Four days on Chequamegon Bay

An Outdoorsman’s Journal

Hello friends, For the first time since 1989, I am going to write to you over two separate weeks, two different ways of describing the same trip. I just returned from an ice fishing/ camping trip that was 2.8 miles from shore on Lake Superior on Chequamegon Bay out of Ashland. This week’s column will be the safe trip, next week’s will be survival at its best. Space does not allow both the same week.

Friday, March 10 High 33, Low 24

Doug Cibulka and I drove up to Ashland on snow covered roads pulling my 12-foot trailer with gear and my Polaris snowmobile in it. This winter very few trucks are on Chequamegon Bay. At first it was due to poor ice, now it is because of 20 inches of hard pack snow on the ice.

Doug and I are high school buddies, along with Jeff Moll who would be joining us well after dark. Two trips pulling four sleds 2.8 miles, along with Doug and my golden retrievers Ruby and Red, the second trip made for a workload for the Polaris 550 Classic.

Kind of bad luck came my way when, before we started building camp, we were both setting out tip-ups. Doug was using his electric auger, I was using my propane auger. I did not know it, but the pin that attaches the powerhead to the auger had come out and my auger and was free from the power head. First, I about broke my wrist trying to stop the power head from spinning and then the pull cord came out and the handle smacked me in the jaw. It was like a really good punch. It took 35 minutes for my auger to run out of propane and I have never seen Mr. Cibulka laugh so hard.

At 9:30 p.m. Mr. Moll let us know he was on his way with his Bearcat. I met him, we had elk roast for supper and a whole lot of laughs.