I Think I am In Heaven...catching donkeys!

                   

Matt R and I had a great day on the ice today at Camp Manitou.  Our mission for this trip was to get Matt his first lake trout through the ice; mission accomplished.  After catching his first trout ever ice fishing he followed it up with two more.  I didn't think I would ever be able to get him off the ice tonight. 

As you can see catching one of these elusive trout through the ice puts a smile on your face that does not wear off.

This is what it looks like when you hook up on a donkey!  It takes a 42" ice rod to even stand a chance against them.  Lake trout seem to go where they want when they want; and all you can do is hold on. 

Matt was on fire today.  Every time I would get comfortable I would hear him yelling, "Fish On!".  Kept me on my toes.

I was also able to get in on some of the action and catch a nice donkey!  I was the king of the multi-species today.

I was busy chasing smallmouth; my true love and passion!  The lake trout are one of a kind but there is just something cool about catching giant smallmouth through the ice.  I got into some real dandies today. 

As you can see we had a bit of snow here today but it didn't last to long.  The snow and clouds really turned the fish on from yesterday. 

The best part about this whole story is that I get to wake up tomorrow and do it all over again!  Keep your eyes here for more pics and stories tomorrow night.