Snowbank

According to the Minnesota DNR lake info, Snowbank Lake sits eighteen miles east and five miles north of Ely, MN. The lake has maximum depths reaching to one-hundred and fifty feet, and a span of nearly forty-three hundred acres. The largest Lake Trout gillnetted out of Snowbank in a 1995 investigation was 29.7".

Tuesday, March 3rd we headed out for Snowbank Lake. We left at seven o'clock from our house in Eveleth. Jake and I were pretty pumped as we drove across the lake that morning, Vinko; his dad was slightly sulkier because of his combating with unemployment earlier that morning. We made it to the lake by eight, fishing by eight-thirty, with all our tip ups out and our jigging rods down. Ice was good probably about a foot and a half or more. We were right at the boarder line of bwca waters and regular fishing area. We had been preparing for days for this overnighter, packing, and deciding what food and extra clothes to bring.

Only and hour after we got to our fishing spot Vinko pulled a nice five pound laker out. It put up a nice fight on the tip up, running out yards of line then getting fought back to the ice, just to run again right to the bottom. Luckily, Jake took the tip up and was trying to keep the line from tangling as his dad fought the trout.

Twenty minutes later Jake was in the hot seat with a laker on his homemade rod. Sturdy made out of a summer rod with a big reel on it so it can hold lots of line for these tenacious lakers. It worked well as it's proven from the last trip. After a ten minute battle the lake trout was on the ice, it was another five pound trout. The guys were quite pleased with themselves two fish already before ten a.m.! I was still waiting, jigging hoping for a big one to hit my sucker minnow, and watching my tip up.

The wind really picked up after noon. We moved the ice house from eighty-three feet to sixty-four. Jake and I staked down the house with ice picks, and banked it with snow. We sat inside comfortably with our Mr. Heater keeping it warm enough to fish in a flannel.

Toward evening the wind was still whipping hard, and we were tired. But all of a sudden all of our tip ups went off. Upon investigation of the sucker minnow there were no bites. Most likely it was the lakers whapping the bait with their tail to kill it. This is how they normally eat, they all swoop in and whap the baitfish with their tail then come back and eat the either unconscious or dead fish. At least it got our hearts pumping and we knew they were in the area!

The rest of the afternoon was very unproductive. I got some good pictures of the lake and the guys' fishing, though.

At around six-thirty we set up the ice house over a tarp on the snow, then staked it down and banked it in for the night. It was tight sleeping two big men and me all in a quickfish3 by Eskimo, made for three people fishing. I slept wonderful though I don't even think the sun was all the way set before I was out like a light. Jake and Vinko said I was snoring. It's kind of funny sleeping between your father-in law and your fiance'. Jacob woke up in the middle of the night and turned the Mr. heater on to warm it up, but when we had it on earlier then turned it off all of the moisture condensed on the ceiling and walls. So when he lit the heater all of it melted and we were getting dripped on for about an hour. Jake went back to sleep in his cheapo sleeping bag. It was twenty bucks and said it went from forty above to forty below zero (Fahrenheit), it looked pretty weak to us though. Although Jake said he stayed warm all night so I guess we got a bargain!

Jake woke up early before sunrise; he said the stars out on that lake were amazing before the sun came up. When I finally awoke I was very comfortable and warm, so I found it hard to get out of the sleeping bag into the twenty below zero wind chill. Although I had to pee so bad I didn't think I would make it to the woods! After relieving myself, I set about getting dressed for the day and tying up my boots. Jake was ever so kind and made me a big cupful of my favorite cream and fruit oatmeal, with almonds and cashews in it.

After that it was time to move the ice house back to the fishing spot. By seven-thirty we had ate breakfast and were set up fishing again. The lake was nice and calm then, barely a wind to be felt. By nine o'clock the wind had picked up again.

At about ten-thirty that morning I was testing my drag to make sure it wasn't too tight or too loose. Then I jigged a couple times, holding the line between my fingers. That's when I felt it hit. Immediately I let go of the line and slowly it took the line and bobber down. I called for Jake so he could gaff it for me, and continued to watch my line creep down the hole. Then it stopped, and the line kind of shook back and forth, I knew he was eating my bait.

After he got done loafing he continued towards the bottom. That's when I took him. I set the hook and held tension on him the whole time; as he made a mad dash for the bottom. I reeled him up on the down stroke, and slowly brought him to the surface. He only ran one more time before I got him all the way up. It was a beautiful Lake Trout. Jake gaffed it for me, and I grabbed the scale. It turned out to be an eight pound laker, the biggest of the whole trip! I was so excited and proud, but I think Jake was even more excited and proud then I was.

By then the clouds subsided and the sun came out, but that wind was still harsh. We waited out the afternoon with no fish on the ice, besides my lakers. Jake's tip up went off but there was no fish on the other end. So we decided to pack it up and head home.

We didn't do badly though for a trout fishing expedition. Trout are very finicky fish; sometimes you won't get a one throughout the day or for a number of days. So we were lucky to come out with three nice sized lakers. They'll be good when we smoke them up. I know we'll be back again either in the winter or this summer, and I can't wait!