WOW 35 degrees all day yesterday with a 15 mph wind melted all the snow again. Its 34 right now and never got below freezing last night. Headed out last night to check on Shelly and Mike. They had 5 in the bucket and caught there 6th keeper while I was there. Shelly fishes with out a vexlar or bobber and just jigs and waits for a bite . What a great way to fish as when a fish hits its such a surprise. Seems moving that 100 yards payed offed for now.
I buttomed up blue thunder yesterday and will take it out this morning to check out the three bridges crossing the pressure ridge out of hillmens. Buddy moved a few of his houses over the ridge yesterday. I will more then likly wait to push out as the fishing is fine where I’m at for now. Talking to Buddy it sounds like theres still a good bite in 8 feet of water but everyone wants to be further out. There were a couple portables fishing shallow yesterday and they never moved? I did not want to bother them so will have to wonder how they did. The family is coming up for xmas so I need to prep a few extra fishing rods for the gang as we plan on wetting a line. I also have to get north carolina out of the woods today as It is rented just after xmas. I may have to haul snow off shore again for banking the way it looked last night.

Spent my morning detailing old minnesota and doing a little fishing. I got my 3 for lunch and missed a couple more. Fatheads on a rattling flyer and vexlar. Missed a couple on the rattle wheel also. Jim and Mark are heading home and did well with the move. They went exploring yesterday and said they caught more in the house then fishing outside on the lake. Thanks guys

For sone reason it has been slow for quite a few fishermen the last couple days. Not sure why. I’m heading out this morning to wet a line . 34 degrees out good day to auger some holes and fish outside. Yesterday I moved florida and montana. Jim and Mark helped move montana as they are here one more day. Mike and his wife arrive later today for florida.
Tomm the local mechanic would not borrow me the tool I need for blue thunder as its a expensive tool and easy to break. I think I have a plan b and will try and buttom her up today with out driving all the way to bemidji. I have a couple days before I need to move old minnesota and stilll have to get North Carolina my new two man house out of the woods. I can move houses with the red baron but would rather use blue thunder as I can then un bank and bank the houses

From every thing I heard the fishing was a bit slow yesterday. Mark and Jim are here one more nite so I will move them today..I also have to move florida as Jim and his crew check in at 2. Kellie and I had freash fish with the guys in minnesota and florida last nite. Frank the rimg leader, Swaggs, little buddy/Dan, Mike and Bradly. We then played some texas holdem and had a good time. We got another lite coating of snow last night. Blue thunder is still down . I need a special tool to put a bubble on the trans line so the hose does not come off I will check with Tom later today to see if he has one. I will have to move the houses with the red baron which is no big deal. I never got to talk to the guys in the cabin and will have to wonder how they did.

At one point yesterday both the red baron and blue thunder were down ugg. The red baron was a esy fis as the starter connection went bad and I had no ignition. A two hour fix and she was up and running. Blue thunder on the other hand has turned into more of a project.I had a charlie brown moment and installed the trans cooler on the wroung side of the radiator, I had to improvise reeasttaching it as I ruin the four clips that came withthe kit. Then the bottom trans line broke in the new radiator ugg again. I will have time to work on it again today and hope to have it up and running for my nightly rounds.
Jim amd Mark checked into montana and have had slow fishing with only 2 keepers and two jumbo perch ,they plan on using there portable today and fish a rock pile that Jim found a few years back if they can get there. Frank and his crew are having a blast ,there playing cards, drinking beer and catching enough fish for a late nite fish fry. There a hoot and are constently shelling each other. They stay down at the lake every opener.
We got about a half inch of snow last night which will help with the banking.
Frank at North Country food and fuel said from his house on the shores of upper red lake he could drive all the way to center bar with no pressure ridges.He has his house four miles out and said its just crazy out on center bar. Buddy Hillmen was scoping out a path to cross the pressure ridge so we can push west and finish his road. I need blue thunder up and running today

Lee and Larry stayed in montana last night and I went out and had duinner with them .I caught a jumbo jumbo perch and 1 keeper walleye while visitting. They had fish for lunch yesterday. It was nice of Lee to clean fish outside instead of the fish house. I headed over to Gary’s and welded up some ends for north carolina and Lee and I beefed up the ends. I hope to haul her out once I have blue thunder running again and will have a two manWe had a very productive day yesterday. Lee and Larry not Carl, banked montana and florida with snow shovels as blue thunder is still down. We moved florida next to minnesota for Frank and his crew that will be here this morning around 8am, I will be heading out shortly to auger the holes in minnesota and florida. sleeper. I then headed to bemidji to get radiator and transmission cooler which I will install today.
The road and Ice is in great condition. Stay away from the pressure ridges as there unstable

Lee and Carl arrived around 3 yesterday and I sent them out to bank minnesota by hand. I moved a little snow around with the v-plow on red baron earlier when I was cleaning florida(I still gt a kick out of vacumming the fish houses) so they have some to work with. They also augered the holes and will fish and relaxe untill today when I put them to work. They had three keepers when I talked to them at 6 and were going to have fresh walleye for dinner. I drove the 1 ton out there yesterday, the red baron ,I went nice and slow and had no issues. I only drove where I have been driving to the houses. Theer were a few fishermen out of hillmens but very quiet out there. Buddy Has scoped out the pressure ridge and has a plan once we need to go further west. For now the fishing is still good a mile out. All though one of the spots we scoutted last week we were the closest fishermen to shore and we landed 3 at the crack of dawn before we moved.

WOW what a beautiful morning it was on the lake. I headed out to florida to say goodby to Cody,Thane,Gabe Kaleb. The fishing was slow for them last night all though Cody and Gabe had a portable about 50 yards away and hammered them. Since they stayed 3 nighs it would of been nice to move them on to fresh ice yesterday but my repairs on blue thunder did not go as well sa I expected. I twistted the transmission line and now have to also repair that. I have a radiator coming from mpls and need to make a run to Bemidji when it comes in.
Lee and Carl are on there way up and Lee will be helping me bank minnesota,montana and florida for a couple free nights of fishing, we will also move florida. I also have a two man house on shore that needs some beefing up and I then can get it out there North Carolina will be its name. David is on his way over to help me get my bridge out of the woods and then were going to go get hillmens bridge out of the woods as it looks like we will need two to get over the pressure ridge.

Around 4 yesterday I popped the hood on blue thunder to see if I could take hoses off of heater core and flush as the heat is not working as well as it should. I did notice I have been losing a little antifreeze and thought the over flow tank may have a crack. The hoses looked like they are corroded on pretty good and the clamps were in bad shape. With no clamps I decided I would have to wait tell I had parts on hand as a simple job looked like it could be trouble. I then headed down to the lake shore to load up some snow for banking . Heading out on the lake and the cold and wind have firmed upp the last of the standing water .Good ol mother nature working for us. When I arrived to the pressure ridge I noticed the heat was blowing cold air but the temp gauge was around 180. The plan was to keep a eye on the gauge ,check in with the guys and get back home asap. When I arrived at florida I made the mistake of leaving the truck running, when I came back out she was pegged and spewing. I shut her down and with the flash lite in hand found a hole in the radiator, I also got a taste of antifreeze in the mouth laying undeneith. With the wind howling I had Cody bring me to shore, the fishing has been slower in the house then when they were hole hopping but that’s to expected. They figured they landed 25 all day witch in my book is good fishing. They got spoiled hole hopping. The banking on florida is hard as a rock or ice. Good ol mother nature. It was nice too see a few flurries on the ground this morning and with mother natures help we may get some drifting snow around the houses by the weekend. I will spend the morning looking for a radiator then go top off blue thunder and limp her home for repairs . Old blue thunder has what I need but is 200 miles away in pine city.
Hillmen’s road will be in great shape with all the melting and now refreezing. Buddy Has it marked 6 miles out with the pressure ridge stopping us from heading west at this time.
Last night I counted 3 trucks out there fishing so real quiet on the lake out of hillmens

Cody and his group are doing well and happy with florida. I got minnesota moved over into the area and now have all three houses on fresh ice. With montana and minnesota open all week I turned off the heat . I’m liking the area I’m at and will work it hard untell the fishing gets bad. Its way easy to get to in all conditions. The temps have dropped and what water is on the lake is glazing over. Floridas banking will turn to solid ice but thats just the way it is. I will head out later to check on the guys. They had odd/different names and I can not remember them at this time.Yesterday I told them to fish all the holes that Kevin and his crew augered they took my advise with the balmy weather and one of the guys landed 4 elusive yet still catchable upp per red lake crappies. I wanted a pic but they ate them