Fishing?? Ice? Fun.

Ice fishing? Saturday? In the middle of recruiting season? Sure. I doubt there’s any better use of your time in winter. If you have no clue, have the patience to read through "Ice Fishing 101" from your fellow fisherman. So what exactly is this sport? Wikipedia informs us that "ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water, like a lake." So once you factor in the 10,000 lakes, along with the sub-zero temperatures, it makes sense as to why this sport is so quintessentially Minnesotan.

The Setting

Here’s how it goes:

• Wait for the winter to really set in.
• Drive down to a lake and park your car on it. (don’t worry, the ice won’t collapse. If it does, pray!)
• Dig a hole and set the line or a ‘tip-up’ (the bigger the bait, the better).
• Come and relax with over 20 of your Carlson friends; have food and beverages.
• In case of a "flag-up," run like a madman on slippery ice and pick up your prized catch.
• Pictures, social media, brag; then release the fish back in and repeat step 3.

If you’re still skeptical, don’t be. I’ll let the pictures do the talking. Just make sure you bring warm clothes, good boots and a great attitude! I would have loved to say that no fishes were hurt during the making of this blog, but that would be lying. Happy fishing!

The gear and scenery.

Yours truly with the biggest catch! Seriously!