Northwest Reel Life November - December 2023 Volume 3 Issue 3 - Flipbook - Page 13
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Ice Fishing Season is Coming By Matt Carey
I’ve been watching Ice Cold
Catch on TV lately. For those
of you who aren’t in the know,
it’s a reality TV documentary
series that follows two
greenhorns as they learn the
ins and outs of operating a
commercial fishing boat in
Iceland. It’s a week at sea
in some of the harshest
conditions imaginable, and
then they return to the port
and do it all over again.
Some of the catches can
yield multiple hundreds of
thousands of dollars for the
boat and $5,000 for crew
members. Other times,
they make fractions of that
amount. It’s the embodiment
of a hard way to make an
easy living. Watching the
boat and crew lay mile after
mile of baited line to circle
back, pull it up, and see what
was caught is entertaining TV
from the warmth of my living
room. The blend of passion
for the sea with the business
acumen needed is something
I think anyone who enjoys
fishing and also works a
“regular” job can appreciate.
I don’t plan on heading 50
miles outside of the Icelandic
coast to commercial fish for
cod anytime soon, so I guess
I’ll stick to something closer
to home.
With the winter season
approaching, many of us are
stowing away the outboard
engines on our boats and
getting out the ice houses
and augers. Maybe if you’re
brave enough, and have
invested in a decent winter
jacket, all you’re checking to
see is if you have your trusty
plastic bucket to flip upside
down as your seat when
you jig away for what fish
lay below. I’m referencing
another way to get your
fishing fix during the cold
winter months - ice fishing.
NOV - DEC 2023 | 13