Memorable ice fishing trip

I was schedule to go ice fishing with the Chickaloon Village school kids last week, and was hoping to fish with them on one of the stocked lakes in the Palmer area, however, with several days of warm weather all the lakes I checked out near Palmer were covered with a layer of water on top of the ice as the trip drew near. Cody Henrikson was communicating with me about the trip, and after hearing my report on poor fishing conditions, said he would check out a lake a bit further up the valley near Sutton.

When I talked with Cody again, the day before the school trip, he said the lake he checked out still had snow on top, there was no water on top of the ice, and the ice appeared both plenty thick and solid. The day of the trip we had a skiff of snow near Palmer, but driving up toward the lake I figured there was more like 6 to 8 inches of snow. Turning off the Glenn Highway and headed up the hill toward the lake was a bit disconcerting, as there was a large pickup stuck in the ditch at the first turn in the road. It was definitely nice to be driving a 4-wheel drive vehicle.

Cody and Stephine Houser met me at the parking area to the lake, where I left my vehicle, and we headed out on the ice to drill holes and get set up before the school kids arrived. We were expecting about 14 kids, and we started by drilling the approximate number of needed holes. We scattered the holes over a considerable area, to assist in finding the fish (in case they were not located near the first batch of holes. I also wanted the holes spread out, because if holes are too close together -- one person might hook a fish, but have it run under the ice and get tangled on the line of a second angler. Having at least 10 -- 15 feet between holes usually solves that issue.

In addition to a power ice auger and plenty of fishing gear, Stephine and Cody had also brought along a couple canopy covers (like a tent without walls) in case it stated snowing or raining while we were out on the lake. Cody and Stephine set those up, along with some tables and chairs for the kids and /or adult supervisors.

Another adult, Jessica Winstaffer showed up next, along with a son and daughter, but Jessica was also working at getting set up before the main group of school kids arrived. She brought half of a 55 gallon metal barrel to start a fire in, on the lake ice. When we were done fishing, all the remaining coals and partially burned firewood would be removed in the half barrel.

When the main group of kids arrived, we talked about safety, Cody talked about being respectful as a group, and then it was time for them to eat lunch. There were more adults to assist as well (7 adults) besides myself. A young girl finished eating first, and was excited about fishing, as she had not ice fished before. I got her and a few of the other kids started, but other kids were interested in building snowmen, or just slow to get started on fishing. It took a while before the first fish was caught, as there were not many bites at the start. We had kids moving around to try some of the other holes in search of the fish, but when the first fish was caught, other kids' interest immediately picked up.

The young girl, who had never ice fished before, caught the first fish of about 12 -24 inches, and Cody said she needed to figure out what kind of fish she had caught. He had some paper copies with pictures and descriptions of different species of fish that might be in the lake. The young angler looked through the papers, and then announced that she had caught “a Dolly Varden!”

Other kids also caught a few fish, but nearly all of the action was occurring from just a few of the many holes in the ice. I drilled some additional holes closer to where the fish were being caught, but for the most part the action continued primarily in 3 or 4 holes. A young boy hooked a fish that resisted coming up through the ice for a while, so one of the adults assisted in helping him catch it. It looked to be another Dolly Varden (or Arctic char), but it had a huge head and somewhat skinny body. I would guess it at about 25 inches in length — quite a large fish from a lake that receives a considerable amount of public fishing pressure. I mention that these fish are fall spawners, and perhaps this particular fish had spawned in the fall, and not gained all its weight back, yet.

Several smaller rainbow trout were caught, along with additional Dolly Varden, and one much more robust rainbow trout. Most of the fish were released, but both the largest Dolly and rainbow were kept, along with a few of the smaller fish. It did start snowing rather briskly, while we were out on the lake, but not for long, and later the sun came out. The adults had brought plenty of hot chocolate for everyone to drink , and I enjoyed a cup myself.

The kids were very respectful and well-behaved. There was plenty of adult supervision, in case it was needed, the trip had been well planned with other things for kids to do. A few people took time to roast a hot dog over the fire, and our few hours out on the lake went by quickly. Some kids caught a few fish, and pictures were taken. I was very impressed with the whole operation, and enjoyed my time out on the ice with the kids.

Additional Fishing Information

Temperatures have once again dropped below freezing (at night in particular) and the water that had been on top of lake ice in the Palmer / Wasilla area last week — has refrozen. Mike Hudson with 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle mentioned people had been out fishing and catching fish from several local lakes recently (although anglers should be careful out on the ice as spring progresses). Mike also mentioned two road trip fishing locations that have been popular recently: ice fishing at Lake Louise near Glennallen has been good for both lake trout and burbot, and other anglers have been having good luck on the Kenai River (mike specifically mentioned that some of the Kenai River anglers had been catching steelhead this winter.

The Mat-Su Outdoorsman Show will be held from noon on April 11 to 5 p.m. on April 13 at the Menard Sports Center in Wasilla.