BY BOB AND GINNY RIEGE

Last weekend we attended the first Ice Roads School on Leech Lake. Conditions on the lake were not ideal because of the amount of snow North Central Minnesota is experiencing this year. Mobility was limited to track machines or snowmobiles. Even some snowmobiles were stuck in the slush that had built up from the weight of the snow.

According to Jim Hudson the organizer of the Ice Roads School. “Leech Lake threw us her worse, but with the dedication to the best ice fishers/instructors we were able to adapt and overcome for all of our participants Below zero wind-chills and LOTS OF SNOW and LOTS MORE SLUSH made things interesting for all of us. ICK. But, each person that attended caught a fish of some type, where the biggest perch caught was 12 inches and the biggest walleye was 16.5. Walleyes and Perch, even though small, were many, and allowed everyone to have a bend in the pole to learn the techniques and tactics we taught the night prior.”

The next stop on the Ice Roads curriculum will be on Lake Okoboji for the Bluegill-Rama, February 25th-27th.

This year Ice Roads will be hosting the most in-depth school, keeping with the theme of bringing you to the hottest fishing destinations in the ice belt, by heading to the Great Lakes of Iowa, searching for behemoth bluegills in the crystal clear waters of Lake Okoboji. This curriculum will give you all the tools necessary to become a master at locating and then catching bull bluegills, along with showing you proper methods of jigging to entice the bite. Everything from beginning your search at home through map reading to proper placement of drilled holes to searching with both your Vexilar and your eyes will be covered thoroughly.

With the likes of Dave Genz, Jim Hudson, Don Cox, Jim Kusuda and the local knowledge of Scott Reed and Rod Woten you will be taught by the best of the best for this body of water. Each has years of experience in the search for bluegill, fishing countless bodies of water for these species, including pursuing monster gills. Also, staff from the family of sponsors will be on site bringing some treats to fill your gift bag that will be an immediate help at this school.

The host site we will be fishing is Camp Okoboji. Friday the school, will start at 10 a.m. for check-in. Starting at 12 p.m., the beginning seminars will help all students orientate themselves with the goals of the school and the lake itself. Saturday and Sunday will be reserved for fishing time, where you will have hands on demonstration from our instructors. This school is all-inclusive, all your lodging and meals are included in the price of $450.00. This school will take place on February 25th – 27th 2011 and is limited to the first 40 participants.

The last stop on Ice Roads School will be March 11th-12th in Northern Wisconsin on Lake Namakagon, for Crappie Boom.

With March the game fish season has come to a close. March equates to late ice and serious pan fish enthusiasts have set their sights on getting the most out of this time of year. And this late ice phenomenon is what we will be bringing you, in the way of a Crappie Boom, for the last of our Ice Roads schools of the 2011 season.

Lake Namakagon has had a huge explosion of crappies and the fish put on a yearly feeding frenzy. The instructors will show you how to capitalize on this feeding attitude of late ice fish. From the latest and greatest techniques and tools of the trade to the tried and true presentations of the past, you will learn it all.

The host site will be Lakewoods Resort. From great lodging to amazing food, Lakewoods, is famous for its on-site amenities to cater to all your needs during your visit to Namakagon.

This school will follow the same schedule and pricing as the Leech Lake one.

For registration material and more information contact Jim and Hannah Hudson at www.lrn2fish.com. Hope to see you at one of the schools this winter. We will be there as instructors and as students. We can hardly wait.