Fish Lake

January 22–24 was the Jacobson’s 7th annual ice fishing trip to Fish Lake. This is the 5th time Jarl and I have gone. We had a great trip but it sure was different with three kids rather than just Jarl and me. We didn’t fish on Friday like we usually do. Instead, we got there a bit later and hung out in the cabin with the family. Saturday morning Jarl headed out with the fishing group and got things set up. Then the Jacob, Makayla, and I followed an hour later. It was a successful day for us because the kids each caught their very first fish. Jacob did better than that by catching three, hooking two completely by himself. Their time on the ice ended when Makayla stepped in one of the fishing holes and ended up wet up to her knees on both legs. We radioed in for transportation and sent the kids back to the cabin for warm baths and dry clothes. Jarl and I tried fishing a bit longer but the wind soon drove us off the ice without catching anything more. We ended up catching four fish between the four of us. The fishing was definitely slow this trip. Between all of us we only caught 30 fish compared to some years when one person will catch that many. We did catch enough to do our fish fry Saturday night though so that was a success.

The weather was not nearly as cooperative as we’ve usually experienced. It snowed off an on the whole trip and the wind blew and blew. Saturday kept cycling through blue skies to white outs. Sunday morning we had to wait for the snow plow to come through and clear the 4 foot drifts on the road. There was lots of snow on top of the ice and we even hit a huge patch of slush on top of the ice that we had to walk through leaving us with wet feet. There was 18 inches of ice (three times more than you need to safely be out on the lake) which is the most I’ve ever seen. It was a bit odd to see snow from Fish Lake to almost Nephi and then no snow north of that on our drive home.

When we weren’t fishing we were playing games, playing with the kids, and eating. Highlights included Jarl’s mom braiding the girls’ hair; Kaley taking a few wobbly steps without be coaxed; and Jarl’s brother Matt teaching Jacob and Makayla how to play What Time Is It Mr. Fox? and Mother May I. Unfortunately I had a terrible cold for the whole trip, Kaley didn’t sleep well and had to snuggled to sleep in Jarl’s and my bed each night, and Makayla threw a few tantrums. Other than that, it was one great trip.