Sleep Wars: Wampas in Hoth Pants

Having planned this trip in July of last year, we were all in high anticipation of this year's New Year's Eve. Nick, Lisa, Ethan, and Michael carpooled and arrived late Friday evening. We proceeded to bounce around most of the remainder of the evening, planning the next day's adventure. Nick convinced me that getting up early was our best option and despite my exhaustion from moving we did our best. Our plan was Cottonwood for pike as we had done last year. When we arrived at the road, it was mostly blown shut, but the adrenaline got the best of us and we forged ahead. By the time we had gotten to the gate, we blasted through more drifts than I had cared to try to deal with, and we could go no further. We had to turn around. This of course, did not go well at all. We ended up getting VERY stuck in the first major drift. My expert driving techniques plowed us right off of the main path and into deep crusted snow.....Without Michael remembering the scoop shovel, we would have been super hosed.

Three drifts later and we were back on track. At the other access we came up others doing the same thing. One large SUV managed to get over the crust and on the lake without an issue, but the truck that followed did not meet the same fate. It was a rutted and truck buried mess. Nick and Ethan attempted to help dig the first truck out while Michael and I loaded up gear on the sled. It was going to take some serious truck to get this mess cleared and we were not it. We parted ways as three trucks tied together with ropes to pull the guy out.


We made it out to our spot and started the drilling and tip-up setting.

We set out a minefield of baits and were able to pull some pike out in short order, as we had done last year.

It was not as hot and heavy, but there were fish there. As Adam and Rick have taught me, keep moving until you find some fish. I drilled some satellite holes from our base camp location, and jigged for awhile in hopes of stumbling upon a perch. Instead, I caught keeper walleye!!!!

I went all of last year without catching a walleye, and my second fish of the season was an eater! Nick and I switched off manning the tent and jigging that hole before we decided to move the tent all together. This would be the best decision of the day.

Things were very slow until about 4:00 and it was just short of hand over fist from there.
I had originally told Rachel we would be home by 4:30-5ish and I had to plead my case with the wives to let us fish longer. We were given the green light thanks to Ethan Shetler's trump card: It was his birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!


From Michael, Poindexter, and myself: Thank you Ethan!!!


By the end of the evening, we caught a 4 man limit of walleyes and then some, a handful of MONSTER perch, and a couple of rod and reel pike.

Two of the perch we so big, that Ethan decided he was going to take them home for the taxidermist.

At 1.5 pounds and 1.7 pounds, and 13.25 and 13.75 respectively, they were two of the largest perch I have seen come through the ice.

We fished until dark before calling it an evening.

We collected our gear, giggling almost the whole way back to the car and back to the house.

With the ladies back home we were greeted to a house that smelled of freshly baked cake and frosting. For Ethan's birthday, Rachel and Lisa made giant marble cupcakes with homemade frosting topped with a Swedish fish. These women are saints.
Not only was there cupcakes, but Rachel finished off the evening with homemade  shrimp alfredo. It was a great meal to come home to from being out in the cold.

We did our best to stay awake for the new year to come, but most of us were in and out of consciousness for the remainder of the evening. Fighting off sleep seemed to be the hardest part of our entire day. Ethan was garbling about something, Michael would squeak every now and then, Nick would let off ripper snores, and apparently I at one point blurted out clear as day "GUSTEAU!!!"




This was a day to remember and a great way to finish off a troubled 2016. I can't wait to see what 2017 brings!




Stay Tuned