This winter’s ice season was ridiculously short! I actually spent the majority of it up on Lake of the Woods because the Superior ice was so weird –  and I am sooooo bummed that I have to put my gear away. I tried to hold out as long as I could…

That being said, however, I did have some extremely fun adventures in this short season. (That’s putting it mildly!)

I am happiest out on the ice in extreme weather, as many of you already know 😉 .  The conditions for the 2nd Annual Women Ice Angler Project trip in February did not disappoint  –  -30 at sunrise makes for some of the most gorgeous light on the planet.

This year’s WIAP team included professional anglers Barb Carey, Shelly Holland, Bonnie Timm, & Rikki Pardun, long time ice angling instructor Holly Hanson, writer Kristine Houtman, and myself.

The WIAP headed up to Cyrus Resort on Lake of the Woods in mid-February.  We had some great food, really, really comfortable accommodations (many times ice fishing trip cabins are not nearly this nice), and fishing was productive.  Barb caught and released a beautiful 40 inch pike on a Beaver Dam tip up, and the rest of us were on perch, sauger, burbot, and walleye- and a few other random things that showed up.

For those unfamiliar with the WIAP, it is an annual media event that highlights women ice anglers:

In January 2015, the Women Ice Angler Project had it’s first trip to Lake of the Woods, MN.  Started as a one time media event to create positive images of women in ice fishing, the Women Ice Angler Project has continued as a way to showcase women anglers doing what they do best on the ice.

This year’s sponsors included:

• Clam Outdoors
• Chevrolet
• Vexilar
• Jiffy
• Aqua Vu
• Outdoor First Media
• The Great Wild Radio Show
• Fish on Kids Books
• StonehousePhoto
• WI Women Fish
• Cyrus Resort
• Lake of the Woods Tourism Bureau

We hope you enjoy the photos, and we cannot wait to head out next year!