02-27-2004, 05:38 AM
[center][font "Times New Roman"][size 3]HOT DAM![/size][/font][/center]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] Hot Dam is the flavor of schnapps I would have taken a snort of after today’s battle had there been any available for snorting. [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] The day started off like most any other day, I woke up and dragged my self out of the sack and scooting out the door just as soon as I could get my winter rap on.[/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] Getting out on the ice I drilled my first hole, getting no hits I moved on to my next target area only to find nothing at the bottom of that area either.[/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] I was graced with a bit of overcast this morning, and I wanted to take advantage of the low ceiling while it was going to last. The weatherman was calling for sunshine for most of the day.[/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] We scurried on over to my next spot. again finding notta’. By this time an ol’ fissin buddy found his way back on the lake. We headed on over to our regular drilling grounds and proceeded to open our holes from the night before.[/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] With only a 1/16-inch of fresh ice accumulated over night to cover our holes we could have stepped on them to open them but age and experience has made us the wiser, we would keep our feet dry by using our tools at hand keeping our feet dry for a whole day of on ice fun. (A spud and hand cup auger) [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] I dropped my dig down tipped with a wax worm, and no sooner did it hit bottom did I land a 10 crappie, then the bite went cold, it was another hour before I had landed a 8 inch gill, and yet another half hour before the next gill at which time I had to take a short leave from all the excitement of the day, it would be 5 hours before I would be getting back to my hole.[/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Around 4 pm I managed to find my way back and with out a moments waist I opened up my hole and dropped down a minnow on one jig and a waxy on the other. I was ready for the action to start any second. A half hour passed and Jim (one of the old timers of the lake) was pulling up the gills not vary fast but with some regularity. [/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Not getting a single bite I decided to change my jig over to a perch eye. I dropped it down tipped with a waxy I began jigging. [/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]There was no shortage of tall tails on this day since while I was gone most of the old timers found their way back to the old drilling grounds and the bull started piling up on the lake waist deep and getting deeper as the stories flew from one angler to another.[/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Then it happened, my line felt funny, I lowered the end of my rod and the line went limp, I lifted the end of my rod and the rod just bent, after doing this a couple times I figured I had caught the bottom of the lake again, so I lifted my rod slowly to put pressure on the weed at the bottom to slowly weaken the rood and allow me to keep my jig.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]After about five minute of doing this I figured my jig was lost to the bottom of the lake. I started pulling harder, knowing my 2 pound test line would not take much to break and it would only take just one good pop to loose it, but still I aired by the way of caution pulling harder but gentle. Then it moved, the weed on the bottom broke loose and came up about 6 inches and I figured I had it free and boy was I a happy camper. [/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Then the weed started to move? What the hay? Weeds don’t move I thought to my self. Then the weed took off! It ran and ran and ran nearly melting what little ice left on the lake from the heat of my spool spinning stripping off at least 100 feet off my reel before it went dead and I figured the line had snapped, I began reeling it in and caught up to the fish but he was still swimming straight back towards me then underneath me and my reel started screaming again! [/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]By this time most every one on the lake had herd all the commotion and gathered around my hole gaft in hand ready to pull what we knew by now was my old nemeses, the biggest baddest meanest old pike these waters have ever seen. His head passed under us and it took a good 5 minutes before we saw the end of his tail go by. [/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]I am telling you this beast is ten feet long if it is an inch![/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]That old pike scrambled after hearing all the hoopla over head causing my reel to scream once again! This time he ran so fast he was loosening the spool nut and I was fighting just to keep the nut from spinning off and flying on to the lake. After retightening the spool several times he slowed down and I began the long process of bringing him in slowly one foot at a time and what seemed ages passing I had managed to get him back under me and nearing the hole once again. [/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]We all got set and our first gaft volunteer was already on his knees ready to do his thing, as we got the pike close to the edge of the hole he again went flying reel in hand screaming and nut flying loose as the pike despoiled another 100 feet of line. I was getting nervous when I started seeing the color of the spool under my line. I knew he was getting dangerously close to taking all my line as he did once before in an earlier battle some years back.[/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]He turned again coming straight at us full speed, the wind form my bail spinning around the spool was blowing the hats off the anglers 10 feet away as I tried my best to pull up the slack before he hit the end. And we all know what happens then need I say more?[/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]We battled the behemoth nearly twenty minutes before he took my jig and bid us fair well. I pulled in all my line to find I still had my split shot (line cut off just millimeters below the sinker)[/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]HOT DAM! I sure could have used that snort, and probably two if we had actualy landed him.
[signature]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] Hot Dam is the flavor of schnapps I would have taken a snort of after today’s battle had there been any available for snorting. [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] The day started off like most any other day, I woke up and dragged my self out of the sack and scooting out the door just as soon as I could get my winter rap on.[/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] Getting out on the ice I drilled my first hole, getting no hits I moved on to my next target area only to find nothing at the bottom of that area either.[/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] I was graced with a bit of overcast this morning, and I wanted to take advantage of the low ceiling while it was going to last. The weatherman was calling for sunshine for most of the day.[/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] We scurried on over to my next spot. again finding notta’. By this time an ol’ fissin buddy found his way back on the lake. We headed on over to our regular drilling grounds and proceeded to open our holes from the night before.[/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] With only a 1/16-inch of fresh ice accumulated over night to cover our holes we could have stepped on them to open them but age and experience has made us the wiser, we would keep our feet dry by using our tools at hand keeping our feet dry for a whole day of on ice fun. (A spud and hand cup auger) [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] I dropped my dig down tipped with a wax worm, and no sooner did it hit bottom did I land a 10 crappie, then the bite went cold, it was another hour before I had landed a 8 inch gill, and yet another half hour before the next gill at which time I had to take a short leave from all the excitement of the day, it would be 5 hours before I would be getting back to my hole.[/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Around 4 pm I managed to find my way back and with out a moments waist I opened up my hole and dropped down a minnow on one jig and a waxy on the other. I was ready for the action to start any second. A half hour passed and Jim (one of the old timers of the lake) was pulling up the gills not vary fast but with some regularity. [/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Not getting a single bite I decided to change my jig over to a perch eye. I dropped it down tipped with a waxy I began jigging. [/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]There was no shortage of tall tails on this day since while I was gone most of the old timers found their way back to the old drilling grounds and the bull started piling up on the lake waist deep and getting deeper as the stories flew from one angler to another.[/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Then it happened, my line felt funny, I lowered the end of my rod and the line went limp, I lifted the end of my rod and the rod just bent, after doing this a couple times I figured I had caught the bottom of the lake again, so I lifted my rod slowly to put pressure on the weed at the bottom to slowly weaken the rood and allow me to keep my jig.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]After about five minute of doing this I figured my jig was lost to the bottom of the lake. I started pulling harder, knowing my 2 pound test line would not take much to break and it would only take just one good pop to loose it, but still I aired by the way of caution pulling harder but gentle. Then it moved, the weed on the bottom broke loose and came up about 6 inches and I figured I had it free and boy was I a happy camper. [/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Then the weed started to move? What the hay? Weeds don’t move I thought to my self. Then the weed took off! It ran and ran and ran nearly melting what little ice left on the lake from the heat of my spool spinning stripping off at least 100 feet off my reel before it went dead and I figured the line had snapped, I began reeling it in and caught up to the fish but he was still swimming straight back towards me then underneath me and my reel started screaming again! [/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]By this time most every one on the lake had herd all the commotion and gathered around my hole gaft in hand ready to pull what we knew by now was my old nemeses, the biggest baddest meanest old pike these waters have ever seen. His head passed under us and it took a good 5 minutes before we saw the end of his tail go by. [/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]I am telling you this beast is ten feet long if it is an inch![/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]That old pike scrambled after hearing all the hoopla over head causing my reel to scream once again! This time he ran so fast he was loosening the spool nut and I was fighting just to keep the nut from spinning off and flying on to the lake. After retightening the spool several times he slowed down and I began the long process of bringing him in slowly one foot at a time and what seemed ages passing I had managed to get him back under me and nearing the hole once again. [/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]We all got set and our first gaft volunteer was already on his knees ready to do his thing, as we got the pike close to the edge of the hole he again went flying reel in hand screaming and nut flying loose as the pike despoiled another 100 feet of line. I was getting nervous when I started seeing the color of the spool under my line. I knew he was getting dangerously close to taking all my line as he did once before in an earlier battle some years back.[/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]He turned again coming straight at us full speed, the wind form my bail spinning around the spool was blowing the hats off the anglers 10 feet away as I tried my best to pull up the slack before he hit the end. And we all know what happens then need I say more?[/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]We battled the behemoth nearly twenty minutes before he took my jig and bid us fair well. I pulled in all my line to find I still had my split shot (line cut off just millimeters below the sinker)[/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]HOT DAM! I sure could have used that snort, and probably two if we had actualy landed him.
[signature]
] , ya never know , he might be waiting there daring you to get your jig back .