Get Fish or Die Tryin

February 4th, 2010 | By Rob Franklin

Ice Fishing. It’s not something most Hip-Hop heads would put on top of their street cred list. However, after venturing out on Lake Monona one chilly Friday morning, I learned that braving the elements to provide a meal for your family is about as gangster as it gets.

As we climbed through the snow to reach the ice, I really started to have my reservations. Living in Wisconsin we’re used to cold weather, but that’s usually only walking or shoveling snow. This was actually going on the middle of a lake with no flotation devices and setting up shop for a few hours. This is everyday life for some people.

We met Frank and Bill toward the center of the lake. These guys really embody what Wisconsinites are. They were standing next to an ice shanty, a small, garage type hut that blocks out the cold. When asked if we could take a look inside, Frank says, “Ice Shanties are for sissies” with a hearty laugh. “No, seriously it’s not ours. We prefer to be out here, we dress warm enough to sit out here for two or three hours. We usually get about two or three buckets full of blue gills by then.”

When asked about the process, Bill explained: “First, you gotta find yourself the right spot to set up. You have to feel your way through. You can tell by the amount of holes where the good spots are. And it’s pretty easy from there. Then you take this auger…” As he handed me the drilling device, I knew then, it was on.

I drilled through two feet of ice in about a minute. “See, the catch is to have the right bait. I collected these wax worms back in the summer and froze them,” explained Bill. As we talked and put the bait on the poles, you could tell that this was something that Frank and Bill not only enjoyed but actually lived on. “We can catch enough to get us through a month or so. It’s pan fish so it’s good eatin’,” says Frank with a sense of pride. “I catch them and the wife cleans them and cooks them. It sounds old fashion, but that’s the stuff that keeps us together.” After hearing Frank say that, I began to have a deeper appreciation for the experience. We talked about Packers, a little bit of politics, then it happened.

A brother caught a fish.

“You gotta reel it in fast cause they can get off that hook pretty quick” says Bill as I reel away. Finally, with steam rising from the water, I pull out the fish. Bill grabbed it and threw it onto the ice. As it squirmed around, I began to realize that this wasn’t just some crazy folks getting drunk and wasting time, this was survival.

“It’s about time for us to pack it in. We’ve been out here for about three hours. But that wasn’t bad for your first time. Now you can take this knife and clean it if you want…”

Ice fishing for survival… now that’s gangsta!