Just Lucky I Guess

Day 72


As I drove around Houghton Lake today I noticed many fishing shanty's out on the lake. The seasonal ones, the heavier wood shanty's that remain on the ice until March when they have to be removed before the ice becomes unsafe and they fall through.

Tip Up Town starts this weekend with the beer tent open Friday night and the parade on Saturday morning. With the increasing numbers of anglers on the lake, it is important to be careful when heading out onto the ice.

When walking out on the ice, looking for a good spot to fish, be watchful for places where someone has already been fishing. Old fishing holes have a thin layer ice and cover over with snow. A ten inch hole is just right for an average size boot to slide into. At best you just stumble, at worst your foot could get caught and your foot and leg get soaked with freezing water.

I heard of a fellow who went out one day to an isolated area he thought no one else would know about. Somewhere on the north side where the water is deep. The angler was all decked out in a new ice fishing outfit complete with brand new top of the line insulated knee high boots. A great choice for warmth and comfort.

Being in a hurry, he wasn't paying attention and stepped into a hole. The ice was a good 12 inches and the boot went all the way down and got stuck. The toe bent back going down but straightened once past the bottom of the ice. He tried to pull his boot back out but his foot kept slipping inside. He was concerned that if he pulled his foot out the boot might sink through the hole and down into the lake. He had paid $500 for the pair.

He kept trying to work the boot out of the hole but it wouldn't budge. Suddenly he heard a thunder clap. This was strange since there are no thunder storms in the winter. Plus the sky was clear and blue. A few seconds later another deafening boom. Closer this time. Looking around he could see a crack in the ice just twenty yards away. He was in such a hurry to get on the ice he hadn't checked for cracks either. His boot was firmly entrenched in the ice hole and his ice auger was on the sled out of reach.

He had no choice, he had to try and pull his foot out of the boot before the crack weakened the ice and he went through. The lake was fifteen feet deep in this area. He tugged and tugged until his foot came free. Grabbing the boot he gave it a yank but it wouldn't budge. Another loud crack like a gun shot was all it took. He grabbed the sled rope and wearing one boot and a wet sock that kept sticking to the ice, ran as fast as he could back to shore.

A few days later, while at the sporting goods store ordering a new pair of boots, the clerk confided, "Ya know, it's a funny thing. I heard the fishing was good off the north shore and thought I would give it a try. As I walked out I saw one of these boots in the ice. I chipped it loose, tugged it free and dropped my favorite jig in the hole. Well, I tried and tried. I used everything I had in my tackle box. Never got a bite." The clerk shook his head.

"I guess that other fellow must have got really lucky. I mean, why else would you use a $250 boot to mark a fishing hole?"

Until tomorrow,

Ken