Who decides to go ice fishing in -40C weather? We did!
After backpacking to Terrace Bay, Ontario, and meeting a group of wonderful people (Linda, Freddy, Ricky, and Rod), I decided to hang up my backpack and stick around for a while. I found a local job as a receptionist at the Norwood Motel, Rod set me up with an apartment (rent-free!) in exchange for doing some maintenance, painting, and cleaning for him, and Linda, Freddy, and Ricky provided me with the greatest company, love, and support. Oh, and Ricky set me up with my very own coffee machine, which I still use to this day! I am so blessed to have met these amazing people.
Back to fishing!
Freddy absolutely loves to go fishing and I was super excited when he invited me to go ice fishing with him in Jackfish. I haven’t been ice fishing since I was a kid! Linda and Freddy have a cabin in Jackfish, so we made plans to spend a night out there and hopefully come back with some fish!
We had to snowshoe to the cabin and carried our supplies using a sled. Little Missy came along for the adventure as well! She’s Linda and Freddy’s adorable westie pup. The hike to the cabin was freezing and long, but completely worth it.
Once we unpacked our things and got the fishing gear ready, we headed out to Jackfish Lake! Freddy used the auger to drill a hole in the ice while I cleared the surrounding snow out of the way. I tried to use the auger myself but could barely get it to turn! Haha. When the hole was done, we baited the hooks on the fishing rods and prayed for some fish.
Well, after patiently waiting for over an hour and feeling froze to the bones, we were defeated. Not a single bite! Even after changing locations and drilling new holes in the ice, there were no fish. We decided to head back to the cabin for some supper and warm up by the wood stove.
Little Missy greeted us with warm kisses and watched as we prepared food and loaded up the stove with new logs. No fish today, but we planned to try again tomorrow.
Sleeping next to the wood stove and listening to it crackle and pop was so peaceful and warm. It was the best sleep I had in weeks. In the morning, Freddy and I had some breakfast, fed Missy, and then bundled up to head out onto the lake again. The weather was warmer than the day prior, but the wind still pretty gosh darn cold.
We tried again to catch some fish but were unsuccessful… again. Such a bummer! We were hoping to bring home some fresh fish to impress Linda and enjoy a delicious fish n’ brews supper together. I guess the weather was even too cold for the fish in Jackfish! Nonetheless, it was a fun adventure and I’m grateful that Freddy took time out of his day to take me ice fishing with him.
Much love to you all: Linda, Freddy, Ricky, and Rod. I am so blessed.
Whoa Dana 