When the weekend chores are complete, the wood is neatly stacked, and the driveway is clear of snow (which hasn't proved very difficult this year) the fun can begin. Making time for fishing is never a challenge I just like to make myself feel like I earned it. Today, my chocolate lab has earned it, too. We hop in the truck and head off to my favorite lake.

I'm not sure who enjoys ice fishing more - me or Casco. My chocolate lab makes sport of charging over to the neighboring shacks, simply to slide by on the glare ice and turn around and make a second attempt. He's a people-lover. At least it gives him sport while I set up our traps.

It hasn't quite felt like winter as I look out the windows of my ice shack and see a lack of snow. That surely hasn't effected the cold. Wool jackets and gloves are required attire as I run out to check each flag that raises throughout the afternoon. Reaching each trap with excitement, I bend down and begin reeling in the fish, hoping for the prize trout of the day, when sure enough I hear Casco's nails come tearing across the ice behind me, skidding, trying to stop.. I release the hook and let this fish swim another day just as Casco circles back for a second attempt.

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About the Author

Rhon Bell, an outdoor enthusiast, spends his time exploring the Maine Woods and documenting his journeys.

Growing up in Aroostook County, he embraced the outdoor lifestyle at a young age. Living today near Portland, he spends weekends and week-long adventures hiking New England summits, canoeing the historic Maine waterways, and ice fishing for lake trout.

Follow the journey as Window to the Woods discovers new destinations, and check out his other blog, Backwoods Plaid.

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