I haven’t written much about my job on here. Last week we had a group of German tourists who spent the day ice fishing with us.
Each person hired a small rucksack with a ice fishing rod, an ice scoop, a plastic plate and a cup inside.
We also made fire and cooked coffee and grilled sausage.
Everyone had a great day!
Here’s the tutorial I promised last time.
The snuff container that I used has three separate parts; the top where used snuff bags are placed and the two main parts that hold the fresh snuff.
In the top section of the container you can store hooks, weights and spinners.
You now need to buy a fishing line that is on a reel that fits inside the snuff container
To make the roller for the reel I used a dowel, a plastic picture hook and a thick plastic washer. I glued the plastic washer to the underside of the top half of the container. I sanded down one end of the dowel so that it fitted into the plastic washer and screwed the picture hook on to the other end of the dowel (remove the three nails that are used to fix the picture hook to a wall). In the picture below, the line and reel fit on the dowel, between the picture hook and plastic washer.
I drilled a small hole in the side of the container (where the line comes out) and then installed a brass eyelet in the hole to prevent the line cutting into the plastic container.
The pocket fishing kit was then completed.
Today I have been out ice fishing (surprise surprise!). I wasn’t just using my reindeer horn ice fishing rod, I was also testing a new ice fishing reel/rod that I have made using an old snuff container, which I call “The pocket fishing kit” (will be writing a tutorial to make this next time).
The snuff container has a winder on the back to reel in or out the fishing line.
But did I catch anything……….?
Of course I did!! I caught a nice Arctic Char with it and a Rainbow Trout and Arctic Char with my Reindeer horn rod.
To cook coffee on the lake, I made a Swedish Fire Torch using four pieces of Birch.
The fire burns between the four pieces and your cooking pot is placed on top.
Once you have finished cooking, separate the four pieces and lay them down to stop the fire burning, and when you want to cook again, stand them up and start the fire again.
On Saturday I took the snowmobile to my cabin. I dragged a pulka behind the snowmobile, which contained my rucksack.
Last year all the small rodents were killed during the winter and so since then we have seen no evidence of small rodents, so I was surprised to find hundreds of small rodent tracks around the cabin. The tracks belonged to shrews (didn’t manage to get a photo of one of the shrews unfortunately).
The temperature had been -24 earlier in the morning, but laying out on the ice fishing it felt quit warm.
The sun is just coming up over the tree tops now
On Sunday I went fishing with my neighbour Folke. I caught 1 Rainbow trout.
Folke made fire on the ice using an oven tray
placed on two pieces of wood were we cooked coffee.
Last Saturday I went ice fishing alone, because it was snowing heavily and very windy.
I had a piece of pertex cloth in my bag which I used to make a very simple shelter.
I could not find any stones to use to anchor the guy-lines, so I used to small tool boxes that I carry in the snowmobile and they worked very well.
I spent two hours fishing but caught nothing!!
However, the previous weekend myself and Emma had ice fished with our neighbours.
It was not long before Emma caught her first fish; an Arctic Char.
She then amazed us by catching another!
We caught nothing!!!
I had planned to take the family ice-fishing today, and because we have had a lot of snow recently I decided to drive the snowmobile to the lake yesterday afternoon to create a path to drive on. Emma wanted to come with me so we headed out at about 3pm.
It was 10kms to the lake and it wasn’t so difficult driving conditions as I had anticipated. When we arrived at the lake, I left Emma at the side of the lake and decided to drive around the lake to press down the snow. As I drove out onto the lake it became obvious that there was quite a bit of water laying between the snow and ice. As I tried to turn the snowmobile around it broke through the ice!!
The skis at the front of the machine were still on snow and ice, but the track that drives the machine was in a half metre of water. I do not have any winter waterproof boots, only insulated leather boots, so when I climbed from the snowmobile into a half metre of water, my feet got very wet.
Fortunately there was double ice on the lake and the snowmobile had only broken through the top layer, but when I tried to drive the machine out, it would no move!
I walked through freezing water and up to where I had left Emma in the forest (it was now starting to get dark). I explained what had happened and was sure she would start to cry (she is 6 years old), but instead she said “Ok, I will dig a hole in the snow and collect wood so we can make fire”. I was so amazed and pleased with her response.
I walked back to the snowmobile and called a friend to ask advice on how to get the machine out. He said that I would need to collect a lot of branches to put under the front of the snowmobile to drive on and then lift the back of the snowmobile up onto the ice (this I could not do). I then called another friend and asked if he could come out and collect Emma because I was worried that she would be scared.
I returned to the forest to collect branches and help Emma make fire. She had dug down into the snow with her hands and prepared the fire sight. It did not take long to get a fire going.
I told Emma that someone was coming to collect her, but she said she was not scared or worried, because she felt safe with me in the forest and was sure I would get the snowmobile out of the lake.
I left Emma to keep the fire going and returned to the lake with the branches. I started the snowmobile and found that I could drive it backwards a little. Then I laid down the branches and standing at the side of the snowmobile I tried to drive it forward. The machine moved about a metre and then stopped because of snow collecting at the front of the machine. I put on my snowshoes and pressed down a path in the snow where I could drive the snowmobile. I removed the snowshoes (by now my feet were freezing cold) reversed the snowmobile again and then drove it forwards. It started to move and the back rose up out of the water and as I walked at the side of the machine it continued to move. Just as my friend arrived I jumped onto the snowmobile and drove it onto the edge of the lake (I was so embarrassed that he had driven so far for nothing!!).
I picked up Emma and we drove home. It was 6pm when we arrived home.
Due to the conditions on the lake, my family did not want to fish today, so I went there with my neighbour again.
We also made fire and cooked reindeer meat and coffee.
I caught one Arctic Char and Folke caught three. We left the snowmobiles at the edge of the lake!!
On Saturday I went ice fishing with my neighbour Folke. The snow is very deep and it was not easy to travel with snowmobiles.
It was 12kms to the lake where we intended to fish and once we arrived there we started boring holes in the ice to fish through.
After only a few minutes of fishing (using a worm and a piece of shrimp for bait) Folke caught an Arctic Char!
I was fishing with my Reindeer horn fishing rod
It took a little longer for me to catch my first fish; a Rainbow Trout
We made fire and cooked some coffee
We then continued fishing. Folke caught 2 Arctic Char and I caught 2 Rainbow Trout and 1 Arctic Char.
This will be my last post for a week or so as I am heading off to England for a few days (weather in England permitting).
I had the idea to make an ice fishing rod out of Reindeer horn, and after searching through my pile of horn, I found the ideal piece. Having cut off the two ends of the horn, this is what I was left with
After a couple of hours work, this is how it looks now
I have started doing some basic engraving on the handle
I will be testing it when I return from England!
The temperature was -22 on Saturday, but it was a lovely clear blue sky, so I decided to head out on the snowmobile.
In the forest and along the rivers edge the sun was shining on the tops of the trees
On the marshes the sun was shining brightly!
On Sunday it was cloudy, but only -6 degrees, so we decided to go ice fishing.
It was also a chance for Emma to try out the new kelka I am building, so that she can come with us when we go out on the snowmobile
It’s not yet completed because I do not have enough money the buy all the materials and so the back section in made from scrap pieces of wood.
The inside is lined with reindeer skins so that it will be warm inside. I will write more about it once completed.
This was also a chance for me to try out my homemade ice fishing rod
Emma also fished and Teres made fire
We cooked coffee and grilled cheese sandwiches
I learnt a valuable lesson while fishing……I actually caught a nice sized Arctic Char, but I picked it up to remove the hook I dropped it and watched helplessly as it disappeared back down the ice hole!!!! The lesson is to move the fish away from the ice hole before doing anything with it!!!
I decided to try making an ice fishing rod. This is just a prototype and if it works well, I will improve the design.
The rod itself is a piece of Willow (Salix).
The handle I have made by glueing together pieces of Birch bark onto the Willow rod.
The eyelet at the end of the rod I have made from a piece of reindeer horn, which I have then lashed to the rod.
For the “reel” I have made two pins from reindeer horn and drilled the rod and inserted the pins in. The fishing line then wraps around between the two pins.
I have not had the chance to try out yet, but will let you know how it goes!
