Even when I’ve been making my life so, that it is mostly about fishing. This year it took six days until the first day on ice. Last time I had this long brake from fishing in May 2016.
Strong wind woke me up at just perfect timing before daylight. Sun is still staying behind horizon, but it shimmers enough for five hours polar night day. Headed to a nearby pond after quick traditional Finnish breakfast, oatmeal with blueberries and honey.
This time the pond was really quiet. After ten empty holes my 8″ drill broke. A bolt fell off so that other blade went loose. Took my 6″ drill from trailer and went crazy with drilling. First time I used this small drill this winter and the ice was like butter against me. After few hours of intense fishing and drilling and walking. I had went through the whole pond and hooked nothing. About 40 empty holes!
Was driving home already, but made a quick stop on the way back. Last winters best spot for big perches which had given me only small fishes this winter. Wasn’t expecting to hook anything but at the second hole when I dropped my lure in, there was a strike straight away. After a minute again, and it hooked. The fish looked big on the ice. Normally 35cm perch is 500g, but I was too eager to hook more instead of measuring. It was almost dark already when hooked the fish so didn’t stay for much longer.
Year started well with 34cm and 506g bull perch. It had lived for 13 years. Normally in that lake a fish this old would have been about 150g bigger, but this male had had some bad years behind. After all it was in perfect shape now. I have this personal study of perch growth in different waters around here, but it needs it’s own post.
Good start and easy to go bigger. Yay!