Ice Fishing, March 15th, 2011

Susanne and I took an adventure trip to fish Lake of the Woods for crappie, and Shoal Lake for whitefish. These are both huge lakes and fortunately we had a good guide, Scott and Lynn.

I had never caught a crappie before so this was something unique for me.

The whitefish were bruisers and we caught a bunch! For a full, detailed report on the day's activities just click on the link below to view the video production!

Ice Fishing, March 15th, 2011

Can a Dead Fish Be Revived?

Sadly, a dead fish cannot be revived. However, all is not lost if you have lifeless fillets aging somewhere in your freezer since last summer. These fish are losing their table-quality as each day passes. Gord does a fine job cleaning and packaging our fish to take home from VBL, but they will acquire a serious off-taste after several months in the freezer. If you have a package of fillets leftover, pull it out and take a good look. You will see ice crystals and signs of freezer burn on the flesh. Not good, but the fillets can be revived if you act very soon. Noted below is the remedy that works for me.

Start by defrosting the package of fillets overnight in the refridgerator. Rinse well and cut off the skin tag and any whitish spots or areas that look funky. Next, soak the fillets in buttermilk for an hour or two. Then rinse again, pat dry and prepare the fish using lots of seasonings that would eliminate any remaining off taste. I don't understand food science well enough to explain what the buttermilk does, but it works wonders.

Gord introduced me to a recipe that is perfect for past-prime fish (or fresh) and I think you would really enjoy it --pan-fried fish cakes. I've made this dish many times for friends and family and they love it. Email me for the recpie if you wish.

Ice Fishing with Henry......

Henry has been a regular guest of VBL for the past number of years, chasing muskie, walleye and anything else that will bite in his "man boat". This past week he paid us a visit to try something new......ice fishing. Here he is jigging for lake trout on Teggau Lake, which at over 500 feet deep is one of the deepest lakes in the region.

An eater walleye from a spot in Vermilion Bay, on Eagle. Besides never having ice fished before, Henry had never driven a snowmachine before.......pretty exciting stuff, for a Polish guy from Chicago.

Susanne and Henry pose with a nice selectin of lake trout from a small lake off of Eagle.......

They were a dark copper colour, but very tasty...........

Yours truly with a dandy walleye from Vermilion Bay. Caught in 25 feet of water on a Salmo Chubby Darter. Released to spawn this spring. Is that the lodge in the background?

'Time on the Water".......Quote #5

"Musky fishing is not for pessimists. You've got to believe that next cast will be the one, a notion that falls just short of being completely absurd. Realism must be avoided at all costs. If I knew I wasn't going to catch a keeper for days at a time, it would be mighty hard to go out there every day. I should know it. That's the way it's always been, for me and for most others too. I guess you could say I know I probably won't catch anything, but I don't believe it."

-Bill Gardner

"Time on the Water".......Quote #4

"One of the legends of musky fishing is that the nastier the weather, the better the fishing. I'm beginning to think that's a cruel hoax cooked up by musky guides, who have to be out there every day anyway and want the rest of us to suffer along with them. Most of my keepers have been caught on pleasant, sunny days, and none of them was caught on a really nasty day. I've braved the cold and rain many times and all I got for it was cold and wet."

-Bill Gardner

"Time on the Water".......Quote #3

"I went out on Van Vliet today, but no musky. There are probably those who are wondering just what I accomplish in the course of a day. Here's a guy who spends most of the day fishing for muskies and doesn't catch any. Well, looking back at my working years with the Associated Press, I wonder how many days I really accomplished anything there. I remember answering the phone a lot. One day I kept a log and tallied 99 calls I answered. There was one woman who called several times a day, and it seems I always picked up the phone on her calls. In the seven years I worked at the AP she never once asked for me. I've probably spent the equivalent of one day of my life telling other people that this particular woman wanted to talk to them.

The point of all this is that most of us don't really accomplish much that is memorable on any given day. Some days at the AP were very rewarding, but those days were rarer than days that I catch a musky. I have a feeling it's like that for most people.

So what did I accomplish today? I did what I wanted to. How often can a guy say that at the end of the day?"

-Bill Gardner

More "Time on the Water"

Quote #2: "So what keeps these guys going, throwing heavy baits hour after hour for nothing while waiting for that one special cast? Your average musky addict will tell you that one musky is well worth 10,000 casts. The long wait for a fish is part of the musky mystique, and anglers frequently talk of "paying your dues.".....If muskies are so dadblamed hard to catch, why bother? Why not try for something easier, like trout or bass? Let me put it this way: Would I quit my job and move 2,200 miles to go trout fishing? What do think I am, crazy? No, it's muskies for me. I've got the fever. I'm looking for one a little over four feet long with sharp, inch-long teeth that could make mincemeat out of the average trout. That's right, I came here for one fish. I want one big musky. Some men want to be President, others seek the Nobel Prize. I can't help it if they are short on ambition. I believe in setting goals high--I want to catch one of the ten biggest muskies in Vilas County this year."

-Bill Gardner