DEVILS LAKE _ On the misery scale, this cold, blustery recent Tuesday in January had all the makings of a solid 8, with 10 being the worst.
That wasn't an issue for Tom Rost. As wind whipped the icy horizon into a snowy froth and the mercury plummeted, Rost was seated at the helm of a SnoBear _ think of it as a mobile fish house on tracks _ watching his electronics while he tried to coax finicky fish into biting.
No jacket, no gloves, no need.
The thermostat was set at a comfortable 70 degrees.
And so it went on this January day that delivered almost everything winter in North Dakota has to offer as Rost and two fishing partners, including longtime friend and retired North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries biologist Lynn Schlueter, tested the waters to see what they could catch.
Moving was as simple as starting the SnoBear, pushing a button to raise the vehicle from the surface of the ice and heading for a new spot.
In a pursuit where mobility can be a challenge _ especially on cold, blustery days _ ice fishing in a SnoBear is about as close to fishing in a boat as you can get.
"It doesn't take long at all," Rost said. "When we go to move, you stay inside here, we lift up, set down in a new spot, drill the holes and you're back fishing in minutes.
"No reason to go outside."
