36.   After missing a weekend due to really cold weather and work commitments,  French and I  finally got out this past weekend for another Argo adventure and ice fishing. This time Goose Pond was our destination.

35.   We left town a little later than planned (I was up late publishing a long overdue update to this website!) so we didn't get as much time to scout around in the machines. We tracked in the pole line experiencing the smoothest trail conditions so far this winter. All the little snowfalls have filled in the dips making the trail pretty flat!

34.   The main trail was well packed and passable by ATV on tires, but as soon as you got off the path you definitely needed tracks! I haven't even moved my Skidoo so far this winter. Most of the crew don't have sleds anymore so its harder to get out for a good Skidoo ride these days, and solo rides get sideways pretty quick!

33.   Its been super convenient being able to throw everything in the Argo and enjoy a slower paced ride for ice fishing and cook-ups. Project Argo continues to run really well, cleaning the carburetor with professional products sure did the trick! I have almost 25 hours on it now since restoring the machine this past summer.

32.   Our fire pit place at the top of the pond is well snowed in this year! Quite a difference from my Hammock Camping adventure last September to now!

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30.   My newly built Ice Auger Extension worked out really well, much better than before and still comes apart for compact storage on the bike or Skidoo. Check out the build on "Mike's Misc Garage Projects 2020" on the Projects in the Shed page.

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26.  Pre-lunch coffee thanks to French's X-Brew and YETI insulated Bottle full of hot water.

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22.   With lines set we fired up French's good 'ol Husky and grabbed some nice dead dry firewood for a cook-up.

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13.   On the menu today was a pack of bacon sliced up along with a few onions which were set to fry on a perfect bed of coals.

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11.   When the bacon was crispy and onions caramelized I threw in two cans of Beans in Molasses and brought them up to temperature while my Kelly Kettle boiled.

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9.   The Kelly Kettle works great as a self contained stove but will also work on an open fire provided you have something sturdy to rest it on and keep the handle out of the fire. You can't hang this kettle to boil due to the chimney. I usually put 2 green sticks on the fire to rest the kettle on and put more dry twigs in the chimney to burn and boil the 1.2L kettle quickly, usually in under 3 minutes.

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7.  Almost forgot to get a finished pic!

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4.   We stayed trouting until dusk catching 7 in total before days end. My headlamp lit up the ice and foot tracks beautifully for an awesome pic!

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1.    Although it was a relatively short day we had an awesome day under beautiful sunny skies. We burned some gas, logged a few miles, caught a few trout and had another awesome cook-up. What more could a couple young fellas want?

Cheers, MIKE

Copyright © 2011 Michael Smith