I loved your little video Jim. I had a good chuckle.
Speaking of doldrums… it’s snowing here again. The only days we saw the sun were the last three or so…when the temps dipped down to -19F. So to say we’re housebound is sort of an understatement. It’s warming up though. It’s 19F now. Lake Huron obviously didn’t freeze over totally. We’re still getting Lake effect snow today. The rivers here are chock-a-block full…and with the last cold snap, it reduced my desire to go steelheading to ZERO. When the ice grows shelved over the river edges, I put my stuff away. I’ll wait for ice out before I dig out the gear again.
Now it’s just about tying flies and watching birds. Even Geocaching gets tough. No foot prints to cheat by. The Redpoles are back this winter. That means there’s no food for them further north. We see them maybe one winter out of twenty. My nyjer seed is dissapearing at a furious rate. I have to fill it each day, with the Redpoles at it. It used to be once every three weeks. :shock:
I have to admit, all this snow is pretty and with it snowing nearly every day, we don’t get the usual winter uglies…that black crud along the road sides and crusty looking snow. BUT … I’m sure getting tired of hearing my uncle, who “Skypes” me daily, telling me how warm it is where he’s camping. (Arizona) We did have one good melt just before Christmas. The snow was as deep as my Buick Rondezvous is tall. I’d hate to see it now if it hadn’t melted. The river here blew it’s banks and the snow all but dissapeared.
Believe it or not…some IDIOT deceded to take his canoe out for a run in it. He was rescued while clinging to a tree. I hope they charge him the full cost of that rescue.
Mato
It still is nice to hear from you; I like your perspective. Pretty much the same thing in SW Michigan. The people up at BBT on the Pere Marquette are telling us not to come up there as there are chunks of ice (minibergs?) and slush on the river. I have been making up a batch of furled leaders but how many does one need in a year…one maybe two. The Doughgod’s no-knead NYT bread is getting a workout; I’m on my third double batch since Friday - it keeps disappearing at an alarming rate. (and the house is getting smaller…hm?) I checked my Hendricksons (all set) BWOs, (same) and soft hackles (ready). I guess I could start on those parachutes but it’s only January 19th! What will I do for April? Keep warm, Deb and stay a little crazy; it helps.
See you at the MIFI.
Mark
Mato !!! It finally got above -25 here this weekend !!! (celsius) … Down right balmy this morning at -10 c (+14 fahrenheit for our southern cousins) … Feels like spring
Ah, Deb;
We have Fish-in going on down here is South Central Tennesse in a couple of weeks. We will be beating the Duck and Elk Rivers to a froth in what could be 60 degree temps! I will post reports and photos.
The Saturday evening dinner may look a Viking Feast but no one may cast the chicken bones in the corner, we are a bit more civilized that that (I thnk/hope).
Well, I have about a dozen dozen flies I have to get tied for member of the local Fly Fishing Club that rose to a challenge I made. We have a dam here in London that the city has been dumping millions of dollars into that serves no other purpose than to make a small lake for some to paddle in. It does not assist in flood control nor does it produce hydro electicity. It’s polluted (the sewage treatment plant uses is as a settling pond when it can’t handle the load). It stinks to high heaven, is a public health hazard, impedes fish movement and harms the watershed. We, and other environmentally aware groups want the thing removed instead of more millions going into repairing a recent multi-million dollar major repair that did not work. (Floods damaged it in 2001) I asked our group to start writing letters to the local papers and city council. That didn’t seem to work. To motivate them, I offered a dozen flies for anyone who got a letter published in the Free Press… well that worked. :shock: I think I have about a dozen, dozen to tie up this month for hand outs. I was surprised (and a little disapointed) that it took that to get them to write a simple letter…but it worked. Too few in this country put complaining into action, unless there is sometime tangible in it for them personally. For some (too few), doing the right thing is more than enough motivation.
That’s why I live in southwestern Ontario. It’s the closest thing to Florida in Canada. LOL Quebec? BRRRRRR!!!
We’re closer to Hawaii then you are, too.
Well i know New Jersey is nothing compared to you guys up in Canada but for the past 3/4 days we havent been above freezing which is pretty cold for the area. I dont mind the cold but the rivers have been frozen solid and very difficult to fish. My last few trips have been out to some limestoners in PA.
Yes! When I’m REALLY desperate! It’s sort of like watching paint dry. I still use flies though. (Puke flies work great) We get Crappy, perch, bluegills and the odd pike. It would be more fun if I could go into a shanty…but that’s not likely to happen any time soon.
Aarrrr the wonders of the internet… Here I am swealtering in close on 100 degrees heat, rivers hardly flowing and ponds nearly empty… I sure would love to see some snow today!
Anyway, purpose of this post, if I can temporarily hijack, is to ask about ice fishing. I was away fishing recently and in the camp we were talking about all the crazy stuff that is around, like Cabelas two-stroke-tail-gate-mounted-cocktail mixer and other funny stuff. Anyway we were all having a laugh and ice fishing came up.
Would somebody like to explain to someone who never sees ice, the answer to the big question: Why? We just can’t understand it. We might camp in snow in the high country to catch trout, but sitting over a hole in the ice? Am I missing something?
Dear DShock.
My idea of giving a beautiful young lady a Gin and Tonic drink with ICE and a fine slice of line, is very different to your two guys fishing on a frozen lake some where.
Or even that strange fellow with dead smelly fish layed out on ice.
You brought an old memory to mind when you coined the phrase “watching paint dry.” In my bar hopping days (long long ago) I was sitting at the bar looking at my watch and waiting for it to stop…and it did. Made me chuckle.
Gringo, Going back before electricity. our society was an agrarian society. As such the men worked from sunrise to sunset during the warm months. For the most part they did not get to fish unless it was there job or it was so wet they could not work in the fields or the barn etc.
I suspect that Ice fishing came about to allow these people a chance to get food that they needed in the winter and give the men something to do. Also the cold areas of our country had a high number of immigrants from the Norway Sweden Denmark etc. perhaps they brought the practice with them.
Now its not really much different than sitting around in a boat in the summer you just have more clothing.
Just my thoughts
Eric
PS I have never Ice fished and suspect I never will I guess I am just too far from my Swedish Norwegian ancestry.
I personally find it very zen, you are looking down at a total field of white, interrupted only with a dark blue/black circle. You are focused to the point of not being bothered by the cares of the world, and suddenly you need to react to the take.
The closest thing it reminds me of is dry fly fishing, you are concentrated on watching your fly, and suddenly you see the rise of a trout, and hope you react in time.
Oh OK… I’m starting to get it. May not be for me… but hey, lots of things aren’t. I was wondering if that is the only way to catch some of those fish, like at that time of year, or do you get bigger ones then or something? I couldn’t figure why one would not sit inside until the thaw then go fishing. I guess if that was traditionally the time for work then that explains that.
We did have one good melt just before Christmas. The snow was as deep as my Buick Rondezvous is tall. I’d hate to see it now if it hadn’t melted. The river here blew it’s banks and the snow all but dissapeared.
