Mr. and Mrs. Kraus Blog

January in Minnesota is way too cold. Most mornings we wake up and the thought of leaving the flannel sheets is hard to muster. However, there are a few seasonal activities that keep our minds occupied long enough to make it through this wicked month.

One of these pass times is ice fishing. Maybe you saw my article on Florida Fishing, or had a good laugh reading about my encounters with the snakes at the lake. Ice fishing is a whole new ball of wax.

First thing you do is dress REALLY warm. There is nothing else in your life that you would want to dress warmer for than this, because everything gets colder when you party on a gigantic slab of ice. I got all bundled up before we headed to the lake. On the way there we stopped at The Bobber Shop for a Minnesota fishing license, some hooks, bobbers and wax worms. Upon arrival to the lake there is a decision to be made. The driver must ask himself, “Do I have the courage to drive my car onto that giant slab of ice, the one that just over a month ago had ducks swimming in it?” If you answer is yes, he should be sure to roll his car windows down for the trip to the middle. If the ice starts to crack, the driver better be able to hear it. But if the answer is no, get that sled out of the back and load it up with your gear– you’ve got a decent walk ahead of you to the middle of the frozen lake.

Now you might be a little tired when you arrive to the middle of the lake if you walked there. But toughen up fellas! It’s time to drill some holes! The ice appeared to be just over 2 feet thick when we went the other day. Take that times 3 holes, and you have 6 feet of ice to manually drive through with the auger. That’s taller than many men, so be proud of your accomplishment when you are done.

Next, I’ll take a moment to mention the men on the trip. I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with my buddy Chris and his dad Loren (aka Mr. E). Loren is full of all kinds of local knowledge about the nearby lakes, so it was fun to talk about Minnesota with him. Chris is full of other things, so it’s always great spending time with him…

Back to the ice fishing. After we got our holes drilled, we then turned our attention to our “jiggle sticks”. That’s right, I said “jiggle sticks”, and what I am referring to are the fishing poles. They are very tiny in comparison to the typical fishing apparatus, especially compared to a fly rod. So it didn’t take long to get them setup. Mr. E tied on a little hook, threaded a couple wax wurms on there, added a sinker and then dropped the line into a hole. As soon as it hit bottom, he raised it back up a few inches and attached a foam bobber to keep the bait floating just above the bottom. Let’s face it. It’s a frozen lake. It’s freeeezing, and the fish will stay as close to the bottom to keep warm as possible!

Once we were all setup with jiggle sticks in hand, it was time for the fish to make their appearances. Luckily, fish are not required for a happy ice fishing trip. It’s about the companionship, the stories and the exercise. At least for me anyway.

And in the midst of all the stories and talking, suddenly, there it was. A little extra jiggle on the end of Chris’s pole. He hooked it straight away, and quickly pulled it up. This lovely crappie was on the other end. I’m pretty sure it was so cold out that it froze to death as soon as it hit the January air. Quick and painless. We made some hot chocolate on my camping stove after that to celebrate the catch. After a couple hours we decided to call it quits. We packed up and drove home.

So that was my ice fishing experience last weekend. Good times! I’m definitely going back soon, and maybe next time I’ll get a fish of my own. I guess if I don’t, then I’ll just have to go for a big bass in the spring on the fly rod. One positive to that option is, a guy doesn’t come home feeling like this frosty fellow:

Amanda's first snowman

Comments from old site:

Written by Chad Kraus
Posted: Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 9:32 PM

I had only been ice fishing one other time that I can remember. I was really young. I went with my dad and brother, and some guy named Gene-O from Jainesville!

Written by Sarah
Posted: Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 9:17 PM

I’m so glad you guys made it through this brutally cold month! You know, I’ve lived in the Midwest all my life and have never ice fished. I’ll leave that one up to you, Chris, and Mr. E. Oh, btw…you hit the nail on the head. Mr. E can tell you anything MN related, and Chris is definitely full of something!

Chad Kraus Chris, fishing, Minnesota

I love weddings! Last weekend Mrs. Kraus and I flew to Minnesota for my best friend Chris’s wedding. We had a GREAT time! Not only is it perfect weather up there this time of year, but it was so fun seeing every one. We got there on Thursday at 2:30 and my other best friend Aaron picked us up from the airport. And yes, it is ok to have two best friends. Three amigos kinda thing. Anyway, the first thing we did was drive to Mankato for Chris’s bachelor party. As far as bachelor parties go, everyone was very well-behaved. We just hung out, played video games and ate some good food. I got to see Adam and Lisa’s pad and it was really nice.

After the party, the wife and I crashed at my mom’s new townhouse. It was very nice and I was really impressed with it. She seemed so happy too, and very proud of her new pad. Sounds like she really loves the neighbors and pretty much everything about the place. It was nice to see mom so excited.

Day 2 we drove to Sheldon, Iowa. We decorated the reception hall and had the rehearsal dinner, which was a luau in the park. Everyone had on Hawaiian shirts and we had burgers on the grill. We stayed at a hotel that night, and I had some fun with the buds sitting in the hot tub, watching a Twins game, teasing Chris about his last free night on Earth, and playing a little Clubhouse Games and Bomberman on DS.

Then Saturday was the big day! The wedding was very nice and everything went off without any problems. The bride and groom looked so happy, and everyone had huge smiles on their faces. Be sure to check out all the wedding pictures I have posted. Take a look at the gallery! We stayed in the hotel again that night, and the next morning we had breakfast at the Family Table. The happy couple opened their wedding gifts and we all said our goodbyes.

After that we head back to Aaron’s house, which by the way is very nice. We took a relaxing walk around his neighborhood and enjoyed the brisk air. The following day we flew home to Florida and it was back to work the same day.

The wife and I really enjoyed the trip. Ever since I started dating her I have joked about moving back to Minnesota. Only thing was, I was serious but it was a joke because she never would have gone for it. But after this trip she has changed her tune. I think she’s starting to like Minnesota, and she has made some friends there too. Could there be a change in the winds? You never know, but we’ll pray about it. One thing is for certain– if that turns out to be the case, it’s certainly a slightly colder wind than here!

Comments from old site:

Written by Lisa P
Posted: Friday, June 8, 2007 at 10:08 PM

What great pics from the wedding! FMD forever!! (Adam & Chris should have done the “antlers” too) Amanda, Minnesota really IS a great place to live. The cold winters aren’t so bad when you’ve got someone to snuggle up with. :o)

Chad Kraus Aaron, Chris, Minnesota, Mrs. Kraus, wedding