The Miracle on Ice

Minding my own business - jigging to some reluctant BG and not having much success. Nate has some educated fish, and the 18' clarity doesn't leave a ton of room for error presentation wise, either. Think of it as a seminar for the ice newbies on common ice fishing errors. Yes, I'm that generous of my experience and time...



Nate yells, "Tony is on!" - so I hop up and and see if I can assist...I've got nothing else going on all morning - besides leading the seminar, of course.



While Tony was fine on his own, when I saw the Walleye roll I decided the situation called for some unsolicited assistance. Hey, this was Tony's first Walleye ever, and through the ice no less! Move over Tony, I want a piece of this moment!



Apparently a school was rolling through as I heard, "TJ, you're on!" Note my cat-like dexterity and how I deftly drop Tony's Eye like a sack of taters - the preferred method of the In Fisherman guys I learned. [Sorry, T!]



Hell yeah I'm on - my rod was almost through the hole before I could save it! Felt like this fish had some shoulders...



Nate is on the scene, removing my Vexilar and preparing for a smooth extraction - ..."Dude, this fish is a friggin' monster - it's gotta be 27! You are hand's down the best fisherman I've ever seen!"



I managed to get the head to the hole, Nate poised to snag her, when my teardrop hook straightened and she poppped off and slowly slid back into the lake! What do you expect from a 29" behemoth? I was preparing to accept my fate - but Nate would have nothing of it. He thrust his entire arm into the hole to the shoulder, and moments later iced the Eye! We're both a little excited - and I'm pretty dang grateful...



"TJ, if I didn't admire you so deeply as a human being and appreciate your steadfast friendship to such a degree I'd never had soaked my entire arm for that 32" fish!" or something close to that...



The 34" Miracle on Ice - a new Illinois state record!






Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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