If I can stand the cold, I'm fishing!

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SPOONMINNOW

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 17, 2015
Messages
153
Location
Walden, NY
Yesterday was pretty mild compared to the last five days, but the cold nights have dropped the water temperature to 38 degrees making even a 5-10 mph breeze uncomfortable. But as with any cold weather fishing, warm clothes and a bright sun make an outing worth the discomfort (unless ya gotta go!)

When air temperature goes down so does my mental stamina. You can't go into a daze casting like a robot and expect to catch fish. Fish are in a variety of depths and proximity to shorelines and your lure is the true and only fish finder. If my mind was more active, I would have put a buoy marker out after catching fish rather than have to guess after my boat drifted away while taking fish off the hook.

I've found that even a boat's wind-re-position 10 yards away from where fish were caught can affect where casts should have been as in the case of a small tight school or group of fish. But again, the cold made me lazy and the buoy marker wasn't used. But at least general areas were learned and a few patterns evolved.

Granted, 18 fish (crappie, sunfish, mostly y.perch and small bass) are nothing to brag about, but every outing is a, well-I'll-be learning experience and better than just sitting around the house, wondering how the fishing was while sitting in the sun on the back porch.

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As usual for cold water, 1/32 oz was my only choice along with just a few lure designs 2" or less in length - including the experimental design below that didn't disappoint- a cut-paddle tail worm:
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I've been known to be the only boat on the water the day after Xmas. (Of course that's when I was many years younger.)
 
I use to fish every New Years Day regardless of the weaher and long as I could find a launch ramp safe to use. Of course that was more than a couple years back when I was much younger too..........LOL
 
Softbaitmaker - 11/25/2017 9:55 AM

I use to fish every New Years Day regardless of the weaher and long as I could find a launch ramp safe to use. Of course that was more than a couple years back when I was much younger too..........LOL

The brain says go go go, the body says NOT SO FAST!
 
I was wondering the same thing Rusty. We have not had water temps in the 30's in many years. I don't think it got below upper 40's all last year cause folks that like to fish Float-N-Fly were complaining that the water was staying to warrm............... emoScratch
 
rusty50576 - 11/25/2017 6:41 PM

Where do you live with water that cold??

Southern NYS.
Nighttime temperatures have been in the low 20's for a week and morning ice is present on the surface of most small waters like my pond. I think it's unusual to be this cold this early in the year but then again Jan. was warmer than expected for the last two years. I never expected the water temperature to be in the upper 30's in the fall!
 
well according to the weather people down here in Tennessee we are suppose to have a colder winter this year and also wetter than normal. Thing is I don't know if anyone remembers what normal is anymore. We moved down here from Chicago in Early October 1966 and 9 days after arriving it snowed about 6 inces on the Farm/Ranch my grandfather owned that night and my Grandfather blamed it on my father being a Yankee and the snow followed him South. We all got a good laugh out of it!
 
My wife and I are looking at buying property in Clarkesville. Hope average temperature is a lot better than NY! I also hope Clarkesville is within 30 miles of some public waters.
 
Good to know. I would never settle in an area that didn't have some good waters to fish close to home.
Just a matter of registering my boat and getting a lifetime fishing license. The real estate is a h*** of a lot
cheaper than in NY! Hopefully property taxes are also because they don't cut retirees a break accept for STAR.
 
SPOONMINNOW - 11/26/2017 3:59 PM

My wife and I are looking at buying property in Clarkesville. Hope average temperature is a lot better than NY! I also hope Clarkesville is within 30 miles of some public waters.

moved from there last year. the cumberland river runs right through clarksville and has some decent fishing right there. but barkley and kentucky lakes are not far away. look out on the hwy 79(woodlawn) area.
 
Learn to speak SPANISH, your trip to get a drivers license will be a breeze. Joking.But you will see what I mean.
 
All you need to get a license here is a birth certificate and a week pulse....lol
 

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