Posted on 02/18/2021 1:25:15 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
The window for ice fishing on Fernan Lake opened long enough for Bill Hendrickson and Pat Brady to venture out Tuesday for the first time.
“I just caught a trout,” Hendrickson said as he walked back to the chairs they had set around the holes they cut in the ice, some 100 yards from shore.
It was 16 to 18 inches, he said, the first of what they hoped would be many. Perch, crappie and bass were also swimming below the surface, just waiting to be reeled in.
“It’s kind of like a mystery,” Hendrickson said. “You never know what you’re going to pull out of the ice.”
Even if the fish aren’t biting, ice fishing is always a good day for the anglers as they enjoyed the peace, quiet and beauty that comes with being far from others going about their daily routines in Coeur d’Alene and surrounding towns.
“There ain’t much other people,” Brady said with a laugh. “You gotta find some way to fish.”
“It’s fun. We just love fishing,” Hendrickson said. That’s all we do.”
The men moved every so often, to keep warm in the 27-degree conditions, with snow falling, too. Bundled up to fend off the cold, they brought with them coffee, smokes, conversation and patience.
Hendrickson stood up, grabbed the auger, walked about 15 yards away, and quickly drilled a hole through the ice they estimated was a solid 5-inches thick.
Perfectly safe, both men agreed.
“There are some guys playing hockey out there a couple days ago,” he said.
“I could drive an ATV on it,” Brady said.
Bill Hendrickson, left, and Pat Brady do some ice fishing on Fernan Lake on Tuesday.
(Excerpt) Read more at cdapress.com ...
My dad spent a couple of winters trapping with a friend in central Washington. He told of catching a skunk and, while skinning it, pulled something the wrong way. It squirted him in the eye. He thought he was going to die. And was afraid he wouldn’t.... Fortunately, he didn’t and I came along 20 some years later....
Forgot about Kensico. We fished that one too. Re your dad, heard the remedy was always tomato juice.
Yep, he told me many times about being bathed in tomato juice. I just read it really doesn’t work — it just masks the smell. You need to oxidize the thiols and baking soda or hydrogen peroxide do that.
But I doubt that was well known or understood back then.
That must have been awful!
My dad worked in the copper mine in Holden, Washington at the top of Lake Chelan to pay his way through college. Must have been really tough work.
It seems to be a bit late, to me. In Minnesota, ice fishing shanties are (or, at least, were) required to be removed from the lakes by February 15.
I agree. It's far better to be sitting in a warm car, and watching through the window.
Sounds good.
Btw, anyone who tells you they love snow and ice, they’re lying.☺
I had a friend who drowned in Fernan Lake. He was a passenger in a car that went into the lake and none of the four passengers got out. Yes, alcohol was involved.
I once lived in CDA. Fernan Lake is one of the sweetest parts of town. The whole town was lovely then , but it’s getting wrecked by idiot people from other states who think trees are for cutting down.
I hate that.
This is the first real cold snap in North Idaho this winter. It’s been extremely mild with a lot of days in the 40s.
We live over by Hayden Lake. A car or two go in the lake every year. They changed the entrance to the boat ramp so it’s no longer right at the end of the road, but people STILL find a way to drive into the lake. Yes, alcohol is usually involved.
...also wrecked by increasing people who think Biden is an honorable man and a good POTUS.
I remember that one, if we’re talking the same one. South side of the lake near Honeysuckle Beach? That might have been tricky even for a sober person if the visibility was bad or the driver was inattentive. Even if we’re talking about different sites, there were lots of opportunities on the lake road for careless drivers to find the water with their cars. Like Fernan Lake, in most places, Hayden Lake gets deep really quickly.
Yep, right at Honeysuckle Beach. They improved the boat ramp a lot after too many went in the drink, but they still find a way to go in!
These glacial lakes are deep! Nothing as deep as Pend O’Reille, though.
I drove by Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on a cross country trip. No time to stop, but it looked like a picture postcard place. I hope to go there and spend some time some day.
It’s nice at first but it gets old quick.
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