It was a glorious morning late in the spring. Birds were singing, the sun was shining, and the temperature was in that sweet spot. It wasn’t hot, though warm enough to don shorts and flip flops.
I knew I needed to get to a lake, and some canoe fishing was on my mind. For me, fishing from a canoe on a calm, summer morning is an experience like few others.
For centuries, snowshoes have been a mainstay of winter travel. Their origins are not entirely known, but some historians believe they first were developed around 4,000 to 6,000 years ago. The earliest known snowshoes were crude, a far cry from the tubular aluminum-framed, neoprene-decked snowshoes of today. They once were a simply pieces of wide, oval board called “shoeskis” that could be strapped to a traveler’s feet.
I like to call this time of the season the midwinter lull – that time of year when big game fish become rather lethargic and seem to suffer from a severe case of lockjaw. Through my years as an ice fisherman, however, I’ve learned that regardless of the weather, sometimes you just don’t know when that lunker is going to take the bait.
Darkhouse spearing is one of winter’s most enjoyable activities. The silence, the darkness with just a green light glowing from a hole in the ice, and of course, the excitement of a big pike creeping up to a decoy make spearing a sport that’s unique, thrilling, and part of our culture in the northland.
Most people who’ve fished have either tried spearing or know someone who has. And one thing is for sure: The spearer is a certain breed of fisher, and within the spearing community, there are different types of fishing enthusiasts who have their own unique traits.
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