February, for most of us, is time to sharpen hooks, tie a fly, leaf through catalogs, and imagine where we might travel this spring -- Lake Erie for walleyes in March, perhaps, or the Ozarks to float a river for smallmouths under the dogwoods in May. But wait: There's some off-beat, off-season fishing to be found right now in the Midwest. For those of you who can't stand it any longer, here's where you go:
Bluegills through the Ice: Pelican Lake,
Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Valentine, Nebraska
"World Class Bluegill Fishery" may strike some as a contradiction in terms, but if you'd caught a limit of 2 1/2 pound bluegills through the ice you might think otherwise.
Pelican Lake, on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, is about 90 acres in size and only six feet deep. The lake attracts ice fishermen from all over who come to try for its abundant trophy bluegills. The Refuge was closed during the recent government furlough, but Pelican Lake is now open to anglers once again.
John Davenport, who runs the nearby Merritt Lake Trading Post, has seen this fishery develop and is certain there's a North American record bluegill somewhere under the ice. Waxworms on teardrop jigs in either chartreuse or orange seem to catch the big fish. Because the water is shallow, the 'gills get a little "finickety" in Davenport's words -- and well they should, with as many as 300 anglers a day drilling holes in the ice during the peak season. Try moving to a new hole after you catch a few fish, and in the shallow water of Pelican Lake you might use the old ice-fisherman's trick of sitting on a piece of carpet scrap so the fish can't see your movements.
To find out more about fishing Pelican Lake, call John Davenport at 402-376-3437.
Winter Crappie:
Oklahoma Reservoirs
Crappie fishing on Oklahoma reservoirs is something of a winter tradition. Down there, the water rarely freezes, but the locals treat their sport like open-water ice fishing. Some bait shops build heated enclosures over their docks resembling nothing more than ice-fishing shacks on stilts. Many anglers make their own brush piles and sink them into fairly deep water. Winter crappie fishing tactics are similar to those that work best during summer's dog days. Fish deep and slow with either 1/32-1/64 ounce jigs, small minnows, or a combination of the two.
Texoma and Eufala are well-known for their winter crappies, as are several other reservoirs throughout the state. Fort Gibson Reservoir recently became the fifth lake to establish a 15-fish, 10-inch minimum limit, lower than the 37 fish allowed in most Oklahoma waters. The other four--Arbuckle, Grand, Tenkiller, and Ft. Supply (which just returned to the old 37 fish limit January 1)--have shown increases in size and number. Oklahoma biologists feel the measure is necessary because the reservoirs are often drawn down so far in the summer in dry Oklahoma that they lose an entire year class of spawning. Besides, 15 of these 10-inch-plus crappies should be a big enough mess of fish for anyone, and where else can you ice fish without ice?
For more on Oklahoma crappies, call the Department of Wildlife Conservation at 405-521-2739.
Steelhead through the Ice:
Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Wisconsin's steelhead runs are well known throughout the Midwest. For those anglers who aren't happy unless they're actually standing on the water, there's some excellent ice fishing for steelhead in the Manitowoc and Kewaunee rivers.
Steve Hoagler of the Wisconsin DNR says three different steelhead strains--Chambers Creek, Ganaraska, and Skamania--move in and out of the two rivers throughout the winter. Any time warm weather melts ice and fresh water flows into the lake, more steelhead are attracted into the river. Brown trout and coho are a possibility as well.
Where this gets odd is, many anglers eschew tip-ups and use regular steelhead rods--spinning reels with 10- to 12-pound-test line and dip smelt or a spawn sack right through the ice. While some of these fishermen put their steelhead reels and line on shorter, three- or four-foot jigging rods, it's not entirely unheard of for the seriously cabin-fevered to bring their full-size steelhead rods to the ice.
For more information, call Steve Hoagler of the Wisconsin DNR at 414-683-4923.
Minnesota's Winter Trout
Since 1988, Minnesota has conducted an "experimental" catch-and-release trout season on several inland streams.
The season remains popular with hardy Minnesota anglers and may well be expanded next year. The season runs January 1 through March 31 on the following waters:
Middle Branch of the Whitewater River, from Highway 74 down to the confluence with Trout Run in Whitewater State Park.
South Branch of the Whitewater, from the confluence with the Main Whitewater to Winona County Highway 37 Bridge.
Beaver Creek (Whitewater) from the eastern boundary of Section 20 to the source.
Hay Creek, from the posted boundary in section 24 to the posted boundary in the SW 1/4 of section 27, Featherstone Township.
Aware of the controversy surrounding Wisconsin's currently suspended winter trout season (in which fear was expressed for the vulnerability of large trout in cold water) Minnesota's season is strictly catch-and-release, barbless hooks only. To make winter fishing as low-impact as absolutely possible, the Minnesota DNR encourages anglers not to wade through the riffle areas of streams to avoid disturbing any redds (trout nests).
For more information on Minnesota's winter trout, call (612)-345-3365.
Okay, so it's cold, you can't keep the fish, and you have to watch your step so you don't scatter the eggs, but hey, it's still fishing, right?
Put that catalog down.
Copyright (c) 1996 Philip Bourjaily. All Rights Reserved.
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