The Lake Where You Live

Has the change in the weather caught you by surprise? Back in early March I was getting ready for an early ice-out, taking fishing tackle inventory, preparing my gear.

Then came mid-March and more than a month, approaching six weeks, of extended winter — cold, a few inches of snow here and there, one warm day, back to the cold, rain and some sleet. And finally, the warmer (at least tolerable) weather arrived.

Now the switch to spring has been thrown, and here I am on a Sunday evening, six days away from the fishing opener. I had to hurry to get the pier in today. It’s a job I am slowly getting too old for; I’m tired and sore from carrying the metallic frame parts and toting the cedar decking sections down 30 steps. That’s 30 steps, up and down a total of 13 times, which works out to 780 steps in all. In short a workout.

All right. Now the pontoon boat is to be delivered from storage in two days. I have to pull my fishing boat out of my very generous neighbor’s garage and take it to Plowman’s Marine to be prepared for summer operation. First I have to install the batteries for the starter and the trolling motor. Both are fully charged and sitting on a wooden bench in my office.

I had to hurry to replenish my supply of nontoxic jigs from the local sport shop. Some of them needed painting because the supply in my favorite color (chartreuse) was limited. I painted up a bunch the other night. They’re stuck in a piece of foam to dry and to await a second coat.

Next, I need to my haul my bicycle to a shop in Minocqua for the pre-season tuneup. I put on enough miles last spring, summer and fall to wear out a pair of tires. No doubt some brake and shifter adjustments will be needed.

Then I have to pick out the rod-reel combinations I’ll use for Opening Day, assuming I go out. The target species will be walleyes on jig and minnow, maybe yellow perch if I can find some. The miserable weather made me delay a careful inspection of the walleye gear, notably the 6.5-foot medium-weight, fast-action graphite model I treasure for that delicate art.

This evening I found it suitably spooled up with six-pound line; all I have to do is affix a one-sixteenth-ounce chartreuse tin-bismuth jig.

So I have some work to do, work that I could have spread over 25 to 30 days instead of the half-dozen that now remain. Of course there’s always the chance that Opening Day will arrive cold, rainy, windy or miserable in some combination of those. And in that event I will feel no obligation to fish.

It’s a blessing, though (and you likely also find this to be true) to live on a lake and have the option to fish or not on the opener. There’s no special trip to plan months in advance. No cost for gasoline and a couple of nights’ lodging. No disappointment if the weekend weather turns sour.

To fish or not is a game-day decision. And if not, any of the next several days will serve just as well.

Ted Rulseh, a writer, author and advocate for lake protection, lives on Birch Lake in Oneida County. Visit him and his blog at https://thelakeguy.net.