NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN ICE FISHING FOR THE FIRST TIME..........WITH FISH EYES!

YAY..........Joe and I finally experienced ice fishing in the north, together with the kids and it was GREAT! About 4 hours on the lake.....just "too cool" but not freezing! ha!   We were on Bittern Lake that is near Montreal Lake Cree Nation..  Great walleye, jack and perch there.  This lake is a bit more strict with how many fish you can keep...works for me!  They have made one entrance to the lake to make it easier to monitor the coming and goings of those fishing on the lake.  We had just enough to take home after Alan fileted them.   Joe fried us some awesome fresh coldwater fish! at the house.......Ahhhhhh didn't need anything else!  

HERE we go ONTO the Frozen Lake!  The drill is: Undo seatbelts, roll down windows , take baby/children out of their car seats   IN CASE something  happens you can surface! YIKES!       BRRRRRRRRR for about 10 minutes........ I just kept thinking ALAN we trust you.....and I know you would not put your little Pepper in danger SO I am SO SO SO glad we got the chance to experience this driving onto the ice to ice fish in the far north of Saskatchewan! 

AUGER IN ACTION!!!  We had holes everywhere......and other fishermen around......and you DON"T fish in someone else's holes.........I tried not to think about there being too many holes in the ice and eventually breaking off onto my own island...I sometimes would LOVE to have my own island....but it must have palm trees NOT SNOW!

FUN Sledding! Dads and moms entertained the kids while GG and DadDad ice fished for the first time!

Very COOL/but WARM pop up fishing hut.....pouches inside to hold things and they had a small propane heater inside to keep it toasty warm.  I think Alan knows what he's getting for his birthday this year!

Chelsea getting the kiddos building tiny snowmen. True to boy form he was knocking the heads off as soon as the snowman was constructed.....Seems Pepper understood that need! ha! Must be the Jackson in her! 

Fish N Hole.......about 4 feet deep.......took me a bit to realize you must keep your hook just barely off the bottom of the lake because to raise it higher it is inside the frozen tubular hole of ice!  Duh!

Wooden fish sticks that replicate what was used in the early years......Alan and his buddy have made PVC pipe with a lid to store theirs in......Who knew

One drilling the holes inside the hut and Joe shoveling the snow out of the hut that collects after the auguring of the hole.

while fishing a squall appeared. I worked hard to stay quiet (not because of scaring the fish but to keep from freaking out that we might get stranded) because as you see...........we can't SEE!  I kept fishing repeating "these guys would never stay here with a 6 month old and 2- 2 year olds IF they thought we'd be stranded."  then I rethought that......GUYS WOULD stay....but moms would NOT.........and they were in the hut with the 2 yr olds fishing away and laughing SO I succeeded in staying quiet...

Squall had just passed through and the sun was appearing just in time to set. Love seeing Joe and Alan together enjoying the outdoors!

Fishing Date!  HOW Romantic!  The boys made fun of my coat saying it was a HORSE Blanket....I admit there is a lot of coat there.....but as I've said before.....Rarely a fashion statement in our serious winters......it's about surviving and not losing limbs!.......... It was VERY windy. and I look like something of a Neanderthal Woman....but I was toasty except my feet!  .  My feet got a bit chillier than I expected and I figured it was because the wool socks I had on were too thick so no air circulation keeping them warm.  We got to sit and fish because Alan was Mr. Hospitality.......making sure everyone was happy and having fun! 

Two Year Old Fishing Derby about to begin......Not one complaint from these two in the 3 plus hours we were out braving the elements! And when Pepper saw the fish laying on the snow after being caught she'd say "OH, the fishy is awake!" didn't seem at all bothered by the experience.

Joe 'calling the walleye"....here fishy fishy fishy....and Alan stoking the fire ON the lake..........really????? It won't melt the ice! ha!   and he cooked us up some great hot dogs! and made sure everyone had a liquid beverage......Hot Chocolate next time! ha!  The girls had little bottles of 'something'.......I think it was a special type of KOOL AIDE...... The squall is beginning to get closer and closer........but fishing never stopped!

Chelsea doing baby duty for friend's 6 month old. REALLY I'd have NEVER gone out on a frozen lake with a 2 yr old and a 6 month old...NOT out of fear......but just worried I might need something I wouldn't have out there.....so different now....and these two young families were just the most relaxed parents ever and so were the kids! Even saw them lay a rubber floor mat on the lake/ice and a fleecy blanket to create a diaper changing station.......and no one is worse for wear!  Amazing!  and I suppose this is HOW it was done in the old days! LOL.

Pepper is explaining the hut.....and the board at her feet is what is placed over the fishing holes so the kids don't fall into them.  Some have notches cut in them so the fishing line can go down the hole but the child will not!  OR a cell phone,,,,or hot dog!



Yippee! Ginny's First Ice fishing catch! a good sized perch that was taken home for consumption!  Yum!!!!  Used the eye.....yes the eye of this fish to place on the hook to catch the next fish which was a nice sized WALLEYE.....and YES I removed the fish eye with MY OWN finger!!!....

AND.........are you ready for this............Chelsea's g/friend told me the real deal is using the FISH EYE as bait for the next fish.  I had minnows.....thought "why would I touch the eye if I have minnows?"  THEN it hit me........Saron is from TEXAS......she's gotten the eyes for bait before.........and so I said to self "Self..........you can't let a TEXAS GAL show up an OKIE GAL".......So I hopped up and went and got the perch eye MYSELF (Joe I think was frozen in shock....).......and baited my hook and within five minutes I'd caught a good sized walleye! YAY!!!! Joe says "now be careful that walleye will hurt if you get a fin in your hand.  Do you want me to help you?."  I said "I'm good" and I proceeded to get THAT eye........bait the hook and start the system again!  NOW I may NOT ever do that again...........BUT I SURE had to do it then!  and I just chalk it up as another GG Adventure in the North!

Pepper getting down to business after sledding and building little snowmen....She must be VERY hungry as I see 2 and a 1/4 hotdogs here !  I don't think the beverage was hers though! ha ha

Alan was such a great host......making sure all of us were well cared for and had all we needed to have fun and catch fish. He finally towards the end goes to a hole and fishes a bit and caught a really good sized walleye...I heard him holler and what had happened is the fish was hooked but bit off the line and Alan saw it in the hole and reached down in the hole and grabbed the fish and pulled it out of the 4 foot hole......before it could get away at the very bottom opening. COOL! RUGGED!  He says it is very difficult to get fish 3-4 feet long up into the hole and out...but it can be done! 

SUCH A GREAT SASKATCHEWAN FAMILY/FRIEND MEMORY FOR GG AND DAD DAD
THANK YOU KIDDOS!