Ice Up

[Lotech Joe]

Around here, between the Cascade Mountains and the Rocky Mountains of Eastern Washington and North Idaho, it's getting ready to ice up and freeze over. I wish to say that I hate this time of year but in reality it adds, in the long run, to the quality of fishing come Spring Time Ice-Out. I'm going, again, to try and survive the long winter season of inactivity. And, I'm going to look forward as hard as I can to the upcoming "BIG THAW" of Spring. I would love to hear how the rest of us survive the "Off Season" of our favorite and passionate avocation. I'm sure I'll be able to survive the off time, but for now I don't know how. Help where you can, if you can. Thanks.

[WoodRiverTroutBum]

Joe, I know exactly where you are coming from. This year I will be fishing as far in to the winter as I can. If this winter is anything like last, I will be fishing all winter. At this time last year, I was gearing up to head down to TN for work. If only I got to fish while I was down there! I guess all you can really do is tie an insane amount of flies that you will probably never get around to using and live life through people on forums that live in warmer climates. I would say buy some new gear, but that may just ad fuel to the fire of waiting for the big thaw.

Alex

[Ernest]

Joe,

Here in the Upper Midwest the small stream trout fishing is over for the year, but we have plenty to keep us busy. There are small trout ponds and lakes that I will be fishing into November. Many of my friends are hunting woodcock, grouse and pheasants in the fall, and getting ready for the deer season. I'll be tying flies again this winter, especially some new patterns using the shed feathers of our own chickens. I don't know if I'll make a rod this year, but last winter I carved a fly rod out of an old hockey stick.

We live on a small hobby farm. I have small carpentry projects waiting, and fences to attend to. When I get a couple of hours, I'll work with the horses to get them ready for the winter sleigh season. I'm hoping for snow this year (we didn't get much last winter) so I can get back into cross-country skiing.

I'll be reading everything I can find about small stream trout fishing, writing articles for a local newspaper, and working on a short story collection.

I have a long commute to a day job in the city. In a few years I'll retire and I hope to then have the time to do what I want to do in the off season. I'm a small stream trout fisherman first, but it's good to diversify, and I don't grieve the end of another good fishing year.

[Lotech Joe]

Well, I put the batteries into cold weather storage today. It's kind of sad to realize that our lowland lakes season is closed for another 6 months. We didn't get any, but we expected to see some snow last night. Hopefully we'll get a more realistic winter this year and next year's lake levels will be healthier. Got lots of flies and jigs to tie this winter.