About this time every year, I start missing fishing. I miss everything from the peaceful nature to the chaos of a hook set. I am a fair weather angler (so far) and have come up with a few ways to keep in touch with fishing during the cold Ohio winters. Maybe it will help one of you beat the blues, too!
1. Go Fishing!
Wait…. WHATTT? YES, I said GO FISHING! Lets face it, we live in Ohio. Its not unusual to have a stretch of 60 – 70 degree weather in any winter month. Many lakes don’t freeze until January/ February, and some don’t freeze at all. Grab a rod and hit the shoreline! It will feel exhilarating even if you are only out there for 30 minutes. There is plenty of gear out there to keep your fingers, toes and nose warm.
2. Keep in Touch With Your Tackle
Winter is a great time to take inventory of your gear. Remove old fishing line, repair broken guides, and fix or replace any reels necessary. Sharpen or replace hooks on lures. Organize your tackle box. Learn how to use your electronics (a personal goal this winter for me).
3. Hit the Tackle Stores, Fishing Shows & Boat Dealerships
I’m a girl, so of course shopping made the list! This is one kind of shopping my husband does NOT mind joining me for. I love hitting up Fishermans Central to browse the aisles of tackle and building a “wish list”. I love seeing all the new boats at Vic’s Sports Center, too! Their huge indoor showroom makes it easy to sit in and see which boat fits you best. We always hit a few fishing shows, too – especially local ones that have smaller tackle companies with home made tackle. I love supporting local!
4. Binge Watch Fishing Shows
There are SO MANY to choose from! I love watching the pros fish the MLF tour, and I always learn something from watching Mark Zona, Timmy Horton or other pros give tips on tackle and techniques. Just call me the armchair angler!
5. Plan The Coming Season
Last, but NOT least at all, I LOVE to plan the upcoming season! I am lucky.. I spend a LOT of time in this arena. Being the tournament director of the Better Half Tour Bass Fishing Tournaments has me planning and scheduling the upcoming season and I love using GoFishOhio.com to plan the lakes I would like to fish. This is a great time of year to plan time off for a fishing vacation or weekend, plan your tournament schedule, or simply daydream about what shores you want to sit along and drop a line in. Just thinking about it has me smiling now!
I hope one of these ideas works for you. Just writing about it has already help lift my spirits!
