I think that it’s safe to say that the worst of winter is behind us. The sun lingers a couple extra minutes every day, postponing nightfall, and is greeting us a little earlier at daybreak. The winter lion will hold the spring lamb at bay and is likely to bare its claws again before it grudgingly abdicates its throne. King Leo must be in cahoots with the woodchuck named Phil, who recently proclaimed, “After the careful examination of my shadow, it is my determination that Winter will be extended by six weeks.” Don’t get me wrong, I think winter is great and so do a lot of others who enjoy winter activities like ice fishing, skiing and snowmobiling. What other time of year can you strengthen your core and improve your mobility all for the cost of a snow shovel. In no other season can you hone your snowman building skills or create the perfect snow angel. We’ve finally had what could be called an old-fashioned winter and we should be grateful after last year’s poor excuse. Take advantage of the lengthening days and slightly warmer temperatures and enjoy what remains. Don’t let “winter fatigue” get you down.
IT’S COOL ON THE ICE.
This ice fishing season has been the best we’ve seen in the last few years. A cold December got us off to a great start and people were heading out onto the ice before Christmas. We didn’t have a January thaw to throw a wrench into the works and as a result, the ice anglers rejoiced. Fishing was good right from the start and remains good in the second half of the season with even better fishing ahead. I find that the fish get more active as they respond to nature’s cues of the approaching spring. For most species of fish, spring is time to make little fish. That takes a lot of work, so they start feeding with greater enthusiasm and eating greater quantities. This means the fish will be easier to catch and more fish fry’s for you. I like to head onto the ice in mid-to-late afternoon. Morning and mid-day are good too, but I just like the afternoon. I like to set up a few tip-ups for walleye that will be prowling the weed lines about sundown. Walleye spend a lot of their time in deeper water during the day and they come into the shallows in the evening to feed. I have the best luck setting up in ten to fifteen feet of water on a weed edge close to a drop off into deeper water. A medium sized shiner for bait a couple of feet off the bottom is hard for the hungry predators to ignore. While I’m waiting for sundown, I like to jig for bluegills, perch and crappie. As the evening approaches, tiny organisms, (I’ll just call them bugs) start to come out of the mud and weeds where they hide during the day and look for smaller bugs to eat. Fish like bugs too, so the little fish eat the bugs and the bigger fish eat the little fish and the bugs, then we catch the bigger fish and eat them. I leave the bugs to the fish. Small brightly colored jigs with a tiny plastic trailer baited with a small grub are my go-to lures. The bluegills stop biting when it starts getting dark, but the crappie and perch will continue past sunset. With luck, the walleye will start popping flags on the tip-ups about this time. Now is the time to switch to a stouter jigging rod and use a jigging Rapala or similar lure. If all goes well, I’ll be walking off the ice within a couple of hours with a few fat walleyes and some chunky panfish in my bucket. That, folks, is what it’s all about.
ALL GOOD THINGS WILL COME TO AN END (DARN IT!)
The local ice fishing crowd seems to have lost a little steam as we head into the home stretch of the fishing season. Many people have expressed concerns about the safety of the ice after the warmer days we had last week. While it’s true that several days of warm weather and a lot of rain can impact the quality and thickness of the ice, the few days of warmer temperatures that we’ve had in the last couple of weeks has not un-done what the previous weeks built. Anglers are still reporting a foot or more of ice on most of the local lakes and ponds; that’s twice as much as I need to feel safe. A healthy dose of common sense is always advised so avoid areas of moving water such as feeder streams and outlets. Over the next few weeks, pay attention to the shore lines, especially those with exposed rocks or soil. The sun will warm those areas and may soften the ice making passage a little tricky. This should not be a problem right away but keep it in mind as we approach the end of the month. The ice will likely stay thick into the first week or so of March, getting on or off could get tricky though. My advice is this: if the ice looks funny, stay away. If you need a plank to get on or off the ice, stay off the ice. Remember, no fish is worth swimming for.
THINKING OF THE FUTURE.
I can’t blame you if your thoughts tend toward warmer days ahead. Soon, buds will be swelling, and sap will be flowing, snowbanks will shrink in the heat. Until then, take advantage of the more agreeable weather and get out on the ice or into the woods to hunt small game. Deer season takes center stage for most hunters. The effort and expense they put into the pursuit of whitetail deer is astonishing. For most hunters, what set them on this course was going small game hunting with a grandparent, an uncle or their parents. Squirrels were plentiful back then and they still are. Go back to your hunting roots and take your trusty .22 with you. Bring along a youngster and introduce him or her to an incredible outdoor experience just like you had all those years ago.
