During COVID, social distancing, and this crazy year we’ve all experienced made me realize and appreciate a few things. First, I appreciate family and friends more than ever and look forward to getting back together for face-to-face conversations and hugs. And seeing people smile without a mask as you pass them in the grocery store will be wonderful. Next, I have a renewed respect for the great outdoors, our parks, and the people who maintain them. Spending more time in nature, camping, fishing, and the fresh air have done wonders for my outlook on life and our future. And finally, I reignited my love for fishing. I don’t even need to catch anything to be able to say that “it was a good day!” Minnesota Ice fishing was on my list of must-try experiences, and it’s a great way to social distance.

It’s was my first-time Minnesota ice fishing, and I didn’t know what to expect. My son and I took off on a five-hour drive to Lake Mille Lacs in Minnesota with the hope of catching Walleye and a memorable time ice fishing. We stopped a few times along the way to pick up supplies, food, minnows, beer, and more.

It was mid-afternoon when we arrived at the resort Appeldoorn’s Sunset Bay Resort. We checked in, and they gave us a map to our ice house where we’d stay for the next couple of days. I’ve never driven over an ice road on a lake. It makes you stop and think about how thick ice needs to be to hold the truck’s weight and the houses scattered around the lake.

Driving on an ice road

Following our map and driving slowly, we finally arrived at our ice house.  We quickly unpacked, turned up the heater, and started the generator so we could bait our hooks and get them down in the water with the anticipation of catching our first walleye.

The house had two bunks, a stove, a coffee pot, and actually had a TV. There were 4 holes with reels and lines on each hole. Using a sonar, we could tell where the bait was in relation to the bottom of the lake, about 20 feet down. We also jigged some on rods but mostly used the reels and line on each hole.

Our first fish was caught around 9:00 that evening, and it was awesome to hear the bell in the reel jingle. We rushed to the hole to set the hook and pull the walleye up through the hole in the ice. It was a smaller walleye, but it was the first, and it was exciting.

Eerie night sounds

What was a little freaky is at night, when it gets colder, you can hear the ice crackle and pop and sometimes shake the ice house. We fished, played games, watched movies, cooked breakfast, and dinner, and had a great time those couple of days.

We only caught two fish, but that’s not the most important thing. It was spending time with my son. We too often get way too busy with work and life and don’t take the time to spend it with the ones we love. It’s times like this I enjoy and appreciate each of our three kids, their spouses, and our three grandsons. Life is way too short not to enjoy family and friends. When you can combine that with your other passions, such as fishing, then life is good.

I would definitely recommend Minnesota ice fishing on Lake Mille Lacs and enjoy a quiet getaway from work…except for the ice crack and pop. All in all, it was a memorable time ice fishing in Minnesota.

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