Rice Lake, Wisconsin Ice
Fishing
Many years ago it became increasingly
obvious that the traffic heading north out of Eau Claire was far too
great to be handled by a two-lane highway; a four-lane version had to be
built. And as is the case in many similar situations, small towns
along "old" US 53 - soon almost forgotten - were by-passed by the new
and wider US 53. As a kid, I remember how painful it was to get
"stuck" behind someone towing a boat to his favorite fishing hole along
the winding and hilly road that was - or at least seemed to me to be -
one long no-passing zone through the entire state of Wisconsin.
(Little did I know that one day I would be one of those folks towing my
own boat north...) Oddly enough, I remember many of those little
towns along Route 53. One of my favorites was Rice Lake.
I am not sure what it was about Rice
Lake that could have been interesting to a 6 or 8-year-old kid.
Perhaps it was the ice cream place in town (Dairy Queen or Dairy Joy? -
I don't remember the name) at which we always used to stop for a cool
treat on a hot summer day. There was no air conditioning in dad's
car back then ("If you're hot, open the window..."); it was a place to
stop and un-stick the heat soaked wet shirts from our backs and stretch
our legs as well. Perhaps it was just the fact that Rice Lake had
its own lake right in town where one could both swim and fish - two of
my favorite activities. Perhaps it was the restaurant at which we
once stopped for dinner with my grandparents who came along on a trip
(that place was renovated into apartments at some point, but the
building is still there).
Whatever the reason, I have always
liked Rice Lake. For the past twenty years or so, I have spent the
night in Rice Lake before driving the rest of the way to Minnesota for
an annual fishing trip. It does seem a bit strange to me that I
just drive through the town but never stay to try the fishing.
I have been posting fishing reports for the area's lakes for the past
year or so; they have finally piqued my interest. Not caring what
time of year it was - it seemed to me to a great excuse to try some more
ice fishing - I made several phone calls, booked two nights at the
Best Western Inn
and Heidi and I planned a weekend getaway. Although Rice
Lake seemed farther away than a normal excursion would take us, I didn't
mind. If Mother Nature didn't throw a major snow storm our way, we
were ready for some quality time away. Not to worry, the
temperatures had been quite warm and there was absolutely no danger of
snowfall - in any amount - for this journey.
Our contact for the trip was Ron
Wilder - a transplant from Indiana who fell in love with Rice Lake and
moved there - an easy going guy whose kind smile and friendly demeanor
made him immediately likeable. Ron has a house right on the lake
and has been doing guiding in the area for about twelve years. I
was a bit concerned about ice conditions, especially after a 340-mile
drive during which I saw not a flake of snow or ice anywhere, but Ron
assured me that there was a good 7-8 inches of ice on the lake and not
to worry. Although I had seen areas of open water, the spot where
Ron had his shack was replete with the aforementioned 8 inches of ice;
Heidi and I both breathed a collective sigh of relief. Although
there were
other lakes in the area with ice, we had decided that we
wanted to fish Rice Lake and were going to target pan fish - bluegills in
specific - although any fish would be welcome in our bucket. Ron's
shack was only about fifty yards out from shore, sitting over about 10
feet of water. Inside it was warm as toast from Ron's own propane
heater invention that also supplied heat to a pot of steaming water for
hot chocolate and another pot of hot coffee. Looking around I
spotted a popcorn popper, a large tub of in-the-shell peanuts, and
various other amenities. Adorning the walls were towels and
hemostats (for hook removal) and a variety of fishing equipment: reels,
poles, tip-ups, ice skimmers, etc. There was even a barometer
clearly visible. Inserted into six holes in the perimeter of the
floor were plastic 5-gallon buckets through which to fish.
As soon as Ron began to set things
up for the day, it was easy to see that not only did he like to fish, he
was amply outfitted with all the paraphernalia necessary for a
successful day on the ice. Not one but two Vexilar flasher units -
an FL 18 and an FL 20 - and an underwater camera were available to help
locate the fish and even watch them as they inspected our offering.
I have always thought that use of an underwater camera was cheating.
But on this trip I changed my mind. A camera will show you fish
and even help you to follow movement and behavior... but it will
certainly not make them bite, even if you hit them in the head with the
bait! It also shows that fish are constantly moving from one area
to the next. I'm glad it was available; Heidi used it most of the
time and she had a ball watching as bluegills, perch, an occasional
crappie and northern pike swam past - alternately ignoring and
inspecting the bait. Once Ron had gotten us started inside, he
went outside to auger a few more holes for tip-ups and check with other
fishermen around us as to how the bite was going on this particular day,
periodically checking back to see how we were doing. amazingly,
Ron could drop his bait into any hole and quickly produce a fish, even
when we had not had a bite in quite awhile. His major advantage
seemed to lie in the fact that he could read the flasher like a book and
coax a "hidden" fish up to his bait at will.
As I mentioned in an earlier piece
on ice fishing, there are a lot of "toys" that one can acquire - at
great expense - in order to be the consummate ice angler. In a
sense, ice fishing is a lot like any sport in which one gets fully
involved, no matter which one. Sooner or later, a great deal of
money can be spent if one gets to the point where a good deal of time is
going to be spent doing that sport. But it doesn't necessarily
have to be that way. Check out this great
article by the Wisconsin DNR regarding ice fishing. There is
even a video showing that even the basics can make the event a fun time!
Or, use the advice from my previous article: "Find a place that is not
too far from your home that will supply you with a heated shanty,
equipment and bait, and give it a try." I have talked with many
folks - avid fisherman included - who have never been ice fishing.
But I have to tell you that it is easy to become smitten; I am ready to
begin investing in some basic equipment. Even a small portable
tent that can be loaded, along with your other equipment, into a sled
and hand-towed by you onto the ice to make for a great outing.
Just make sure to prepare properly for the day: dress warmly, have the
right equipment and either know the ice well or hire a guide.
Falling through the ice is something that has no pleasant results
whatsoever! We ended our day with a bucket full of bluegills,
perch and crappies and had a ball catching them; Ron was even kind
enough to offer to clean them for me! We headed back to the motel
and relaxed in the spa prior to showering and heading out to dinner at
one of my favorite places:
Hansen's Hideaway, about 10 miles north of Rice Lake in
Haugen for a tremendous Bluegill dinner.
Heidi and I also spent some time the
next day checking out the area around Rice Lake. Just to the north
and east is Red Cedar Lake, where we found a great lodge with some
incredible history. Stout's Island Lodge there has piqued our
interest for a future excursion. And there's another
interesting place for dinner that we'll try on our next trip (Robert
Earls). And to the north in Haugen is Bear Lake which, according to Ron,
has some great fishing too. I will definitely put that one in my
list for next time. This trip also allowed for much time in Rice
Lake. We discovered a great little butcher shop, a cheese store
and numerous dining venues. It is easy to see why Ron Wilder has
chosen Rice Lake as his home and why I have always liked it too: it is
just comfortable and easy to be there. Rice Lake is closer than I
thought - especially when I was not hauling my boat. Give Ron a
call and have him set you up. I know that you will not be
disappointed!
R. Karl
rkarl@onthelake.net
