March 7, 2025

Three Generations tailgaiting on Ice

As shared by Sam B.

Photos by C. Boyle

February 15 & 16 was the first of Maine’s two Free Fishing Weekends. The second weekend is scheduled for May 31 and June 1.  During these weekends anyone can fish without buying a license, but catch limits and other state regulations apply. This is a great chance for beginners to try fishing and for others to give it a second chance.

The recent event got me thinking about a fishing trip that took place almost 20 years ago on Dan Charles Pond, now part of GLLT’s Kezar Corridor Lands

Back in those years, a group of us scheduled annual ice fishing trips in the area with a few dads and kids.  Other than the basic rule that everyone catch a fish, the real focus was on just enjoying the outdoors together.  Outdoor fun included football, Frisbee, and golf on the snowy pond, as well as sledding on the steep bank at its edge. 

“Tailgating on Ice”-style fishing requires lots of gear and food— typically an 8 X 12 Command Post pop-up fishing “shack”, a propane heater, chairs, a folding table, a propane stove, Dutch oven, and coolers.  The food was pretty basic, donuts for the morning followed by hot dogs and rolls, venison chili, Pringles, homemade cookies and a variety of beverages.

“Tailgating on Ice” also requires that no one go hungry!

Fishing with Poppy

This particular trip was multigenerational with the usual fifteen dads and kids, plus two grandfathers. Ages ranged from the mid-sixties to the late teens….lots of wisdom and energy combined.

One of the grandfathers was Richard “Poppy” Grant.  Poppy was a veteran woodsman and fisherman from the Upper Valley of the Connecticut River, a legend of the woods and waters for more than 50 years.  He was meticulous about his hunting and fishing gear, and it usually looked better than new despite the years of use. Before every ice fishing season, Poppy would coat his tip-up traps with fresh varnish. 

It was a privilege to fish with Poppy.

Tailgating on Ice has its traditions passed down from Poppy and the older members over the years: wearing the ugliest wool clothing,  gag awards for biggest/smallest fish, most fish, and some created by the younger members of the group. 

A Day of Catch and Release

That Saturday we chose a site for our homebase near some fallen trees along the shore line and then began to drill holes for our tip-ups.  In Maine, you are allowed five fishing lines or traps each. While we could have put out as many as 75, the 35 we had were more than enough for Dan Charles Pond. 

Even 35 tip ups made the pond resemble a giant allergy test. 

We began drilling holes with ice augers and setting bait. The water was so shallow in the first row that the augers brought up mud just under the ice, so we were surprised when flags tipped up with a fish within minutes of being set. 

The initial feeding frenzy by pickerel, a common fish in warm waters of Maine, slowed the setup of the rest of the tip ups but eventually ended with rather steady catch and release activity throughout the rest of the day,

Shaking Them Up

At any time when fishing activity hit a lull for several minutes, Poppy would call out “Time to shake them up” and head to the farthest hole with bait and a ladle. “Shaking them up” meant it was time to clear ice off the top of the hole and make sure the bait was still on the hook.

“Shaking them up” also provided Poppy with the opportunity to set up one of his ice fishing pranks. At one of the farthest holes he’d hook a ladle on the tip-up line below the ice. After a few minutes the ladle would trip the trap, sending someone across the pond to haul in their big one— the ladle. It was a rite of passage to have the ladle trick pulled on you. 

In total we reeled in 41 pickerel that day.... that all looked suspiciously similar.  The fish count is not important, maybe there were actually only four or five fish with really sore mouths.  Connecting with family and friends spanning generations at a beautiful pond in Maine made that day a memorable trip on ice.