Aurora in Healy, March 2023

Me & C

Roaming: Shenandoah River to the Alaska Range

Ice Fishing, Week 2

We were close to spending $175 each for guided ice fishing when I looked further afield and found the free Community Ice Fishing Day at Chena Lake in North Pole. https://www.newsminer.com/local-events/?_evDiscoveryPath=/event%2F1626357-community-ice-fishing-day

Is that a fish? Nope
Ice was 3.5 feet thick!

In the photos, note the other predrilled fishing holes on the ice. I hope C is kidding about wanting to buy a battery powered ice auger. We were also loaned an ice skimmer (see right foreground of my pic) to keep our holes from freezing over. You regularly chop up the new ice layer then ladle out the chunks of ice.

We both “caught” ice which formed on the fishing line. I didn’t think to get a photo – picture a long skinny icicle encapsulating the line & making it impossible to wind the line afterwards…

It was nice when we were there, around 12F, sunny and calm. I wore my battery heated socks and lots of layers. The smart people brought chairs!

Fishing was very slow. Apparently oxygen levels were low & the fish wouldn’t have much energy. Also the stocked lake near Fairbanks was fished heavily all winter. Still a fun learning opportunity!

Melissa Rudacille

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One response to “Ice Fishing, Week 2”

  1. donnamcleod7 Avatar
    donnamcleod7

    Alaska has a multiple site telecommunication system. Ham operators saved the “ week” to get the word out when the 1964 earthquake trapped everyone – isolated communities- like Kodiak, Anchorage all points in between.
    I got a message in Ohio when I was in nursing school in Dayton. We use to use “Caribou Chatter “when we were isolated at Clarence Lake. Now we carry a rented phone – use emergency texting. . But May people up and down the highway system have organized “ Neighborhood sites” on email.
    Check with your neighbors .

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