Winter is here! And it has been here for the past few weeks. We had our first snow fall at the beginning of November. It quickly melted away and was only mildly cold. Although, the last three weeks have been nearly unbearable (winters in south Idaho typically are). We've had frigid temperatures, with highs reaching 11 and lows of -22. They even had to cancel school this week because it was -12 and the diesel in the buses were gelling. More snow has fallen, ice had covered everything else that was not covered up by the snow.
Heath and I have found the key to surviving these harsh conditions is finding something you can enjoy in such an environment. Personally, I would go skiing or snowboarding any day! We've enjoyed snowshoeing and sledding as well. But for Heath it's ice fishing!
With weeks of sub-zero temperatures Heath has been dying to get out onto the ice, and this weekend was his first chance in 7 years (He used to ice fish a lot when we were in College). He even purchased a new ice auger in October, in anticipation for the upcoming season. Let's just say he was really excited!
This morning was really beautiful, it had warmed up to about 20 degrees and the overnight fog had frosted everything in a layer of ice. I think all of Heath's excitement was rubbing off on the kids because they were bouncing off the walls trying to get ready. The morning started off great. Heath quickly drilled a few holes to get us started.
Everyone had a job and was so willing to help!
Heath told me this morning, "I like fishing, but I LOVE ice fishing!" One reason that he loves ice fishing is because of the frequency that fish are caught. It seems that fish are a lot more willing to bite when there is so little to eat during the winter.
This really was true for today! We started catching fish as soon as we could get lines in the water. This was his first catch of the morning! These little perch are pretty, but this one was lucky that she was too small. We caught about 10-12 that didn't quite meet the size standards we were looking for.
T caught the first keeper of the day, a rainbow trout.
I'm pretty sure he thinks of himself as a great fisherman, especially after catching such a nice fish!
(Not to mention the two golden trout he caught this summer with his bare hands!)
We were joined by my brother and nephew which was great fun for all the kids. But things quickly went south for the kids as soon as their feet got cold. The kids and I spent the last half hour trying to warm up in the truck. All the while Heath kept reeling them in!
He ended up with five rainbow trout, which of course he wanted to can. So we did!
Our first attempt at canning fish...successful!
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