A slip on the ice after last weekend’s storm reminded me of one of the oddest sensations I’ve experienced while fishing (or otherwise). It occurred a little more than a decade ago on Presque Isle Bay in Pennsylvania.
I was there to ice fish with bass pro Dave Lefebre and a few outdoor writer friends. There was no snow on the ice, which was new and slick, so Dave had equipped us with strap-on cleats for our boots.
Overly eager to start fishing (as I tend to be), I’d forgotten to put on my cleats when we were gearing up at the truck for day 2 of our outing. One ambitious step onto the ice made my oversight obvious. I went straight into a dance, trying to maintain balance as my feet moved forward faster than my body. Somehow I stayed upright, but the momentum of the step, combined with the balance dance, propelled me several feet from the shore.
Then weird got weirder.
I realized quickly that with zero traction I couldn’t take a single step toward shore. Then the wind surged, blowing from the direction I wanted to move. My body became a sail, and I experienced the wild sensation of being pushed by the wind across the ice, opposite the direction I was trying to go.
No great consequence. Once I digested what was happening, I dropped to the ice by choice. Then I crawled back to the bank, and humbly returned to the truck to finish getting ready!
The fishing was good that morning, from what I recall, but I remember ice sailing far better than I remember the day’s ice fishing.
Fishing on Foot 