It's melting!

When I heard it was going to warm up this weekend I thought it was too good to be true. I waas wrong. I opened the garage up and got my trailer lights working, for now! I re-worked the ground got everything but the left turn signal. I pulled the lens off the left light assembly and scraped some corrosion off of the base of the bulb and I got the left turn signal, for now!

I don't normally name too many products or stores by name but I have to mention Blains Farm and Fleet in Muscatine. Of all the stores I have been in recently, Farm and Fleet has been the only one that still had a selection of ice fishing gear. I suppose there are many possible reasons why they still have so much gear on the shelf but if you are looking for gear in January or February you'll just be glad they have it. Shelters, rods, tackle, line and even one auger. I believe it was all marked down 20%.

It's nice to hear water running outside. It means some of this snow and ice is melting.

Warming up?

The last couple days have been super cold but the weather is suppose to turn around and warm up a little. Maybe a high of 40 by Sunday. All of this makes me cautiously optimistic. The last time we had a couple decent days outside it was followed by a blizzard that lasted almost thirty six hours. Either way, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting bigger and brighter. From talking to other people who chase catfish I know I'm not the only one waiting for the ice to melt. Although the new year will surely bring challenges, I still look forward to seeing what this year has to offer.

I was in Burlington this afternoon and decided to check out a popular farm and home store which also carries a lot of hunting and fishing gear. My thinking was that they might have some ice fishing gear left over and marked down. They had one power auger, a couple poles and a few ice tents. Thats it. Not much gear and no mark downs. I guess the good part is that I don't have to worry about going fishing on the ice anytime soon. Now that I think about it I probably wouldn't have a place to go ice fishing anyway. I hope the ice melts on the river sometime soon!

I took a drive down by the dam at Oakland Mills today just to get out of the house for a while. The Skunk is completely frozen over above the dam and mostly frozen over below the dam. With the coming cold weather it will probably freeze over completely. Its hard to believe that as cold as it is the ice most likely won't be around much longer. Trust me, I'm ready. I've already thought about where I might fish the first time get on the river. I will probably hit a big shallow flat on the Iowa, maybe the Miss or the Skunk if the water is OK. The mouth of a feeder creek or river is also an option.

What do ya think? Had enough winter yet? Me too! It is a good thing that winter last as long as it does because I'm getting slower and slower at getting everything ready for spring. My goal today was work with the lights on my boat trailer. They all work but go out when I press the brakes. Chub told me it might be as simple as the corrosion in the plug or lights. My solution? Replace the light connector and lights if need be. If you remember, I said I was getting a little slow. Well, I didn't get the job done. As a matter of fact, I barely got started. Maybe I'll finish it tomorrow or maybe the next day. Now that I think about it, it may not be my age that is slowing me down. There is a good chance that I'm just a lazy bastard. Seriously though, I know a lot of guys don't even run lights on their trailer but I want mine to work. It might just prevent somebody from hitting my boat.

The blizzard is done and gone although the eight foot piles of snow remain. Our roads are passable although some are one lane. I was supposed to get the plugs for my outboard on Tuesday but due to the storm I only got them today. When I picked them up I was glad I have a twin cylinder 25 horse. At almost $8.50 a piece, I couldn't afford a triple or quad. If I'm not mistaken they were about $5.50 a piece just last year. It might just be me but that seems to be quite an increase in just one year. If I was a little younger I would invest in a pair of oars.

As the end of January approached I got a little excited that February was just around the corner and fishing season was a little closer. I bought my 2011 license, started prepping my boat and spent a little time in the garage again. Mother nature wouldn't let my excitement live too long. Now its February first and we are in the beginning stages of what they say might be a 48 hour blizzard. Reality check? Point made! Winter isn't over, I get it. The good news is that I have caught little cats in February. We have crested the hill and its all down hill from here. I'm still a little excited. Can't wait to get on the river again.