Page 7 - LIfesOuttakes5

Ice Fishing Secrets The temperature had been around 20 degrees below zero for a couple of days, and that meant just one thing to most of our scouts - ice fishing. With temperatures that low, we could be assured that the ice would be thick enough to be safe. My assistant scout master, Rod, directed the discussion as the boys excitedly planned for our weekend getaway. With 18 boys, it always took a major amount of planning, food, tents, and transportation. Friday night rolled around, and I loaded 14 of the boys into my big van, stuffing as much gear as we could under the seats. Rod loaded the other boys into his pickup, and we filled the back with tents, cookers, and fishing gear. Once we arrived at the campsite, the boys set up their tents. Rod set up ours while I built the fire and cooked supper. Our usual fare was fajitas. I prepared everything ahead, so that by the time the tents were ready, so was the food. We finished off with scones dripping with honey butter, with hot chocolate to warm everyone before they retired. The sun wasn’t even up the next morning before Rod was out of his bed and heading out to the lake. He was a much more avid fisherman than I was, so I started the fire and worked on breakfast while he drilled holes in the ice. By the time the boys forced their eyelids open, pancakes were on the griddle, and Rod was bringing some fish for me to fry. Seeing the fish, the boys were anxious to try their own luck. In fact, they were in such a hurry that they grabbed the pancakes off the griddle while they were still gooey in the inside. As quickly as they 1