Short Fall for BWCA Fishing.....Early Off Season!

Sitting in the office, once again looking out the window at Moose Lake, a bit of dismay regarding BWCA fishing creeps in. Panning over the lake this morning from the upper parking lot, I saw that the south end of the lake had iced over! Pretty early this year. It was just a few years ago that a good friend and I were fishing…on Moose…in a boat…on December 15th! Now granted, that was pretty darn late for open water, but this year is pretty darn early. In fact, I can’t remember any place on the main body of Moose Lake with ice before the start of the deer hunting season. All that said, I once again reiterate, there’s really no such thing as average for BWCA fishing.

It seems to be the trend here, this year, and much further south of the Boundary Waters as well. While this fall was cold, wet and short, it just means a die-hard like me simply needs to shift gears a little sooner than usual. For me, that means sorting tackle, cleaning or maintaining reels and such, and taking inventory (in my head) of what I have….because I know, I’ll “need” to get some new stuff by next spring.

Watch Out For First Ice

In the meantime, the hard water season is fast approaching and getting geared up for that is next on the list. Hopefully a little ice fishing will put a couple fish in the freezer but unlike other folks that partake in this off-season exercise, I’m not afraid to admit that I’m a wimp when it comes to getting out on the “first ice”.

My “off season” will certainly consist of the aforementioned ice fishing and tackle maintenance but also as much so, an exercise in planning and daydreaming about new adventures and old spots to get back to. Part of getting through the long winter is first, to take advantage of it and second, to always be looking forward to the next time on the water.Stay Sharp in your “Off Season” and keep your hooks sharp for the next open water season!

Dave

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