Our Outdoors: Turning The Corner, But Not Too Fast

Sweeping the snow and slush away from the unfinished auger hole, I began to wonder if the Jiffy would clear the thick ice beneath my feet. As the power head neared the surface of the small northern Minnesota lake, I felt the tug of the slushy ice at the bottom. As the blades twisted and popped their way to the water below, the gear box bumped the frozen surface.

Looking down through a full 30 inches of ice put most doubts to rest about safe vehicle travel on the small lake; as if the F250 a half-mile back didn’t. Sadly, that ice also put most doubts to rest of spring arriving early this year - so much for the Groundhog’s prediction. Luckily, a few nice crappies for the next day’s breakfast replaced the anticipation for spring weather with the expectancy of a spring bobber twitch.

Spring Fever
For a dedicated openwater angler, there is no greater time of anticipation than the months of February and March. The first sign of open water on area rivers brings the summer tackle out of storage, if not all the way out onto the shoreline for some early season angling. Last year, according to my journal, it was March 12 when I caught my first open water fish of the year on the Sheyenne River.

The wait for openwater seems to be harder than any other time of year due to the cold, realistic reminder that twenty below temperatures deliver. It is not like waiting for upland hunting, or deer hunting or any other season. Summer fishing and fall hunting blend together, with a brief period of eagerness for the dog days of August to roll over and play dead as September cools the landscape. The transition to spring is hardly that short.

But this year will be different with daylight savings time playing to the advantage of most anglers. Last season’s three-week wait between the first open water and enough daylight to do something with it made a 4:45 p.m. exit from work necessary on most days. This year, the time shift occurs three weeks earlier, perfect for fishing what I like to call pre-pre-prespawn bite; making the transition from ice to openwater much faster than the years before.

Time Flies
But, as usual, with the transition comes the realization that I’ve never completed the winter tasks I had hoped I would. Suddenly, the days seem to be flying by as I struggle to finish January’s projects in late February. The pile of 100 or so flies – Stimulators, Adamses, Hoppers, Beetles and more - puts me way behind my goal of 500 for the year. My fly box is sparsely populated with last year’s flies, and is in need of restocking. The thread winds faster and the hackle zips around the dubbed bodies with a noticeably hurried pace as I realize there won’t be time after work for tying when longer daylight hours arrive. 

On top of that, my tacklebox is half empty - or half full - but who can be an optimist with forty-below wind chills? The essential jigs, grubs, and other river equipment are lacking, and the line on the reels is old and frayed from last season. The time is now to start stocking up and cashing in on clearance deals.

We’re turning the corner, and while I hate to live in the future, I know that soon I will be flanked by my friends, casting out into the first open spot in the river for lethargic winter walleyes, who themselves haven’t even considered spring’s approach. With that thought in mind, I press on the brake just a little, to get those things done which I ought to have done several weeks ago.

In the meanwhile, with three feet of ice below insulated boots, thermal socks and long johns, there’s plenty of time to watch the twitch of a bobber and enjoy what is sure to be an extended ice fishing season, all while dreaming of the first day of spring…in our outdoors.

Editor's Note:  Nick Simonson, is an avid fisherman, hunter and writer from Valley City, ND. As many of you know he has been an outdoor journalist for five years, writing his column "Our Outdoors" for his hometown newspaper, the Valley City Times-Record and offering the same writing to viewers of the Total Outdoor Network as a Field Staffer for Fishing Buddy Outdoors.