I’ve got the fever! I have written about the fever in earlier columns this winter but I am sure that I have finally developed most of the symptoms of the dreaded “cabin fever.” The cold temperatures we’ve been experiencing the past few weeks have definitely contributed.

Some sure signs that you may be infected with the “fever” are:

You seem to be watching more and more television but the remote only seems to stop on channels with fishing or hunting shows.

You find yourself talking a lot like Jimmy Houston or Hank Parker.

You think Babe Winkelman is a sharp dresser and wonder where he buys his clothes.

Although you’ve never met him you’ve quoted Al Linder so much that your wife thinks he’s one of your fishing buddies.

You find it hard to concentrate at work and you start fantasizing about sitting in your brand new boat on a remote lake that nobody has fished and it’s just loaded with trophy fish.

You find yourself watching golf on TV because of the water hazards.

You start reorganizing your tackle box and realize that all of the lures in it are getting old and probably need to be replaced.

You avoid going shopping in stores that don’t have a sporting goods section.

These are just some of the symptoms of “cabin fever” but of course there are many more that can occur any time and the only real cure is spring itself but there are many ways to pacify yourself until then.

I find that reorganizing my tackle box always helps. I have more than one tackle box and sometimes it can get a little complicated when trying to decide which one is the main one. I have a huge one that I put all of my “retired” and recently purchased lures in. Then there is one main tackle box that I use pretty much all the time. It is a smaller one that has sentimental value. It was given to my oldest son Brian on his 6th birthday by his grandpa and grandma. It is a brown Woodstream “Old Pal” tackle box and when he needed a larger one I said I’d use this one and I’ve had it ever since that time. I probably have as much tackle and “necessities” in that small tackle box as I do on the larger one.

I have the lures in there that I feel comfortable using, which means I’ve caught fish on most of them. Whenever I reorganize this tackle box and step back to admire my work I realize that with so much stuff no matter what you do it still looks like a box full of clutter.

Now fishing lures to my knowledge don’t have expiration dates on them. Why is it then, that there isn’t the same fuss made over the red and white

Daredeville or the Bass-Oreno that there was when I was a kid? I am sure these lures still catch their fair share of fish. I know for a fact that the Daredeville still works because when we go fishing for northern my wife has to use that lure. It’s a lure she has confidence in and it still catches fish for her.

When looking through my tackle box I have found some lures that have been waiting their turn to test the waters. There are also the ones that have been used a couple of times only to be lost in the bottom of the box. What prompted me to buy these lures? Obviously the same thing that attracted me to buy them isn’t working on the fish.

The funny thing about it is that a lot of the companies that manufactured these lures have long since ceased to exist. I can remember as a kid reading Outdoor Life, Sports Afield and Field and Stream magazines. The articles in them would put you on that lake catching lunkers and the ads that appeared on the pages would feature lures like the Bass-Oreno or the can’t miss Jitterbug that were just “killer baits” when it came to bass. I do have some of the aforementioned lures in one of my tackle boxes but I don’t think I had enough confidence in them to give them a fair shake.

Another reason to buy a lure was word -of -mouth. Someone would tell you that they went to Leech Lake and just killed the walleyes on a red and white Lazy Ike. I still have one of them in my tackle box. It has caught fish for me but not lately (winter).

One thing I always failed to realize in my younger years that what works on one lake will not necessarily work on another. I’ve fished lakes where a

Shad Rap will catch fish but live bait won’t even entice a bite. Move to another lake and the Shad Rap is just a piece of plastic and wood but throw a minnow at them and they devour it.

Yes, I’ve gotten “hooked” on the many different sales pitches over the years about can’t-miss lures. I guess the bottom line is that when I see a lure on the shelf and it looks like a fish would surely bite on it I know of one that more than likely will. I haven’t read the fine print on the little piece of paper they put in the box along with the lure but I don’t think there is a guarantee in there anywhere. There is only one guarantee for sure and it is that as long as they keep making lures I’ll never be too old or wise to not bite on one of them.

Lake Mille Lacs safe harvest levels set

Safe fish harvest levels have been set at Lake Mille Lacs for the 2009 fishing season.

The safe harvest of walleye has been set at 541,000 pounds, up from 430,000 pounds last fishing season. The state’s allocation is 414,500 pounds, up from 307,500 pounds last year.

Indian bands that signed the 1837 Treaty will be allocated 126,500 pounds of walleye this fishing season, up from 122,500 pounds last year.

The state’s 2009 walleye harvest may include an overage allowance of up to 5 percent.

The yellow perch and northern pike safe harvest levels are the same as last year. The yellow perch level is 270,000 pounds; the northern pike level is 25,000 pounds. The state’s allocation is 135,000 pounds of yellow perch and 12,500 pounds of northern pike.

Due to low abundance and low incidental harvest in both the tribal and angling fisheries, quotas will not be set for tullibee and burbot. Instead, these species will be monitored, and safe harvest levels will be discussed in the future if abundance, harvest, and fishing interest increase.

Every year fisheries experts from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the eight Chippewa bands meet in January to share information and determine safe harvest levels.

The current Mille Lacs regulation allows anglers to keep four walleye up to 18 inches, which may include one trophy over 28 inches. Anglers are required to release all walleye from 18 to 28 inches.

Total walleye angling harvest was 76,000 pounds in 2008. The safe harvest level was increased from last year due to low total harvest in 2008.

Until next time stay warm, play safe, keep off the thin ice and get out and enjoy the great Minnesota outdoors.

Remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers during the coming year.