...fishing on the ice

Mrs. Hufford relaxes and fishes in her snowshoes.

Karen reclines on the ice in the warmth of the afternoon.

The ride and sled that hauls all the gear to the fishing spot.

It was beautiful today. Gabby and I left early and set up the Quickfish 3 and settled in for a morning of ice fishing in perfect February weather conditions. I caught 13 fish before anyone else joined us. Trent, Michelle, Zach, and Karen arrived later along with the Hufford girls. They all caught fish, too. Everything was going great. Then Gabby swallowed a fish hook and we made a quick run to the puppy hospital. She is fine now.

We all enjoyed the warm weather and visiting on the open air. Around 5:00 PM, we eventually packed up and headed for home after a long day of...fishing on the ice.

...volleyball in Ninilchik

Laura waits to serve the ball.
The Nikiski girls listen to the coach give instructions during a time-out.

A Nikiski server in action.

Laura gets in position for the ball to come over the net.

Laura watches as the ball goes out of bounds.

The Nikiski girls volleyball team spent yesterday in Ninilchik playing other teams from Nikolaevsk, Cook Inlet Academy, and Ninilchik. There were some great serves and spikes, and a it was fun to watch the team in action. The girls played six games and were exhausted by the end of the day. They stopped for ice cream on their way home and got back to Nikiski around 5:45 PM. Outside the weather was unseasonably warm and sunny making it a nice day for...volleyball in Ninilchik.

...Island Lake Ice Fishing Derby

The reader board at the local fire station announced the event. Dave delivered hot dogs to the ice fishers in an insulated hot dog delivery bag.

The scene at the registration/weigh-in station before the event started.

Michelle peers out of the window of her ice fishing tent during the derby.

Ice fishers, tents, augers, snowmachines, folding chairs, fishing rods, ice skimmers, buckets...it was amazing to see how much equipment there was out on the lake!

The first annual Island Lake Ice Fishing Derby was a huge success by any measure. It was foremost a fund raiser for the Nikiski High Wrestling team and since over 100 ice anglers registered they did very well. The weather was perfect, too, with clear skies and average February temperatures. But, best of all the social scene was fantastic. People I had not seen for ages were out on the ice traveling from group to group catching up on the the events of each others lives. Then, along came Dave with an insulated pouch of hot dogs for the ice fishers to eat, complete with ketchup and mustard. We gobbled them down and continued fishing and talking.

So, we would visit, fish a bit, drill some new holes, change bait, eat a hot dog, bask in the sun, and visit some more. And it is here I should probably mention that I got skunked. Didn't catch a single fish. Nada. But, I really didn't mind. I was having such a great time visiting that I really didn't seem to notice.

At the end of the day we all rode over to the weigh-in station where the fish were officially weighed and the prizes awarded. It was a jovial scene and everyone clapped and cheered as the ice fishing champions were announced. After the ceremony people stood around and visited some more. It was a great day and I can't wait for next year's...Island Lake Ice Fishing Derby.