The one that got away.... but didn't
Kinda shows my age...
1977 winter time in Alaska serving Uncle Sam lake trout fishing on Quartz lake.Ice over 10" thick with vehicles (3 or 4) driven out onto it.At that time I had exactly 1 fishing pole to my name as a young GI.The water was crystal clear,10-12 foot deep and you could see everything on the bottom through a ice hole.We angered holes and there was already holes from other fishermen in the ice.
Salmon eggs on a hook with a small split shot.Bites were kinda slow ,but hey,we were fishing catching just an occasional lake trout.....Light bulb turns on and I get an idea......Have a buddy watch my pole while I walk across the ice to get a stick.Bring the stick back,cut my line,tie it to the stick and now I have two fishin poles....The stick is about 4 foot long and the ice hole is best I remember 12 ". I tie my line to the middle of the stick,put hook,split shot,and salmon eggs on it and drop it in an unused ice hole.Rigged first pole and resumed beer drinkin duties at the campfire on the ice nearby.
After awhile I saw the stick fishing pole making good time headed for the hole.I hustled across the ice as fast as I could but when the stick got to the hole one end entered the hole and my new fishing pole was gone...Dang I hated that,how could I be so unlucky as to have a 4' stick,line tied in the middle, go into a 12" hole?????
Quite awhile passed when I noticed the first pole heading for its' ice hole.Double-timed it and got a hold of the handle with the tip pointing down into the hole.Reeled it in and had a descent lake trout but there was another line wrapped around the end of my line..Got on my knees and began pulling it in.Looking into the hole short time later appears my 4' stick stuck under the ice(like it should have been on top of the ice). Pull the other end of the line and lo and behold there's the fish that got away but didn't........Who woulda thunk?
