Tap the above image to view the full picture.

January, being the middle of winter, has it’s ups and downs. I’m talking about Wisconsin and the winter weather, that brings cold, snow, and glistening sheets of ice. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, these sheets of ice and blankets of white snow can blind a person. A beautiful site, for sure, one can enjoy a day of playing in the snow, skating on the ice covered sloughs of the river, or sitting on the frozen ice, while staring into a small round hole hoping that a fish will grab a colorful lure.

The winter past time in climates such as these, is ice fishing. Drive along the Great Northern River Road and watch for the amazing number of cars parked in the middle of the sloughs. You’ll see people hunkered down dressed in heavy parkas and snow mobile suits, sitting on stools and hanging on to short fishing poles, made especially for ice fishing. There, not doubt, will be a number of ice fishing huts accumulated on the ice sheet.

When we lived on the banks of the Mississippi River in Wisconsin, George spent many hours out on the frozen sloughs ice fishing. He disappeared into his ice fishing shanty early in the day, eventually leaving his humble hut, to come home with a limit of pan fish, bass, walleye, or northern pike. Our boys, Scott and Billy, joined him when they were small, loving the fishing, and watching other anglers pull a catch up through the hole.

When our boys married and began their own families, they came home to visit and to experience ice fishing with their children. We had a great time. I miss those years, and I’m so happy to have the memories, and photographs. I’ve inserted a couple of pictures of those days.

I do hope that all of you out there have a Happy New Year. I pray that 2021 is better than what this last year was.

Scroll past this image to leave a comment. I would really appreciate it. You can read more short stories in “The Writer’s Corner.” Thanks.