Serenity On Ice vBrian Teel Winters in South Dakota can be hard, sometimes brutal, and as anyone who lives in this area can tell you, unforgiving. But there is serenity within this frozen harshness and though sometimes that may seem hard to believe, most will agree it is there; you simply have to look for it. Lakes and rivers during winter for example, can be very ethereal. The spectacle created by crystalline reflections of light from an early morning dawn upon ice-laden trees and banks can be breathtaking. A sunset in the west, radiating different hues of red within the darkening sky is not only tranquil when viewed from the vast openness of the frozen Missouri River, but also a beautiful reminder of how wonderful life in this area can be. If you are willing to brave the winters South Dakota has to offer, then be prepared to see some of Mother Nature’s most awe-inspiring tapestries of ice and snow. Ice fishermen have long known of the beauty that can be found within the winter months upon the ice covered lakes and rivers of our area. They are the ones who travel snow-packed roadways and truck pounds of equipment and supplies to destinations with no room service or fresh towels. They are the ones who find solace upon the ice, amongst the frozen tundra, waiting patiently for a fish or two, all the while taking in the grandeur that surrounds them. “I’ve been out on the ice and fished for hours and hours and never caught a fish, but that doesn’t matter. It is being outside, relaxing, watching the sun rise and the sun set out on a lake.” Greg Stulgies understands the beauty of sitting on a lake punching eightinch holes into the ice hoping to catch a dinner’s worth of fish. It is the