Woods & Water by Dick Herfindahl

Last week I wrote about how we seemed to be living in a realtime version of the movie “Groundhog Day”. Go figure, just as the snowfall from our last storm had pretty much disappeared, old Mother Nature called in the replacements and honored us with another 8 inches of the white stuff. Now I have to say that the warm spring-like sunshine does a pretty good job of melting the snow on the sidewalks and streets. With that being said, I will venture forth and start writing about more pleasant things.

I am once again looking forward to attending the Minnesota Governor’s Fishing Opener, which will be held May 10-13 in Wilmar. In 1995 I had attended my first ever Governor’s Fishing Opener which happened to be in Wilmar. I do hope that the weather will not be a repeat of that weekend as the temperatures on that day were hovering in the 40’s with a steady rain and strong winds. Needless to say, fishing was not the best and to say that I was not prepared for that kind of weather would be an understatement. I had ventured forth with clothes warm enough to endure the cold, but my rain gear only consisted of a rain poncho. The driving rain and strong winds managed to make the poncho float up like a parachute, making sure that every piece of clothing I was wearing would become drenched. As I continued attending future openers I felt like I have become much better prepared for all types of weather.

As winter continues to hang around, it seems to be putting a damper on the April showers bring May flowers isim. One of my main concerns about this is how will it affect the fishing as far as winter kill. I know that the DNR has voiced concerns about this and to be realistic there is nothing we can do about it but wait and see.

The lake that our cabin sits on is only 48 acres and it had once again begun to produce some descent fishing just this past year. It has had winter kills a couple of times in the past, so I guess that I am probably becoming a little paranoid. I have always felt that a lake will usually never have a total fish kill. Our little lake is a good example because each time there has been a kill, it has taken no more than a year or two for fish to reappear. Our lake is classified as an E-1 lake, which means that it is an environmental lake and the DNR does no stocking. I will sit here with fingers crossed as I look forward to the day that the ice goes out.

The ecosystem is actually a very fragile thing and although we may be aware of some unmanageable events such as a fish kill, there are so many other things that we can do to help it sustain. Fountain Lake, for example, would freeze out on a fairly regular basis and I can remember the times, as a youth, when I had seen city trucks being used to haul away dead fish from a winter kill. There was one time when I was almost devastated after I had seen this huge northern laying belly-up amongst the many carp and other species of dead fish.

We have come a long way since those days with the installation of aerators, fish barriers to prevent rough fish from entering our lakes and the work of the Watershed Board as a whole. Pickerel Lake is another lake that was “reclaimed” and flourishing only to be frozen out at about the time that the fishing had just gotten good. I would hope that there would be some thought into installing an aeration system for that lake in the near future so it could continue to thrive as it has in the last couple of years.

I can also remember when the shores of Pickerel were lined with fishermen in the spring. They weren’t there for northern or perch, but for the whiskered ones, mainly the mighty bullhead. When my wife and I were first married we would go with her mom and dad, Shirley and Orville Johnson, after work to various “hot spots” looking for those tasty fish.

Once we had caught what was considered enough, we would go to their house and clean them. After we had cleaned enough for a meal, Shirley would start frying them, while Orv and I would finish cleaning the rest. She would also make a pan of fried potatoes and open a can of VanCamp’s pork and beans. To this day, I don’t believe that you can beat that meal. It might have been simple but it sure was mighty tasty.

I really do have to wonder what ever happened to all of the numbers of bullheads that we used to catch as kids.

Please take some time to honor those who have sacrificed so much for the freedoms we enjoy today. Also, take some time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, those who served and those troops serving today.