, not enough fish

It was an odd trip for sure. Seemed it never stopped snowing. We got 7 inches on the 1st and about 12 more inches on the 3rd.

There's two feet of snow on the level. About 24 inches of ice near Morson and about 14 inches of ice in Whitefish Bay.

There's a ton of snow on that lake and a ton of SLUSH. And the drifts are getting very deep and hard, bumpy.

Travel is not fun and nearly not possible in some areas.

Also some major pressure ridges in the usual spots, including some new ones that kept me away from some of my favorite winter reefs.

Only fished walleyes for a couple hours Thursday then had to leave before the bite for a party on shore.

On Friday went with Benelli Dude and his dad to Whitefish at 20 below zero. Not a bad day except for the slush and the fact we didn't have a bite in about two hours of fishing, then had to head back. Ice covered my windshield and my helmet from all the water on the ice!

Did catch a couple little walleyes that evening at sunset closer to home.

On Saturday I planned to fish all day -- but it snowed so hard all day that I never drilled a hole. Couldn't see more than 1/8 mile all day, and sometimes less. Beautiful from in the cabin, brutal when we tried to venture out. The machine was pushing powder up over the tall windshield!

So it goes. Four nights three days, less than five hours of actually fishing! Worst "fishing trip'' ever but still had fun!

I may delay next trip until conditions improve, if they do.

Take care all.

[swedishpimple]

Wild Thing.....was that you on that 550 Cougar up in Whitefish??

You stopped with B-dude and talked to us....I was pushing on B-dudes portable with you.

[Casey Sunsdahl]

Wildthing send me your email addy in a PM this is Blackjack

[Wild Thing]

Blackjack:

I can't get the PM to enable, it says disabled. Not sure how to fix that.

Sweedishpimple:

Yes that was me! It's a small world after all up there! My old Cat made it up there after all.

Next time offer me a beer and if I take it, you'll know it was me!!!

What was up with your lost guys on Saturday? I can't believe they tried to go very far in that snow. But I'm very conservative with things like my life. Others aren't so much!

[benelli_dude2002]

hey WT! remember when I mentioned that if any them guys was swedishpimple? I was gonna ask to but then I couldnt get going and i wasnt gonna stop once I got going. Swedishpimple, i did make a swing by again but there was nobody around other than a auger and a few portables. My dad said you guys might have been eating lunch just out of sight somewhere. Yeah it wasnt the greatest day to be travelling, my wife drove to Roseau to take a 1st Aid/ CPR course on saturday and she said it was a tense drive all the way. she did take the pickup by the way. Can just imagine what the ride up to Whitefish is like now with this new snow. Take care

p.s Swedishpimple, when will you guys be up again?

[Casey Sunsdahl]

google my user name.. lots of snow on the old vermilion too.. bummer

[swedishpimple]

Wild Thing.....

All but 3 of us went out Saturday Morning. We fished until about 1 then had lunch. Then 5 of us decided to head to BV to walleye fish and left at 2. We got to BV back at 4:30. We had 3 gps untits with us. We never got lost but had some issuse staying out of a slush field and 1 machine losing power.

The other 3 left Whitefish at 3:30 and made it to Turle Portage at 5 and called us. At 8 or so B-dudes Dad and 1 from our party went looking for them, using a spotlight and stopping to listen.

The search party could hear them running, but could not see them. At 9:30 the "lost 3" made it back after getting a Bearcat stuck in the slush 3 times. Shortly after that the search party returned.

I think more guys will be installing the RAM mounts for their GPS. The 12v power is a must too.

[swedishpimple]

Benelli_dude

I typically only make it up for the Trout Opener. The other guys will be at their cabin at BV. The guys from Winnipeg are coming down this weekend.

They will be up to Whitefish on:

1 Red Bearcat

1 Blue Bearcat

1 660 Turbo

maybe the old VK540 and ZL500??

[benelli_dude2002]

I head to work this afternoon and wont be home saturday sometime. yeah getting stuck in the slush is no fun. oh well maybe next time huh. Dont know when I will be up again. most likely a day trip when I do go.

[Tman2]

Prior to our 'ordeal' we managed to fish for trout for 3 hours. Saw a ton of fish on the flashers and caught five all told (successful releases).

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=268076&l=cafd0&id=1027642220

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=268078&l=53128&id=1027642220

[swedishpimple]

Tman2.....

Where do you guys fish??? We stay at Buena Vista and run out to Whitefish. We typically fish around Annie...Timber and Russel Islands.....I can't really get much more specific then that...but that is the general neighborhood.

[Shorelunch]

Sounds like it's been a tough go getting up to Whitefish. We're supposed to head up soon for walleye and lakers. Should be interesting.

[swedishpimple]

Shorelunch......It was not too bad on friday, Saturday was a blizzard, but the snow is getting deep. There is a lot of slush, but it was managable, it could be interesting...the drifts out there last sunday were just plain nasty.

[Tman2]

Last weekend (Jan 3-6), a few of us (Aaron, Chris, and myself) went up to Lake of the Woods to do some ice fishing for trout and walleyes.

It turned into a battle against the elements with only 3 hours of fishing, and 48 hours of problem solving. It started out with a snowmobile konking out even before we got to the cabin. (The cabin is on an island 5 miles from the car.) After changing spark plugs and little time Chris resolved that issue and we unloaded our gear. We figured we could head to close spot with some possible current and try for walleyes. I didn't make it to the spot as I got stuck in slush with an under-performing sled motor that would plague me the whole trip. we fished only 15 minutes after seeing only small blips with no bites and figuring we had found perch. With minimal sleep from the previous bight we headed back to the cabin for some simple grub and a good night of rest. I got stuck in the slush on the way back too!

The next morning, we were slow in getting out and took our time getting gear together to make the trip (12 miles) to the area where we fish for lake trout on Whitefish Bay. I should add that there was already 16-18" of snow on the ground and Saturday was forecast for another 6. It was already snowing, with a 5 mph wind when we emerged from our slumber. As the day went on the wind would increase and the snow wouldn't stop. We determined I should not pull anything or carry any extra weight. With the snow depth, I was not on a machine that was made for powder riding. I would stick to riding in a freshly made track. Leaving the cabin we traveled almost half the trek, but my sled was having major performance issues. After taking a harder look into this we found the metal cap on top of one of the spark plugs had come loose. We spent a little time correcting this problem and we we're off again. Encountering some frozen slush made for some rough spots, and at one point Aaron fell off his sled only to feel just how hard it was. Minor discomfort initially, but soreness was to follow him the rest of the trip. JUst after this happened, and trailing Chris by 100 ft, I watch as the fish house hitch breaks and the sled rises in the air almost 90 degrees, and comes slamming back down to the snow while Chris continues on. It took a little for him to realize he was missing something before he came back. We had planned for something like this and had extra hitch pins, but they were buried in a sled. We decided we were close enough that some wire would hold until we got to the spot for a more permanent repair. It didn't. Chris passed me 1 mile later where i noticed he didn't have anything in tow. Turning around we retrieved the sled and put a proper fix in. We finally reach the spot and start to fish around noon.

Drill holes and with in an hour, I pull up the first fish of the trip. Looky what we found!!

A nice 28-29" laker going about 11 pounds. Nice and thick the beast was!

Aaron had made new lake trout rods which worked perfectly.

Shortly after that Aaron hooks up with a fish. It's a monster. A tad longer than mine, and a little heavier.

.

Almost as if it was written, Chris hooks up next and we have the trifecta!

You can see in the pics the storm in the background. We fished for about 3 hours and all saw multiple marks on the flashers indicating lake trout. An orange blips that rises off the bottom, sometimes 15 feet to quicken the heart pace and begin the real game! In this short period, we probably saw almost 30 fish on the flashers. We decided to leave extra time to get back to the cabin given the conditions. The first half of the ride back is mostly uneventful except for slight veering off course. We encounter slush back on the Sabaskong Bay side and have to release two sled from it's grasp, spending 30 minutes. It's snowing, we're now in 22" of snow, falling temps and waning daylight. My sled develops power issues again and won't maintain speed. The storm is worsening and it's difficult to see through the masks. I'm in the rear of this procession and notice Chris, who's leading, turning to the right. I ponder this decision as I know that's not where we really want to go, but I'm 150 yards behind an can't just wave my hand (I find out later that he had no idea he turned). He comes on a cabin that is unrecognizable to him. We stop to try and get our bearings. It's difficult to proceed as the headlights from the snowmobiles just glare off the oncoming snowflakes. After another 1/2 mile Chris stops. He has to dismount and work on his sled. Now his has power issues. After a few minutes, problem seems to be resolved and we're of again. This problem repeats itself another 1/2 mile, but takes a little longer to fix. We discuss leaving the fish houses for daylight retrieval but decide we're so close that it'll all be good. We determine our location via GPS, and march on. Coming to recognizable area we start a faster pace knowing we're close. Being the last machine, I notice the other two have hit a slush pocket. I veer out of their tracks and hit the throttle. Most pockets are only 10 feet, with some being a little larger and going 50 or 60. This one was HUGE!! Almost a 1/4 mile we come to determine. I make it 200 feet further than the other two, but the length of the pocket, combined with the extra drag of fish houses claims all of our sleds. I walk back to help free ourselves only to be standing in 5" of water, with 4" of slush, and 20" of snow. Snowmobiles are not light and combine that with our winter gear and it makes for work to get out. We unhitch the fish house sleds and get them out of the slush so they won't freeze in place. Working together we move Chris sled enough that an attempt at getting it out will be made. We decide that he should blaze a trail back to the cabin, then come back to help. With some extra pushing, he 's moving and off. Aaron and I watch the tail light disappear around the corner.... Chris is gone and not to seen or heard from again. When he got to the cabin, he wanted to turn on a light. He went in, quick lit a light, then couldn't get his sled started. Aaron and I realize he's not coming back and start trying to free his sled. Now, it's a chore to do it with 3 people, we're now 2 and we're tired and went and it's now dark, and we have no way to contact anyone, nor do we even know what has happened to Chris. I know we are only 2/3 of a mile from the cabin, but Aaron doesn't, and he's having trouble as he is not in any shape to be exerting this much energy. I'm in better shape, but wasn't terribly hungry during the day, so I hadn't eaten much. I also was soaked (more than aaron suspected). I did not want to stop moving for fear of the cold setting in on me. Aaron didn't want to walk to the cabin, not knowing how far it was, the deep snow, and his poor physical conditioning. He wanted to open up a fish house and light a heater (i was concerned about my wetness in the cold). We each had moments, where, we were so tired, we thought we were going to puke. We both were concerned for our predicament. We managed to get his sled free and now it was time for mine. We must have tried 10 times to get that sled out. each time pulling, lifting and clearing snow, only to travel 6'! We get close to a track we have made, and make a huge effort to clean as much slush and ice from my sled. Soaked, in the dark, fallings temps and snowing we say a prayer and determine a plan of attack. If i get out, don't stop. If Aaron doesn't follow in 15 minutes. Call for help. We had cell phones at the cabin, just not with us. Finally successful, we arrive at the cabin almost 4 hours after our initial departure. It was good to be in a dry enviroment, although extremely tired, wet, and mentally spent.

The next day (Sunday) we come to find Aaron parked in a slush puddle and is now frozen in place. It's -20f when we awake in the morning with a wind, and doesn't get above -15.

Chris still can't get his sled started and mine is covered with ice (the frozen slush). Using a hammers and various tools we clear as much as possible (laying in the snow and banging away). I'm the first to get a sled running, but mine is not the one to blaze a trail. we work all day getting Aaron's sled out of the frozen spot and track moving. Chris's sled only moves 100 feet this day, and won't start again. We make some phone calls to get some ideas on what to do mechanically, but can't get it done this day. Aaron's sled is running and usable allowing us to make some runs to the fish houses where we plan their escape, but with waning daylight, resolve to wait till morning.

That night brings -30f. Stoking the fire will be a must. A nice morning ensues... but it's bitter cold.

We retrieve our first fish house. We figure we should make a trail back to the car to follow to alleviate potential slush problems. Aaron doesn't know the route well, so it falls to me. I bundle up and make a run out about 3/4 mile and then come back. (The others can still see me, and if I have a problem the walk back won't be too bad.) this last only a fe wminutes, but a protion of my facial skin is exposed, and when I arrive back and take off my helmet, I'm greeted with the comment, 'Dude, your cheeks are white!'. I get into the cabin and start trying to warm them up and hope they aren't too badly frostbitten. As it turns out, it's probably just minor, and should heal (as of this writing it still isn't fully). This saps some of optimism for the day as a medical facility is over and hour by car, and we aren't sure we can make it to the car! Chris makes a second run with the intent of going further and coming back. He bolts off and, unbeknownst to us, makes a decision to go all the way (actually changed the plan). He takes his time coming back trying to create a slightly larger track to allow us to pull the fish houses out easier. He's gone long enough that Aaron and I figure something has gone wrong, and start trying to figure out another plan of action. We finally see alight coming back and know it's him. During these little runs we were able to determine where the slush was, and wasn't. Only one presented any real issue to us. We decided that I would travel through the slush with out a house and pick it up on the other side. After hauling the first one through, Chris comes back for the second. i make it through the pocket okay, only to turn and watch him going through it. making the head bob motion that we are familiar with when you want to get a little further. He almost doesn't get through- the head bobs helped!

A mostly uneventful ride out with our previous prep work gets us up to the truck, happy to know it's almost over. A trip, at this point, that I personally, don't know that I would describe as good.

[Eastwind]

Try putiing Some Bacitricin Ointment on the frostbit area. I got a little patch of frostbite two years ago and happened to be going in for my annual physical a couple of days after returning from the trip. As the area ( under my chin) was still red, I asked the Doc what would help it heal. He suggested the Baciticin. I tried it and the red was gone in a day or two. I now carry a tube of this with me on all Canadian ice fishing trips.

[cedarnarrowsguy]

First of all, its great you mad it, to tell about it. For me half the fun is the "extreme & adventurous" conditions that exit up there. Catching fish is just a bonus. Great story....it reminds me of a few slush rides. One thing for sure...most people from down south don't have a clue what that kind of slush is like.

[dmoore]

T-man 2 where is your cabin located. We have a mobile home at

Mylie's. Glad to see you made it back safely and did have some nice fish. We won't be getting up to our place until April. AZ in two weeks for 2 months.

[Tman2]

Swedishpimple- Best I can tell ya is Whitefish. We've got names for our spots, but nobody else would associate them to anything. Just names we came up with.

Dmoore- we usually go out of Mylie's in the summer. Although we ticked them off this summer when we tried to give them some constructive criticism about their minnows. In the winter, we just park at the gov't dock and travel out to my buddy's cabin which is on an island near Blueberry.

[Wild Thing]

Wow, I wouldn't go through all that for a world record trout. You are very dedicated anglers! (A duck maybe, but no fish is worth that kind of trip.)

After reading all the bad reports on here, including mine, I woudln't even go up! I was supposed to go this coming weekend but no way. Slush and 20 below. Nyet.

But, as i've said, I'm a wimp!

[benelli_dude2002]

I see what you mean. cold temps in the forecast and i dont even get the 'itch' to go out fishing even if it is good. Havent been out for walleyes yet and sounds like I am not missing much. dont know when I will get up there again even though its only less then a hour away.

hey WT keep me posted on when you are coming up again and I will let Pa know and see if your driveway needs to be plowed before you get there

p.s Tman2 nice pics of the lakers. I like the one of the fish down the hole

[superbee]

Nice pictures of some good lakers! Looks like everyone had a real experience.

[MuskieDowg]

o_O wow... That's a crazy story! Glad to hear everyone made it through ok though. Me, my brother and a friend arrived at the cabin near Morson on Thursday 1-8-09. Thursday evening we took a quick trip up to the pines portage in the north end of Burrow Bay and back home. No problems but we were not towing gear, just riding. Friday we took the same trip, only further, going into Whitefish via the Boot Bay portage. Headed south through Turtle portage from there, and back home for lunch. We experienced our only problem for the weekend on this run. We stopped in Boot Bay where my sled augered in and spun out on the ice. We pulled it onto an established trail and took off. Luckily, no big deal. The majority of that ride, and the rest of the weekend I guess, we rode at 65mph floating through the fresh powder. Speed wins.

Through the rest of the weekend we went west to Splitrock down the sunset (HIGHLY recommend running the sunset), north deep into Miles bay, the big run I spoke of before, and east half way to Nestor. I covered more ground in our 4 day trip than ever before. Going back up early Feb. with a group of guys for a "ride a lot, fish a little" 4 day weekend. Can't wait.

In closing, we hauled a portable house when ice fishing but went west of Morson where the slush is all but non existant on the big water. If you are towing a sled, stay on or near established trails and have fun. I would not recommend blazing your own trail hauling gear and going 30mph. If you must haul a sled and blaze trail, keep your thumb on the throttle. There are a lot of established trails now since the big snow fell over the new year and I would recommend everyone get out and enjoy. I know I will!

-my 2 cents