Last weekend my boyfriend, Robbie, and I decided to go on an ice fishing adventure. We wanted to get out on the ice early, as it takes a while to get everything set up for the day. Not knowing where we were going to end up, we started out by heading to Hoss’s Country Corner in Long Lake to get our bait. While we were looking around at all the other goodies at Hoss’s, Robbie spotted a large lake trout mounted up high on the wall. He asked the employee where the fish was caught, and the employee replied “Lake Eaton.” He had made up Robbie's mind, we were going to Lake Eaton for the day.
From Hoss’s in Long Lake, we headed toward Tupper Lake before seeing the turn for Lake Eaton Campground. The Lake Eaton Campground is only a couple of miles away from the town of Long Lake. Once we got there we followed the main road through the campground until we arrived at the boat launch area. We parked and decided this is where we would access the ice from. As we trekked across the ice to the perfect location to settle for the day, I was thankful for my Yaktrax. Thanks to the wind there was no snow on top of the ice, so it was very slippery. Having Yaktrax made the walk much easier.
We popped up our shelter and Robbie started drilling holes and setting up tip ups. My job was to scoop all of the slush out of the holes before he put the tip ups in. I could handle that.
We got everything set up and headed into the shelter to warm up. Thank goodness for our portable heater. It keeps the ice shack at a reasonable temperature and you get out of the elements. Pro Tip: Check the weather forecast before you go out ice fishing. We had some serious wind when we went and it may the day less enjoyable. We periodically went out to check for flags and make sure the tip ups withstood the wind gusts. Unfortunately we didn’t have the luck we were hoping for. I guess this is part of the lesson of patience you learn from fishing. You could spend days out there without a bite, but it only takes one decent size fish to keep you “hooked” and to keep going back out again and again.
Robbie and I decided to pick up and head back to the truck in the afternoon. On our way back into Long Lake we drove past the Adirondack Trading Post and decided to stop for a sandwich. We were hungry after being on the ice all day! Vicki makes some of the best sandwiches around, and her homemade mac-n-cheese can’t be beat. Stop in and visit her the next time you are in the area!
We didn’t end up catching any fish like the one we saw in Hoss’s that morning, but the thrill of knowing they are out there is what keeps fishermen coming back — and I am sure we will be back!
Maybe next time we could stay for dinner and spend the night! Plan your next fishing trip to the Adirondacks.