We had our alarms set for 6:00 am, we all got up and cooked a big breakfast to prepare us for a day filled with ski-doing, hiking & mountain climbing to get to this secret rainbow lake we studied in our backroads map book! At first I threw on a jig head and a worm, I jigged my line, let it sit and watched, but no action! I decided to drill a couple new holes a little closer into the shore line, after I scopped out my hole I threw on a mepps sipnner with a small minnow, I was still dropping my line down the hole when I felt the trout hit hard! I set my hook and the only noise I could hear was a screaming reel! What a fight these little rainbow trout were through the ice, the rush you get when you hoist them out of your hole is unreal! Such a beautiful species of fish. We can hardly wait to get back out there and reel in more!
"Well be out there hoistin"
Shanna L. McPhee
Ice fishing for rainbow trout
Reel Adventures
I studied my back roads map for a couple hours deciding where to venture to. I then went out picking worms to prepare for an early morning. The alarm was set at 6:00 am I loaded up the quad onto my trailer packed up some lunch and hit the road! I arrived to my destination at 8:30am where I then loaded up all my gear onto my atv and hit the trails! After quading on some rough terrain I bushwhacked a couple kilometers until I could see the lake below the 100 ft. canyon ledge I was standing on. I then took the bush route along the edge of the canyon until I got to the lowest elevation where I could start fishing! after casting a Mighty Mitch & Jungle Joe's Jig flies I had a splake instantly hit my jig fly, I then reeled in my first fish of the day followed by a few more!
Bushwhacking for splake!
Being an angler isn’t always as “fun and easy” as it may appear to others as were always sharing more of the “glory” moments rather than how we got there. Successful angling involves a passion for the pursuit, a great deal of patience, and not least importantly great physical fitness. It’s important when we wake up to start our journey knowing were both mentally and physically ready for our adventure and all the obstacles our day may hold.
Being anglers were always faced with many physical challenges, as soon as we wake up we begin to load skidoos, quads, boats & motors not to mention hauling all our gear to and from vehicles and boats. Once we arrive to our destination that’s when all the real physical work begins such as hiking many kilometers through 3 feet of snow while pulling a heavy sleigh behind you with all your gear, climbing up steep hills and over fallen down trees to a day full of rowing your canoe and portaging through rough terrain & bushwhacking many kilometers until you can finally see the lake below the 100 ft. canyon ledge your standing on and having to hike along the steep edge of the canyon until you finally reach the lowest elevation to where you can finally unload your gear and hop into your canoe and start to fish! You never know what kind of obstacles you may encounter such as fallen down trees, rapids in a river, or even weather changes which may cause you to build a shelter to take cover from the elements.
Here at Reel Hooked Outdoors it’s extremely important that we exercise at the gym at least 3 times a week and always prepare healthy meals which often include lean wild game, fish and veggies.
Keeping fit is definitely a major key to being a successful angler.
