As I’ve mentioned, DH and our sons enjoy ice fishing. I’ve gone with them enough to know for certain that I don’t have the same metabolism to tolerate sitting still for extended periods in temperatures well below freezing no matter how warm I’m dressed. However, if I’m moving around enough to keep my blood circulating, as in cross-country skiing, I can enjoy outings in winter weather.
So
I told the guys I’d like to tag along on an ice fishing trip but I’d take my
snowshoes and wander around taking photos while they fished.
While
they drilled holes and baited poles on a reservoir so close to the dam that
water didn’t freeze, I put chemical hand heaters in my gloves and stuffed my
gloved hands into mittens with chemical heaters in the end.
Before
I could snowshoe down where they were, Beavis had landed a big trout he caught
while waiting for holes to be drilled in the ice.
The
guys were where the fish were hanging out and had their hooks baited with an irresistible
combination of worms and magic juice.
The
fish were getting hooked so often I decided to stay around and film the action.
My
big problem was working my cameras. My
cell phone’s touch screen meant using bare fingers. Not fun.
My little Canon Powershot’s batteries faded fast in the cold. Even my Nikon wouldn’t shoot at its usual
speed in the icy air.
Still
there was plenty of action from the guys on ice. So I did what I could to continue taking
photos and video.
Finally
I wandered off across the lake to take pictures of the incredible scenery of
this Montana winter landscape.
Even
though my fingers and my cameras were not happy about the arctic conditions,
…my
eyes loved the view.
These are just some of the big trout the fishermen caught. It was so cold the poor creatures froze solid after only a few minutes out of the water.
This is a movie I made from the photos and video I shot. The fishermen asked me to put it on YouTube so they could show it off to their friends. It's a little over five minutes long so you may want to get your popcorn ready.
