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| Oops! This above the berm at Stoddard, not Lake Winnebago. |
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| The boys shooting it out at Gander Mountain. |
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| The ice road on Lake Winnebago. |
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| One of our trucks stuck in the mashed potato snow on Friday. |
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| Out across Bago |
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| My shadow toward evening Friday. It looks peaceful - it was frigid. |
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| Sunset on Bago on Friday |
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| The road crew on Bago |
Someone
once said something like, one
has to be bashed about a bit by life to see the point of flowers,
sunsets and uneventful nice days; someone else said
that we remember those extraordinary times in our lives that are most
trying and filled with hardship. After this last weekend at the
Battle on Bago, I think I have a better understanding of both
sayings.
The
trials started on Tuesday last week. Nephew Jason Junk and I had
planned to head east to stay with his brother on Thursday so we could
fish on Friday, but we decided we'd best head out a day early to get
ahead of the forecasted ice storm and blizzard. We got in at nephew
and niece Jared and Sonya Junk's home in Richfield around 8 Wednesday
night. We guys, stayed up catching up and planning our strategies.
On
Thursday, it was rainy and windy. Sonya is due with the couple's
second son in the next couple of weeks, so after breakfast, we guys,
including 2-year old Carter, got out of her hair and went to Farm and
Fleet and Gander Mountain to get some “necessary” fishing tackle
and ogle all the big boy toys.
In
the afternoon, Ned Schauf of Cuba City, made it in and the four of us
big boys went to nearby Slinger and Big Cedar Lake with a car load of
tip ups to fish and catch up, in the rain as it turned out. The snow
on top of the lake was a bit like cold mashed potatoes, so the going
was a bit sketchy at best in Jared's Mazda SUV. We set out half a
dozen tip ups and sat in the comfort of the car to wait upon a flag
and solve the problems of the world, fishing wise anyway. Flag's
proved elusive this day, so during a “break” in the rain, we each
jumped out to gather up line. The break proved short lived and it
was raining sideways on us before we had the gear stored back in the
car.
That
night Jared and Sonya had a fish fry for us topped off by super
chewy, chocolaty brownies with pretzels on top.
On
Friday morning, when we went out and loaded up the vehicles - we
remembered our food this year - the weather had changed
dramatically. The rain was now grainy, wind driven snow. The temp
had dropped into the teens. In the headlights, it sort of looked
like the snow pack in Jared's yard was migrating east, skimming over
his driveway on its way to Lake Michigan.
We
met Jared's buddies Nate and Steve of Delafield at The Reel Shot bait
shop in Oshkosh. There I bought a pair of fleece-lined leather
chopper mitts for $10. During the last couple of weeks, I bought
bait, a new ice rod, line, and a number of jigging baits. These
mittens proved to be the best purchase I made - maybe all winter. My
hands never got cold all weekend. I could leave the mitts in my coat
pockets with just the tops sticking out and slip my bare hands in
when I needed. And let me tell you, it was cold - @#$% cold (as this
is a family paper, @#$% means doggone). Opening morning of deer
season in November was child's play compared to how Ma Nature tested
us out on Lake Winnebago last Friday: temps in the low 20's,
occasional snow, and nearly unending 25 mph wind with gusts up to 50
miles an hour. I don't even want to think about the wind chill
stats. I have never stayed out in the elements for so long in
conditions like this. The wind was so strong one time that I
actually slid forward on some clear ice! The roar of the wind made
communication difficult, even in a tent.
The
ice itself put us to the test too. It was at least two and half feet
thick and rough, with drifts and chunks of ice everywhere; Jared's
power ice auger was our first casualty of battle. The blade began
disintegrating in the first hole he drilled. By the second, the fins
were completely peeled off making the drill pretty much useless as
without the fins moving the ice up out of the hole, the operator has
to try and lift nearly three feet of slush and ice up on the ice. We
had three more power augers along or the battle could have been a
short one. Jason had two reels fail on him next.
We
used Vexillar and Marcum sonar fish finders, an Aqua Vu camera, and
jigging Rapalas along with other jigging type baits and some minnows
and spikes and wax worms to fish with. Steve, Jason, Jared, and Ned
all caught a fish. Last year I caught one fish. This year I beat
that record with four bites and zero hooked. We fished, drank some
adult beverages, moved five times, got stuck and got out, and tried
our best. Nate and Steve set up a grill and fixed some baked beans
and brats for lunch, arctic style. At sunset, we pulled the plug and
headed south; however, Nate and Steve set up a camp, planning to
spend the night on the ice - in the cold and in the wind! Back at
base camp in Richfield, we ate pizza and were soon sawing logs.
We
slept in on Saturday and bid Ned a safe trip back to Cuba City. The
three of us debated heading back to Winnebago, and Winnebago won
the coin flip. We didn't get on the ice until after 10 AM. On the
way, Jared texted Nate and Steve - they were still alive - and they
had spent the night on the ice in a tent. And even after all that,
they got a rock, fishing wise anyway. If they started catching fish,
they would call. Pat Kolbe texted that he caught some white bass,
but when his North Fond du lac High School Fishing team drilled holes
near him, the fish quit. We got a tip from Eli that guys near Pipe
on the east side were getting fish and then we heard guys three miles
out from Quinney were hammering them. We went there.
If
the fish had been biting, they weren't by the time Jason and Jared
had drilled ten holes and we dropped lines in. The weather was still
windy, but sunny and like a spring day compared to Friday. We met up
with Eli and John MacDonald out on the ice and then headed across
Winnebago to Oshkosh and the weigh in. Jason had a white bass with a
slim possibility of finishing in the top 700. At the Battle
headquarters we stumbled our way into the crowd, listened to the
band, and then carved a way back out. We found Jason who said the
top fish at that point was a 9-pound walleye. Later we saw that an
over 9-pound lawyer (aka eel pout) was the top fish. A 5-pound
lawyer won the F-150. Jason's .88 pound white bass finished like
2107th. Rats.
On
the way home the boys were reading posts on Lake Link about the
Battle and some people were upset that in 2013 not a single eelpout
or lawyer fish were registered and in 2014 there hundreds. This is
the beginning of the spawn for eelpout they said. Others questioned
the perfidious practice of going online to find unused Battle tickets
to buy after catching a mess of big fish. Ticket sales ended before
Friday morning's opening time - officially. One guy wanted 20
tickets! Another post even complained about the band in tent.
Anyway,
we did finish the Battle with a welcome and warm dinner of sloppy
Joe's and cheesy potatoes and ice cream and more of Sonya's brownies.
No doubt the boys and I will remember the 2014 Battle on Bago if for
no other reason than Ma Nature's daring us to come back and meet the
challenge (and Sonya's brownies). Win, win, I say.
Until
next time, get out - I may have retired from teaching, but I did
teach Carter, my 2-year grand nephew, to say “boomshakalaka!” and
“good stuff Maynard!” Enjoy.
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