Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Tackle Tinkering, Carping and Skiing

No snow in the backyard, but more 
than enough at Wachusett Mountain.
I've been out skiing 5 days a week!

 I'm doing a lot in January, but it does not involve striper fishing.  I tried a couple of times for holdovers in January.  I had to cope with icing, moving ice sheets, freezing water and little action.  So, the holdover striper fishing is currently on hold.

But, a lot of stuff is going on.  Like many other fishermen, for me, winter is a time to get the gear in order.  I've already cleaned all my reels, done some rod guide repair, changed out rusted hooks on plugs, tied a bunch of bucktail jigs and made a bunch of floats. So, right now, I am ready to go!

I am still doing some fishing.... open water carp fishing.  It's been quite good.  On Jan. 2, I had an outing that produced 10 fish from 10 to 19 lbs. Those numbers  would have been a great day for striper fishing. I will continue to do the carping all winter long so long as we don't get a hard freeze. I might do this a couple of times a week.

What I have been doing the most is skiing.  I will do this about 5

Carp fishing has been good in open water
in January.  Here's a fish in the teens 
coming ashore.

days a week. I am very comfortable skiing down a steep hill that I would not dare walk down.  I've been doing it so long, it's like walking. I have a season pass at Wachusett Mountain where I ski midweek.  I teach at Yawgoo Valley on the weekend. It keeps me in shape and I enjoy the thrills of zipping down the hills. It's healthy and safe exercise outside in the winter.

As for my winter fishing shows and seminars, everything is cancelled this winter due to Covid.  Still, I have more than enough to keep me busy!