Memories. Went up to Canada a few times trout fishing in Jan. with some friends from Virginia, Minnesota. This was 25 yrs. ago. No shacks or power augers. 30 in. of ice. We built a big fire near shore and dug a semi-circle of holes out in deep water. Frozen ciscoes for bait. Had to patrol the holes with skimmers constantly. Drink around the fire until a flag went down. Caught a lot of fish, but nothing huge. I'll never forget one day. -46F when we went out that morning. High of -33F. Had to set your beer in a coffee can filled with water next to the fire. Schnapps got slushy in the bottle. A drink of whiskey was dangerous, you could burn your throat. Those guys knew that from experience. As we were pulling up that night, one guy let his scarf fall off his face and I watched his nose freeze. White spot on the tip that grew larger by the second. I yelled at him and he stuck it in his mitten till color returned. Heard some wolves in the evening. Good time and those trout smoked whole were fantastic.
