Hamilton Pond Ice Fishing

A great February vacation thus far. On Sunday, we headed over to Jon and Kelsey's for dinner and MASK re-runs on VHS. Then, on Monday, we took a trip to Disgusta to go to Sam's Club before I met Art and Brad at Worthings for some smelting. Hey, by the way, here's a funny MAINE saying: When guys (or girls) in Maine have good luck with something (fishing, the lottery, hunting, gas mileage, you name it....) they use the expression "we're gonna get into it tonight..." Smelting was fast and active at first, and then it slowed down to a rate just a wee bit higher than Rush Libaugh's brain activity. So this guy comes by our shack to see how we are doing, and he says 'Jeesh....quick catchin' at first....I said to my buddy WHOA WE'RE GONNA GET INTO IT TONIGHT BOYS!"

Yesterday, the Goldsmiths met Art, Brad, Siena, Caden, and Mia at Hamilton Pond in Belgrade for a coupe of hours of afternoon ice fishing. Callum LOVED it. And I mean that. He is a natural. I cant wait to go back during open water season with my canoe....very steady action, with lots of tenacious little perch and pickerel...

Mia and Callum explore some of the day's catch on the ice. Callum wasted NO TIME going over to a pickerel, saying OOOH.....LOOK AT DAT BIG FISH!.....and then picking it up....


Callum's official "first catch." I had just set this trap, when about 3 minutes later we had a flag. I told Callum that, being how it was his first ice fishing catch, he had to kiss the fish. Which he did. And then Mia did. And then everyone kissed everyone. Except for Art. He puts up a lot of walls.
Here's me reeling in that WHOPPER! I called for a gaff, but no one heard me.... (but look at Callum transfixed by this process.....)
taking turns holding the fish after I reeled it in...the sun was beautiful, but the wind was pretty intense....we lasted about two hours or so on the ice....then Callum and Mia just wanted to climb the big cliff hill coming out of the pond....
Fantastic fishing buddies (and men). Brad and Art. Art, being that 76% of his lunacy comes from spending 30 years in the Navy, spares no expense in making fun of my earring. So do yourselves a favor and blow this picture up and look at Art's homage to me. Imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery....