Another short trip but with family, testing stuff, cold but windless & sunny

Tons of stuff including a larger pop-up shelter, heater, food, drinks, etc., etc. Smitty worked well but I need larger skis to spread the weight and I need to change out all wood for aluminum to lighten the load. Walked out 200m and set up shop. Drilled holes and hope to be marking and I was 5 min. in. Marked two other times during the trip but no bites. Packing up, knicked my thumb on the auger blades....barely touched it too and I bled well. And as I was packing up (wife and son already gone to the car so I didn't have to pull him as well), a mark comes into the sonar (like it was said, pack up the sonar and one fishing pole LAST!) so I tried and it goes away. Back to packing....mark comes back....tried and it goes away....pack and mark comes back. What did Mykola said about making sure the fish know you are packing up and moving? )) Another time I tend to get action is if I happen to be busy with something (like eating so I do the same to make sure the fish know my hands are busy with food). So finally, I decide to leaving the pop-up alone and really focus on the mark. 2-3 mins later (after it doesn't disappear from the screen this time), I hooked up and it came up so quickly from about 30' that I thought it maybe a small WF or a large cisco...then I see the big mouth...another laker. The only real fight it put up was at the hole while I was trying to get it's head into the hole. Barely hooked on one point of one treble hook of my vibrato. I pulled it out and deciding not to waste time with looking for the pliers that were already packed up, I use my hands to unhook and a quick thrash and the vibrato strikes again...got a bit of my other thumb (and so I donated a bit more blood to the lake). Too big for me to keep and also too big to give to someone else (I don't want to be giving people too much mercury, esp. those who have no idea) and it was barely hooked and a very healthy, thick fish so a quick photo for the derby....I think 25-1/4" (almost 25-1/2") (but will let the derby organizer decide). I made sure I got it over to some light fluffy snow for the quick photo instead of around the hole where the hard jagged refroze ice. It picked up alot of snow for the photos so you can't see the colours...a beauty (I love the colours on the lakers of this lake).

Some folks may be interested. I had turned parts of an old stroller into a covered seated area for my son just in case I had to pull him out/in. We played around with it a bit but I didn't have to pull him either way (it was a short walk out this time so....). But I know it will work. Some foam floor pads were used to line the bottom of the Jet Sled so his butt would be warmer and more comfy. The retractable and removable cover was a good wind block. I also refashioned the stroller's handle bar (widened it) to be a push bar for the Smitty as well so my wife can also help push as I pulled and can keep and eye on him....also note the blue Shakespeare fishing pole with the blue rubber fish at the tip on the left of the photo - too bad he missed seeing the laker get hooked and come up He has a real interests in watching the sonar screen and actually called out a mark once when I was not looking - a great start for a future fishing partner. BTW, the sled with the converted covered seat will be used by him to pull me one day...he just doesn't know it yet.

Nice report!

Nice!! Setup on the smitty is good. I'm 60 now and my kids are late 20s early 30s. Almost time to pass the torch and let them run things. This last trip i did was the least work yet and i honestly did none of the hard work - just paid for everything LOL!! Only heavy lifting i did was to show them how to break loose the snowmobile after it was froze in place with slush in the tracks.

Hope you didn't have to pull them on a Smitty in a converted stroller seat
For sure, having family to fish with is a great joy in life. I can't wait until he is old enough to pull me off the sofa to go fishing....maybe when that day comes, I will break out one of the old wooden tip-ups and go full old school on him! I don't even know if I remember how to hand bomb a laker anymore.

Glad you had some success but too bad about the injury…your post reminded me of my walk the other day

Nice lake trout! Sometimes the blood sacrifice is necessary.

Nice laker!

Way to go, getting the family out - too bad the little guy was already gone

Nice double sled. What I did on the other side of the "sedan" for the little one was to bolt together three milk crates to span the Smitty's cross bars and the size of the three crates fit so well in the back of my small SUV and then the Jet Sled Jr. sits on top of those crates. The crates then are flipped over for our seating in the shelter. If I make sure all the stuff we bring out fit under the rim of the crates, I can put the shelter on top and strap down to the crates where are already strapped down to the sled.

I was all thumbs....literally!! For sure, wouldn't have taken it back to avoid the blood donation if I had known that was what was needed. When you fingers are frozen, you just can't tell what your fingers are touching.

Am trying as much as I can. He was funny earlier in the shelter watching the sonar (was very interested in it) and pointing out "there's a trout" and then "there's a trout". Well, he called it. I wasn't expecting a laker at this spot. He did say "wow" when I got back to the car and said I caught a big fish. Have been wanting to take him perching so there is much more action but that's a longer car trip.