Beautiful Scenery, Slow Fishing

Even if the fishing doesn't work out as planned, sometimes just admiring the scenery is more than enough to have a good time on the ice. One of the best things about living in the Black Hills is just that -- the scenery. From the rolling, pine-covered hills to the steep and craggy cliffs and protrusions, there's always something to admire here.

Recently, I headed out to Deerfield to meet up with a guy who I'd wanted to fish with last season, but we never got our schedules synced. He wanted to try for some Lakers which I'd heard were biting around the shallows, though deeper than last season.

Armed with Clam Outdoors NEW Leech Flutter Spoon, I was confident we'd find some and I mapped out a game plan in my head as I drove to the lake. I met up with Adam who was already on the ice where I wanted to start.

We popped more holes along points and in bays searching for the elusive fish. I jigged the Flutter Spoons by bringing them up a foot or so, then letting the spoon flutter its way downward. After this, I would give it quick jerks of about six inches, trying to make the spoon look more like a wounded minnow.

The rainbows certainly like the presentation as they would usually smash it on the quicker cadence. We caught some rainbows and a few brook trout as we prodded along the different spots throughout the morning, but the Lakers didn't want to cooperate with us this time.

Taking a moment here and there to peer away from my Vexilar screen early on, I looked over at the scenery as the sun was slowly rising above the hills and began illuminating the landscape. The snow glistened as the light began creeping downward towards the lake.

It really was quite beautiful to watch for a minute before I snapped back to the Vexilar screen. Taking a moment to appreciate your surroundings can make even a slow morning feel like a great day, just to be outside and enjoying nature makes getting up at the crack of dawn, in the freezing cold, worth it just to catch a glimpse of it. Hope everyone is enjoying being on the ice whether the fishing is good or bad.