Spring is Around the Corner

February 1, 2009 by admin

Our Outdoors
Nick Simonson

Shortly, hardwater will change to open water

Did you feel that? It felt like spring.

Yesterday was that first warm day of the year, reminding us that winter can’t last forever and that there is a lot of work to be done, and a lot of work left undone.

Arsenal inspection

Days like yesterday have me doing two things; checking my tackle situation and surveying the earliest fishing spots to see if any fishable open water is available. Doing both, I realized that I’m not quite ready to hit the water, but then again, the water isn’t quite ready for me either. Bit by bit, from Christmas on, I’ve loaded up on soft plastics for bass, yet neglected the basics of tackle, especially for spring walleye fishing.

The drought of 1/8-ounce jigs and three-inch curlytail grubs in my tacklebox has me concerned. These two components, when connected, have more power than Voltron when it comes to early season fishing. An angler should not be without these prime lures as the river opens.

Another item on the agenda that must be addressed is new line. Two new reels to spool, and two old reels to spool makes for a lot of Fireline.

Cleaning the ratty gray color off of all my combos is important entering spring, when new line busters such as fallen trees, washdowns, and ice are prevalent on the still-frozen shores of the river.

The remainder of the tackle can wait, I won’t be throwing spinnerbaits until June, and larger soft plastics will come in May, right now simple tackle additions and some new line are needed; but it is always a good idea to plan ahead!

Flying feathers

The first four Canada geese have landed at the hospital bridge, well before the ice has opened up. Certainly, these living fly-tying material dispensers are a reminder that I didn’t get all the tying in that I had hoped for this winter. I’ve made a quick list, especially with new fly fishing opportunities around Valley City, for those essential fishing patterns that need to be completed. Some more woolly buggers, a few more wet flies and nymphs, leech patterns and some worm patterns are needed.

Hopefully, that will be enough, I guess it depends on how the bite goes at ice-off. I’m pretty sure I will not get the dry flies in that I had hoped for. Needless to say, any cold nights or rainy evenings will be spent filling up the fly boxes once March nears completion.

Some other beginning’s end

There seems to be about a million things that I wish I could do, and a thousand things I have to do in order to be ready for spring; the first of which is bringing this year’s ice fishing chapter to a close. The ice fishing gear must be prepped and stowed, as all my weekends until the end of the month are booked with weddings, conventions and reunions.

Despite what is looking like an excellent time for late-ice pike; sadly, I must bid farewell to one of the most exciting ice fishing seasons that I have ever had. I learned so much, from spring bobbers to tip-up riggings, and have many pictures to remember this season. Seven species, and never a skunk made for an entertaining and rewarding year on the hardwater, where I broke through the ice twice (four times if you count late-season pheasant hunting) and learned the value of a good pair of boots!

As the water washes down the streets during this first warming trend of spring, I think of the natural gutters in the hills – the rills and gullies funneling water toward the river, or to the back areas of our local lakes, slowly eating away at the ice – and say to myself what I’ve been saying since February 1, “it won’t be long now.”

And if the last few years are any indication, it really won’t be long until my friends and I stand shivering in the twilight after work, casting after the first walleyes of the year…in our outdoors.