Outdoors

Ice Fishing is Easier and More Fun Than I Thought

February 10, 2022COMtnMom

Growing up in the middle of South Dakota, I was raised by an avid fisherman. My dad used to occasionally wake up in the dark, frigid early morning hours of winter, and schlepp out to the large frozen lake nearby to drill a hole in the ice and drop a pole. In like, 10 degrees below zero temps. Now that’s just crazy pants.

That would still be a hard pass for me.

But I recently discovered this same winter adventure on a sunny, high altitude Colorado afternoon can actually be a wonderful experience! You know, if your husband and brother haul all the gear. My sister in law and I brought the snacks.

Ice Fishing at Vega Dam

I haven’t had nearly my fill of deep, beautiful, pristine snow this year. So getting out to this wide open spot with lots of white, fluffy snow was soothing to my soul. We went to Vega Dam, a state park in Western Colorado. There’s plenty of space on the frozen lake, and it’s such a popular spot that we were able to “reclaim” some previously drilled ice fishing holes.

Don’t Forget Your Boots, Young Lady….

Typically this mom does a spot check of what her children are wearing before we head out on an outdoor adventure. I thought my teenaged daughter would be able to select an appropriate outfit, so I didn’t review her choices. I thought wrong. So she had a tricky time navigating down the deep snowy slope in her tennis shoes! And of course, I ended up forking over my thick wool socks to her, opting for bare feet in my snowboots. I guess we aren’t fully out of the “mom forfeits her own warm clothing when the going gets rough in the wild” stage of life just yet.

It was ok, there was a chilly pup in the group too, who needed to sit with her in the truck for a warm up session.

Being on the ice means you definitely need your long johns, snow pants, and other assorted warm clothing. But otherwise, it was really pleasant. Just like I remember fishing with my dad. (In the summer. He was on his own in the winter.) Being outside and eating snacks with people you like are the best part!

Did you know they sell cheap, short little fishing poles for ice fishing? I thought that was pretty cool. My brother said they allow you to sit closer to the hole in the ice, and that when you do catch a fish in cold winter water they don’t fight as much… so a short pole usually suffices. He claims he got his for ten bucks. Ten bucks!! That’s some affordable fun, people.

My son has always loved fishing, so he was all about this winter adventure. He started out sitting right on the ice. But I definitely recommend bringing chairs, you’ll last alot longer.

Ice Fishing is Fun, Even if you Get Skunked

At the latest, get there early afternoon. It’s get much, much chillier the second that sun goes down!

I have no idea about when your best bet is to catch fish. Yeah, we didn’t catch any fish. You’ll have to read a more well informed blog for actual ice fishing tips. I did tell you about those cheap baby fishing poles, though. So there’s a helpful takeaway. You’re welcome!

The most excitement we had was when I reeled in my son’s line, and it got snagged and started pulling on my brother’s line in another hole. Boy did he get excited. I felt kinda bad. It woulda been funny, if he hadn’t started to weep. Awkward. I was there for the conversation and summer sausage… but turns out the poor guy really wanted to catch a fish.

I guess we just have to go back and try again some time!

Look how different the light is, the second the sun dips below that horizon. Brrrrrr…..