It has finally happened – Spring has sprung! I know that I may be getting the proverbial cart in front of the horse, but I am going out on a limb and saying that we finally have spring! I hope that all of my readers had a very pleasant Easter.
When I think back to the early 70’s when I was newly married, and my wife would almost always go fishing with me. There were a few times that we would take my mother along fishing with us. She loved to fish and was my fishing mentor when I was young, and she taught me so many useful tips that I still use today. When we fished along the shores of Fountain Lake, I found that my mother was a master at unhooking a bullhead using a Kleenex tissue and a needle nose. This was a skill that she, also, passed on to my wife.
As I continued on with my obsession with fishing, I found that I was always trying to learn more. I subscribed to a couple of magazines like Fins and Feathers and In-Fishermen, which, in those days, was the Bible of how to fish. In reading those magazines, I learned a lot about modern (back in the day) day fishing. At one time, In Fisherman was considered the Holy Grail of fishing magazines. It ran a moon phase calendar in every issue. I tried to follow along with the times that they listed for peak fishing hours. Now, I don’t know if I actually caught more fish at those times, but it did give me more confidence when I was on the water during those times.
I eventually dropped my subscription to the magazine when they moved away from stories about fishing locally and expanded to all of the US. I didn’t like reading about fishing for tarpon in Florida or plain boarding for walleye on Lake Erie because I had no interest in going to these places or learning about something that I would never use. As a kid, I had dreamt about fishing for tarpon or standing on the banks of a river in Upper New York state fishing for steelhead. As I grew older and started a family, I knew that the reality was that I would be fishing locally, or at least only in Minnesota. When I would talk to someone about fishing, the topic of fishing in Canada would come up. I would be asked if I had ever fished in Canada and my answer was always the same; I would tell them no, because I haven’t fished all of the lakes in Minnesota yet.
For years, I still held that dream of owning a cabin in Northern Minnesota, but that dream slowly started to fade as I grew older. One day my oldest son, Brian, asked me if I wanted to go in on buying some land up north. I jumped at the chance to follow the dream that I was close to letting go of and experience a new adventure. At that time, I recalled what my dad had once told me; never be afraid to take a chance on doing something that you want. He went on to say that he’d had many opportunities to do things, but was afraid to commit.
When this column goes to press, I have little doubt that the ice will be off most of the area lakes.
The crappies should be biting soon, along with the perch and sunfish. I will put my fishing pole and tackle box in my vehicle and do a little scouting. I can recall many years ago, when the crappies were biting in mid-April. I am not talking about small ones, but slabs. There is absolutely nothing better than an early season meal of crappies right out of the lake and into the pan.
With the temperatures in the high 60’s, it is time to rejoice. Warmer weather and sunshine always put an extra spring in my step and these days, it is sometimes hard to feel inspired, but a beautiful spring day coupled with it being Easter is hard to beat.
Until next time: I have my fishing poles lined up along the wall in the basement. I plan on wetting a line this coming week. If I don’t catch anything the first time out, I won’t be disappointed because I am finally fishing in open water.
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