Woods & Water by Dick Herfindahl

We are fast approaching the end of March and according to the calendar, it is already spring. I would like to be able to shout to the world that “spring is in the air” although old mother nature seems to have other ideas. I am hoping that we will not be going from winter to summer without visiting spring.

In looking back to my days as a youth, I can remember spring being a time of melting snow and water running through ditches and alongside our street. It seemed like spring was more defined in those days, but maybe it is only my imagination playing memory tricks on me. Yes, like the old saying goes, March winds give way to April showers that bring May flowers. In my mind it seemed as if the seasons actually went strictly by the script, although in all reality, I know that it was not always the case.

I can still envision one of those little homemade boats that I would fashion out of scrap wood from our garage. When I’d finished building one I would launch it in the stream, which was a washed out gully formed by melting snow, that stream ran along the roadside by our house. I would follow the boat as it made its way to the ditch where it would join the faster current that would take it through two culverts and eventually to the slough. I would first follow the boat until it disappeared into the culvert and as it picked up speed I’d run to the other end hoping for a glimpse of it as it emerged from the other end. Once it had cleared the culvert, I’d follow it all the way to the slough hoping that its journey would take it to the current of the creek. Those were the days when a little chunk of wood and a vivid imagination could entertain a young boy for hours.

I’d guess that I was always a dreamer who envisioned himself as an adventurer, a pirate, a frontiersman or a cowboy fashioned after one of my boyhood heroes. Having a great imagination was what helped keep me from being too bored or too envious of other kids or most material things. I discovered at an early age that I could be Roy Rogers, Gene Autry or any one of my boyhood heroes whenever the neighborhood kids got together to play cowboys and Indians. This wouldn’t be popular in today’s world, but in those days everything didn’t have to be politically correct and nobody read anything into it. The skin seemed to be a lot thicker back then.

In today’s dream, I can picture myself sitting in my boat on a lake, as the sun has yet to make its appearance in the eastern sky and a hint of daylight is slowly creeping above the horizon. At that moment, a fish splashes on the surface a few yards from the boat breaking the silence of the new day. I make a cast towards the ripples left by the fish, all the while feeling a rush of adrenaline as I anticipate the fish attacking my lure at any moment.

Over the years I have played this scenario out many times both in a daydream and in real life. Sitting in a boat as the early morning sunrise readies itself for the day ahead makes me feel alive and one with nature. The only downside of this is that warmer weather cannot get here fast enough. Nobody has to remind me to be careful what I wish for because the 40’s can turn into the 80’s in a matter of just a few of hours. Being a true Minnesotan, I have learned that the weather can change at the drop of a hat.

Hopefully we will have weather warm enough for the lakes to start thawing and opening up in early April. Once the ice is out the water on the north shorelines of a lake will warm up first. On Fountain Lake the crappie bite in past years has been at its best in mid to late April. Fountain has quite a few shallow bays that can be a good place to start. I can remember years ago when large crappies were being caught below the Bridge Street dam. As in any fishing experience, things may change from year to year or even day to day. If you caught fish in a certain spot one year, it may not be the case for the next year. Be patient, check the water temperatures and don’t be afraid to try new ways to seek out these tasty fish.

Until next time, it always pays to check your tackle box to make sure that you have plenty of your favorite panfish jigs and plastics. That way you will be ready for open water fishing when that magic time finally arrives.

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.