Winter Camping on a River Island - Ice Fishing Catch & Cook, Light Snowstorm, Solo Bushcraft

In this video filmed last April, I head out into the local backcountry and solo camp on a river island. After a long walk into the area, I ditched my snowshoes along the river bank and made my way across to the island checking the ice thickness as I went. Having luckily made it back to land without falling through, I set up camp with my Dutch surplus pup tent and a fire-pit, and just as I finished, the strong wind blew in a light snowstorm that blanketed the area. Once the snow slowed, I built a fire using a shaving pile with my ferro-rod, and after threw together a quick ice fishing rod using a poplar tree sapling, hook, and weights. I made my way down to the river (this time taking a safer route off the island), and used my double bit axe to chip away at the ice cutting a foot and a half square hole to fish through. I fished for a few hours using worms as bait, and to my surprise, I didn't get a single bite. Since the sun was beginning to set, I headed back to camp and went to sleep for the night hungry. The next morning, I made a quick pot of coffee, and headed back out to the fishing hole. After cutting it back open, I spent another few hours fishing, and finally caught a small rainbow trout. I butterflied it open, seasoned it with my homemade spice blend, and cooked it on the grill over the fire. Seeing that another snowstorm was coming, I quickly broke down camp, put out my fire, and headed out just as the storm came through.
Enjoy the new video and keep an eye out for more content coming soon.
- Nicholas
----------------------------------------------
Social Media:
/ wituikbws
Sponsored & Affiliated Gear:
Skinning knife made by my buddy, Ashenforge
www.etsy.com/shop/ashenforge/
/ ashenforge
#wituikbws
I see nearly all comments on my channel, so feel free to leave a comment with some feedback, questions, suggestions, or anything else you can think of!

[@wituikbws]

Enjoy the new video, and welcome to all the new subscribers! I'm glad to finally release this one. I've been waiting for a more fitting time of year to post it since most places in April (when I filmed this) are well into spring. Feel free to leave some feedback, and don't forget to like and share if you enjoyed. It helps make these videos possible. Thanks for watching, - Nicholas

[@Hewau-fj5zz]

Must have been a hard work to make a video all alone. I will enjoy watching it. Thanks.

[@user-mj4yo7pi9j]

Like that axe 🪓 like that tent and like that double high firepit ... cool spot 😎

[@thehighcountrycowboy9203]

Coolness, a double bit

[@ZoranKnezevic-zg6sr]

Thanks for sharing.

[@wituikbws]

You bet 🤠

[@stevelauda5435]

Cool video, but how I prepared fish was like this. Catfish pike ,bass, I gutted, then soaked them in a salted brine along with maple wood over night. Then build fire, hung the fish by the gills, placed waterlogged maple over the coals for a rich deep maple smoke then placed the barrel of fish over smoke fire, a hot smoke is best this way for this type of fish, but a cold smoke is best for eel and white fish, will explain that one if interested, after a few hors of the hot smoke , remove steel drum from fire, let cool and I promis you will be addicted to this recipe, just like all my friends and neighbours were.

[@EatCarbs]

Awesome! Enjoyed the video. Thanks for sharing your outing.

[@wituikbws]

Thanks for watching!

[@peterfardell1564]

I was gonna say first, as in 1st to come and put the last time. I done this a few years ago Nick you said well I’m second then 😂

[@wituikbws]

I think I remember that! 😆

[@PocketKnivesBlog]

Absolutely LOVE this one!! Keep 'em comin'!!

[@wituikbws]

You got it! More coming soon, although the next post may be somewhat late

[@matoverdebushcraft]

Amazing

[@wituikbws]

Thank you 👍

[@herbsmith6871]

Nicholas my friend that was another great camp! Thanks for sharing 🤠

[@wituikbws]

Thanks for watching 👊

[@alp63]

Looks very cold/windy!!

[@thaiBushcraft7654]

Wow good

[@johnearhart8811]

Awesome beauty. Thanks for your time

[@wituikbws]

Thanks for yours!

[@GRSRiverrider]

That's a great premise for a video. More than that, it IS a great video. When the fishing didn't work out at first, I thought that would be it. I like how it turned out. That made for a good build up and a rewarding ending like a short story. Seemed like long coat weather. Thanks for sharing.

[@wituikbws]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! It was definitely a challenging one to film with all that wind, especially while out on the ice. Thanks for watching!

[@djy0tub3r]

Great video. Looking forward to the next.

[@budakcikal14]

Ini terlihat sangat keren kawan..

[@jerryzirrakyan2309]

A great thanks from Glendale California Jerry

[@wituikbws]

Thanks for watching 🤠

[@t.s.p.j3537]

hello and greetings 😀👍🙏

[@wituikbws]

Howdy!

[@lucagorla7785]

Saluti dall'Italia!

[@neesbushcraft]

This is just what I needed this morning. Thanks for sharing.

[@wituikbws]

Glad you enjoyed 🤠

[@hn4806]

Beautiful and enjoyable! When I see a camper starts wrapping up at the end, I always feel sad. Well the word "sad" is appropriate or not, I'm not sure, but surely of that sort. Kind of "end" may be the cause of the feeling, I guess. Thanks for nice video.

[@silverstatenomad]

Awesome landscape!

[@wituikbws]

It sure is! I love it out here

[@rkf2746]

Great content Nicholas. Man that looks like some great Canadian country. I like your old school snowshoes. I had a pair of "Bearpaws'" I used when I was working oil exploration in the 70's, early 80's. They were laying in the bed of my truck when I went into my motel room one morning, and they seem to have walked off in the short time I was gone. Damn I hate a thief!!🤠 Never replaced them with the traditional rawhide style. Anyway, seeing yours reminded me of them. I hope all is well with you and yours. Take it easy Cowboy. Roger

[@wituikbws]

Thank you! The pair I was using in this video are my dad's since I destroyed mine not knowing they had to be regularly varnished. All the webbing ripped off on the way out from filming an older video 😆 That's too bad about yours, damn thieves! Thanks for the support!

[@rkf2746]

@@wituikbws That gave me a chuckle. Yeah, they need a little lovin' from time to time so they they don't start cracking and, well---all the webbing ripping off. 😉 That had to pretty much ruin your day. I've been using Tubbs snowshoes for several years now. They still work, no point in replacing them because they're old. I'm old to, and ain't ready to be replaced yet either.🤠 Take it easy. C ya next video.

[@leszekdzwonkowski6721]

jak zawsze z niecierpliwością czekam na każdy film w twoim wykonaniu , cieszy oko jak uprawiasz Bushcraft pozdrawiam

[@wituikbws]

Dzięki, że zawsze wspierasz, to wiele znaczy!

[@michaelmcdonald6727]

Great video Nicholas. It looks like you had a relaxing camp! That tent looked like it could keep the weather out! Thanks much for sharing.

[@wituikbws]

Thank you! It sure did, love that tent so far 👍

[@davidd4586]

The quality of your videos which was already awesome gets even better. Outstanding editing and shots. Congrats!

[@wituikbws]

Thanks!

[@tobiasball5225]

Great way to spend a Friday evening. Thank you for the excellent content.

[@wituikbws]

No problem! More to come soon 👍

[@szeryf7983]

Witaj Przyjacielu dziękuję za wspólną przygodę pozdrawiam serdecznie 🤗👍👏💪🐺🐾🏞️🥇☕🍰💚

[@wituikbws]

Witam! Dzięki za oglądanie

[@khalidd360]

Love ❣️ from Kashmir ❤️❤️

[@antoniocarlosjr.4669]

A qualidade dos seus videos é incrivel, principalmente em relação à sua câmera e a fotografia do vídeo. Continue com esse ótimo trabalho. Seus videos são muito relaxantes.

[@wituikbws]

Obrigado, fico feliz que tenha gostado!

[@russelllewis4998]

Such a fantastic video. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it. Thank you.

[@wituikbws]

Glad you enjoyed it! 🤠

[@hanksbud2544]

Excellent video. Thank you

[@wituikbws]

Glad you liked it 🤠

[@chitrakhaling6077]

So much nice your camping 🏕 😍 ☺️ 👌

[@virgilchristopherson3626]

Fantastic video, You did great camera work, It's surprising all the things you did with just a few tools,

[@wituikbws]

Thanks!

[@virgilchristopherson3626]

You are welcome !, I'll check more of your videos. I'm subscribed.@@wituikbws

[@wituikbws]

Sweet! Thanks for subscribing, appreciate it

[@virgilchristopherson3626]

You are very welcome, I enjoy your videos !@@wituikbws

[@XPLRNW]

You should totally have a better sheath on that axe, so close to your shoulder.. don’t fall, Brotha

[@wituikbws]

I agree, but I hadn't gotten around to the leatherwork yet, so I made it work with what I had 😆

[@XaLoiVlog]

when the spring snow melts and the sunshine is bright, it's also beautiful, you should also make a video in April when spring comes, ah I really like the double-edged ax, it looks very strange, I don't have an ax, just Use a knife to chop firewood. support you with everything that youtube equips

[@wituikbws]

There will be lots of videos in Spring, don't worry! Thanks for the support!

[@JJ-JOHNSON]

Always awesome content here, thanks for sharing your adventures. 70° rainy here in Alabama.

[@wituikbws]

Thanks for watching! Send some of that heat up here, was down to -30C last night 😆

[@sirpaharo5883]

Why not have the fireplace facing the tent opening to reflect the heat to the tent. Maybe have a log fence behind the fire also to direct the heat to the tent. Great teaching tool of Nordic survival.

[@wituikbws]

Wasn't really necessary since it wasn't cold on this trip, aside from the wind. Good ideas though!

[@niklasrajfalk]

Hello my friend, I am very fascinated in your Cd documentary film You are an imaginative person, I just want to say that I would like to have a brother like you, But I am very happy to see your new ideas that you show to me learn this from you, how to manage living in the shadow this is very important, I understand that this is where you hope thank you so much dear friend, you are a great guy. I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas

[@wituikbws]

Hello Niklas! Thank you for the kind words and support, Merry Christmas to you to!

[@magicworldbyjorg]

...cool video keep up the great content.. Thank you…

[@wituikbws]

Thanks, will do! 👍

[@magicworldbyjorg]

@@wituikbws Thank you very mutch... have a nice Weekend.... see you….

[@andriibushcraft34]

Чудове відео 👍👍👍🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦👍👍👍

[@markarmesto]

Nasty snow. Makes for a slog. Thanks for continuing the adventure. An education in winter survival skills. I like your videography, too. Nice script.

[@wituikbws]

It sucked getting in there, but the trip was worth it in the end. Too bad the fishing wasn't better though 😆 Glad you enjoyed it!

[@joha7484]

💪💪💪💖💖💖👌👌👌

[@XPLRNW]

Oh and I failed to mention that your rock fire pit turned out great! I loved the angle of the camera and focus point when you filmed that. Also the shot of you in the tent when it was snowing was pretty cool! Love your content my friend... I'm looking forward to filming another video for my channel this week. Being outdoors is the best! Stay safe homeslice - xplrnw

[@wituikbws]

That shot and the others that low to the ground were pretty tricky to get. Ended up having to lay my tripod down and prop the camera on a log then level it with sticks 😆 I'll check out your channel!

[@XPLRNW]

@@wituikbws I totally get where your coming from, brotha! Its totally worth the effort thought because then you get banger shots like the one here in your video. I'm so into the outdoors and I was born and raised here in the PNW, playing on 30 acres of land all my life and watching your vids make me want to drop what I'm doing, grab my overnight pack and head for the woods... lol you know? haha! Keep grinding on that outdoor adventure life

[@peterkunka2694]

Really awesome video of how to camp in the winter with minimal gear. Doesn't take much to stay warm with the right gear. I was hoping you'd catch a fish the first try, but you did the next day. I'm home from a weekend of desert camping in Arizona (lows of 43F overnight). Always good to get away, and looking forward to your next one. Peace! Pete - KI7LIL

[@wituikbws]

I think all I'd bring is some kind of windbreaking coat. I froze pretty good while I was out on the ice 😆 I hope the desert camping was fun! I have plans to do a few desert camping videos in the south Chilcotin sometime. It's hardly a desert compared to Arizona but I think I can get some interesting footage. Thanks for watching!

[@stevefisher2121]

Excellent video as always - very beautiful location!!!! I notice that you are not carrying your rifle anymore - such a shame and total BS in my opinion. Hope things get straightened up because you shouldn't be out there without a firearm. Take care.

[@wituikbws]

Thank you! I still carry one, don't worry 😆 I didn't have one on this trip since I was on an island surrounded by rotten ice, felt like it was fairly protected from predators. Next video will have one in it 🤠👍

[@fearthehoneybadger]

Good video. What brand of axe is that double-blader? I collect knives and axes.

[@wituikbws]

Thanks! That is a Walter's Black Diamond. Every axe I use in my videos is a Walters, I collect and restore them occasionally 👍

[@matthewmccooke7748]

Great video. Nice touch on the spice mix, dont tell me the recipe. Looks heavy on the paprika but after that who knows it's so finely ground. Salt, onion powder ???. Dont tell me.

[@wituikbws]

Thanks! Smokey paprika, normal paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, chilli powder, and lots of cumin. Too many ingredients to bother overlaying on the video itself so I just say it's a homemade spice blend, which I guess it is since I have been making it for years 😆 It's best on meat like pork and chicken

[@TheJuhyh]

I love the no commentary, as it gives you the true feeling of nature and immersing yourself with the video. But I gotta ask, are you talking to yourself when the cameras are not on you? Lol keep up the awesome videos you got my sub!

[@wituikbws]

Oh yeah, all the time. Usually swearing to myself 🤣 Thanks for subscribing, welcome to the channel!

[@josecarlosbarth5414]

Well it was nice, but was shown you should better equipped with more sources of food & other survival supplies.

[@markklee5895]

i held my breath for a second as thinking he’s about to hack down that beautiful spruce. why use green pegs when you could easily gather dry branches?

[@wituikbws]

I'm not actually sure why I chose to go with green wood at the time. The driftwood was pretty hard and would've worked fine 😆

[@Dougwituik]

what a horrible looking place. another good one nic

[@wituikbws]

Thanks! 🤠

[@DzidekTahoe]

🤠⛺🔥🐟👍

[@nadeemkhan-wn6ez]

you are so chep mr

[@larsiversen8117]

I feel sad when you put all that spice on the trout, trout is so tender and dont need mutch spice, if you like fish tho....

[@cowbway8462]

Can we talk about the pants? Let’s talk about the pants. Those are awesome pants. Are they leather?

[@wituikbws]

I was fed up with having wet pants in winter and can't stand how weak synthetic snow pants are, so these are a pair of custom pants I made. They are originally 100% duck canvas pants, but I double tin clothed them using a recipe made by The Lone Woodman on KZbin. They work great so, but unfortunately I think the canvas was a little rotten when I got the pants (they were used), and I ripped the crotch out twice now 😆

[@jamesreid359]

Hello there , could you please tell me who makes/brand of youre double bit Axe ?..... Thanku sir

[@christophe7747]

Top cette vidéo, super vue endroit incroyable !! Bravo pour la truite et magnifique camp mon ami, qu'elle marque cette tente ?🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳

[@wituikbws]

Merci! Faites-vous référence à un marquage à l'extérieur de celui-ci? Il y a quelques chiffres sur la toile je crois

[@christophe7747]

@@wituikbws merci du retour, non juste le nom de ta tente ?

[@valentinsiry8141]

Bonjour J’adore vos vidéos !! Continuez à nous faire rêver d’évasions ! Qu’elle est le model / marque de votre tente ? Bonne continuation

[@irenecontreras3247]

Don't have much control of your knife that way. I prefer shaving with the knife. Isn't cutting lumber with a saw easier on your body?

[@thehighcountrycowboy9203]

2 shelter half's, right?

[@wituikbws]

Yes!

[@TheBrokenFeather]

We truly enjoy all of your videos. Could I get the info on that tent? I’d like to get one

[@wituikbws]

Glad to hear it! The tent is a surplus Dutch army pup tent, I got it from xmilitary

[@user-mj4yo7pi9j]

​@@wituikbws I have two of those canvas pup tents , there tough and durable and have many options ....

[@DEDYPAMONAStudio]

video solo campingnya keren sekali kawan..saya juga membuat video solo camping,semoga kalian menyukainya..

[@wituikbws]

Terima kasih! Video keren 🤠

[@fredrausch3208]

Your pants appear to be waxed…..are those DIY? Any advice on the method?

[@wituikbws]

They are! I made them following a video/recipe made by @TheLoneWoodman

[@ivorhauser2064]

Can I hear cars passing in the background just before you cut it to something else?

[@wituikbws]

No roads around there, but possibly a plane? There's a small airstrip that bush planes land on occasionally, they usually loop overhead near where I was before landing. Either way, I don't claim to be in the wilderness in my videos unless I am actually in the wilderness. I'm usually in the remote backcountry where there are still logging roads, quad trails, etc

[@Nofixedabode859]

Hi what model sleeping bag u use thx?

[@wituikbws]

I think I had a surplus Dutch army sleeping bag in this one, part of a modular set I use

[@Nofixedabode859]

@@wituikbws ah yeah think it’s like carinthia defence 4 thx

[@wituikbws]

@@Nofixedabode859 I think the website was xMilitary out of somewhere in Europe. The bags were much cheaper than the Carinthia ones but are the exact same quality

[@wituikbws]

Found it! www.xmilitarystore.com/en/modular-sleeping-bag-dutch-army

[@Nofixedabode859]

@@wituikbws thx for that👍

[@markarmesto]

Leather pants?

[@wituikbws]

Homemade waxed canvas 👊

[@markarmesto]

@@wituikbws impressive.

[@chodrizubair6329]

Time weast man

[@user-mj4yo7pi9j]

???? Time what . .??

[@XPLRNW]

Hi from @xplrnw PNW🔥🌲✌🏼

[@wituikbws]

Howdy!