Shelby Lang from Missoula, Mont. runs the ice auger like a pro. She has ice fished before when she was young with her dad. "I just wanted to get out and have fun. I don't know anyone in Missoula that would take me ice fishing," said Lang.
Carol Brooker of Plains, Mont. with the largest of the several perch she caught on Saturday at Placid Lake.
Olesia Drozdova of Great Falls proudly holds a cutthroat trout, the first fish she had ever caught through the ice. She called the day a success.
SEELEY LAKE – Women from around Montana came to Seeley Lake this weekend to learn how to ice fish with the Montana Fish, Wildlife &Parks (FWP) Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program. Leader Kim Driscoll of Potomac said it is all about having fun and catching fish.
The BOW program provides participants with information, encouragement and hands-on instruction in outdoor skills such as fishing, shooting, archery, map & compass, survival, canoeing and outdoor cooking. Driscoll said BOW is designed for women because it is often hard for women to learn from the men who are close to them.
"Women learn different than men and we gear towards that. There is no competition or intimidation," said Driscoll.
The statewide BOW three-day program is held at Lubrecht the first weekend in August.
"I highly encourage any woman to go to that. You learn so much about any kind of outdoor skills. The ice fishing class this weekend is just an extension of the larger program," said Driscoll.
Driscoll has been volunteering with BOW for 12 years. She had led several ice fishing workshops from a one to three day adventure. The longer the adventure the more opportunities to learn different techniques, try out different lakes and learn how to clean and cook fish not just catch them.
"It is empowering for a female to know that she can do this. They can go out with a group of women and don't have to go with their partner. It's great camaraderie," said Driscoll.
The workshop started Friday night. The 25 participants met for nearly four hours and learned about ice safety, proper clothing, huts and heaters, and ice fishing gear and techniques. They also tied their own jigs and had the famous maggot races.
"Ice safety is the most important and one of the biggest fears for women who have never done this before or not been around it," said Driscoll.
Saturday morning at 8 a.m. they headed to Placid Lake with their four instructors. Women fished in water that was three-18 feet deep using a variety of jigs, white and red maggots and salmon eggs. Instructors brought their own equipment and provided equipment from the FWP "Hooked on Fishing Program." They taught the women how to drill the hole, different fishing techniques and fish identification.
Volunteers had a hot soup lunch ready for the fishing crew at the Seeley Lake Community Hall where they had time to visit and warm up. While the fishing was better in the morning, the women still caught fish throughout the day. Some of the women were coming back Sunday to fishing on Seeley Lake for northern pike.
Pam Arroues from Helena, Mont. has been a volunteer instructor with BOW for the past four years and been a BOW participant for eleven years. Her first BOW ice fishing class was from Driscoll She feels that the BOW program is the best thing for women who were not raised by "hunter, fishers" or are from the inner city.
"There is no better way to learn because too often husbands are not the best people to learn from," said Arroues. "I always encourage newcomers to Montana to get out and do it. It's just an amazing program."
Arroues chose to use salmon eggs. She avoided the maggots because her two older brothers would chase her with "everything icky. It made me really hate icky."
Carol Brooker from Plains, Mont. caught several perch on Saturday. She has ice fished before with her husband and enjoys the quietness and solitude.
Brooker said, "I just wanted to celebrate the outdoors with other women."
Olesia Drozdova from Great Falls, Mont. tried ice fishing for the first time. She took the workshop because she thought it would be fun and she wanted to learn more about ice fishing.
"It's also great experience to try something new. There were very nice people. The instructors pay attention to us, are so kind and were just great," said Drozdova.
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