It was a little hard to get out from under the covers Monday morning. Especially after checking the phone, which was next to the bed and seeing that the temperature was a balmy -17! We've been in the negative numbers a few times already on this adventure, as well as on some previous travels, but at -17, we had sunk to a new low. No doubt, we're getting the Alaska winter experience that we were looking for, and we're loving it! We've learned that the hearty souls that call Alaska home don't hibernate in the winter. They bundle up, head out and embrace it with gusto. A great example of this was Sunday night when we went back to the World Ice Art Championships to see the displays after the sun went down. The gates were open until 10:00 and there were probably twice as many people there at night than were there on our first visit in the afternoon, even though the temperature was -3. We're doing our best to bundle up and enjoy Fairbanks in all its winter glory right along with them.
The surfaces of the rivers and lakes in the Fairbanks area are, for the most part, frozen solid. So, if you're going to fish around here in the winter, you're going to be ice fishing. We had never tried ice fishing before, it looked like a fun adventure, so we booked a four-hour trip with one of the local guide services. We enjoyed the thirty-minute drive out to Chena Lake Recreation Area with visions of King Salmon (the "fresh water" King Salmon are much smaller than those that migrate to the ocean) and trout dancing in our heads. We were joined by several other groups of folks, all anxious and looking forward to hauling in whatever was lurking below the frozen ice covering Chena Lake.
We were divided into two groups and taken into the two heated shelters that looked to be about 25 yards out on the ice. After making sure we all had the proper license, Clarence, our friendly and helpful guide gave us a few instructions. He then pulled the ice covers off the holes in the floor and we were staring down into holes about 12 inches in diameter that had been cut through around 25 inches of solid ice. There were numerous fish swimming around the crystal-clear water, and we assumed they were waiting anxiously for our bait to be dangled in front of their mouths.
For the next three and a half hours we (there were 12 in our shelter) peered down into these windows to the water and watched as fish after fish swam around totally ignoring the bait that was just inches from their mouths. Occasionally there would be a nibble on somebody's line. Beth had it happen twice, while I never felt the slightest bite. For our collective efforts, our gang of 12 ended up with three fish. In spite of the measly haul, we caught more fish than the folks in the other shelter. Last we heard they were completely shut out! It was hardly the kind of day that would make for a great fishing show, unless you enjoyed watching a bunch of people sit on wooden benches, crouched over and staring down into a hole in the ice. I commented that the guide service should also offer chiropractic adjustments at the end of the day.
Please make no mistake about it, this wasn't Clarence's fault. He did everything within his power, including suggestions to change baits, depth we were fishing and techniques. He even opened a few holes outside the shelter for us to fish outside. Several of us, including Beth and I, tried the outdoor fishing for a while, but had no success with it either. It certainly wasn't the fault of the people holding the rods. We all gave it our best shots. The blame for our lack of action lies exclusively on the fish, who all seemed to be on a hunger strike!
