Ice Fishing - Soft Ice

Back when I was a kid my dad and brother-in-law took me on an ice fishing trip that will last in my mind for a long time to come.

I was just starting my freshman year in high school and my interest were starting to change and ice fishing was one thing that was not high on my activity list.

It was a Sunday and after church and breakfast dad said we're heading for the bay to catch some perch. We loaded the car and grabbed a lunch that mother had put together for us along with two thermoses of coffee.

We got there about noontime and found a parking place. I could just make out a dark thin line of fishermen out on the horizon on the bay. The sky and the ice were the same value and shade of color, which made for an interesting scene.

We walked until the dark line of fishermen took on the appearance of real people. They were standing, sitting, squatting on the ice and busy moving around looking for that lucky spot. It was a pleasant day at just thirty-nine degrees and the ice was getting a little soft on top. There was nothing to worry about because the ice was at least eight inches thick and besides, with all those fishermen around what could go wrong?

Dad was determined to fill the buckets with yellow perch before he would even think about going home. We stuck it out until the bucket was about four inches from the top. Then I realized that a lot of the fishermen had packed up and headed for shore. I guess dad was ready and had his day of fun filling up the pail. I was just getting that time of day when it was taking on the darker grey look and you just new it was going to be dark very soon.

We watched for the old Model-A taxi service, which was making quite a lot of trips that day, thinking we would get a ride in and wouldn't have to carry all those fish.

It wasn't long before the old car pulled up and the driver said, 'This is the last trip of the day to shore and the ice is starting to melt.' Dad got on the sled with three other fishermen and my brother-in-law and I were chosen to set in the back of the old car to give it a little weight. Traction, the diver said if I remember right.

Off we went following a row of old Christmas trees that were placed on the ice to show the driver the best way back to shore. Lights of homes and cars could be seen as we got closer to the landing where the taxi was to drop us off. Everything was going well until we could feel the old car stall on come to a sudden stop.

'She's going down!' the driver yelled to us.

I made a lung to the front, pushing the front seat p against the dash. The door would not open. I tried again and the next thing I felt was my brother in low slamming me into the door of the old car.

We fell out on the ice just as the back end of the car went under water. We stood there in awe watching the old car hang from it's front bumper on the ice.

Through the window I could see the pail of fish we had worked so hard for was now starting to swim around inside and disappear. We salvage some of the fish but most swam away to live another dayÉ just as we had done to live and fish another day.

Good luck and be safe.

Jon Book