"One cold winter morning, about 18 years ago, I went out ice fishing at Horseshoe Lake. I traveled with my cousin, Marvin Boliver, on his old snow machine. We followed my mom and dad because we didn't know the trail. We started out early in the morning right after the gas station opened. We all made it there in good spirits and I was excited because it was my first time there. After ice picking for about 15 to 20 minutes, I had my own hole and started jigging with my trusty old Krocodile hook. All day long I fished and mostly just got nibbles and occasionally hooked a fish, but they would twist and jerk and come off while I was pulling them up.

In the afternoon I was losing HOPE of getting one out of the hole, and about 3:30 my parents started putting their fish in their sled and gathering up their gear. I was just about to pull up my hook when I got a big yank on my line. The fish tugged and jerked and twisted, and I had a real hard time pulling the heavy fish out. But I did it. And it was the biggest fish I had ever caught in my life! It was more than three feet in length, and its head was really big. When I held it up its tail reached to my chest. BOY, that made my day!"

Ruth Ann Fitka