Newbies and Old Timers! Time for a club ice fishing outing!

 Yeah, it's a bit chilly this weekend. But that'll make things seem downright balmy by next Thursday, Jan. 26, at 9 a.m. down at St. Vrain State Park east of Longmont. Whether you're a grizzled ice fishing veteran with more gear than common sense, or never set foot on frozen water, this is a day for you.

Our newly inaugurated President, Darrell Knight, is encouraging as many club members as possible to show up for the club's first ice fishing social event of 2025. Highlights include:

• Cold-blooded? For those lacking ice water in their veins (not mentioning any names here, except maybe outgoing President, Danny Barker) Darrell has even reserved the conference room at the state park for the club's use. So if you just want to sit and b.s. in the warm, you won't find a better time to do it.
• Hungry? Thirsty for something besides sushi? The club will have coffee and donuts in the conference room for as long as they last.
• Don't have ice fishing gear? Well, that's not really a problem in this club; a fair number of us have more spares than our spouses even know about. So bring what you have and, if need be, someone will drill you a hole in the ice and hand you a freshly baited rod and reel. 
• Think seriously about joining us, especially if you're new to the club. It'll be a great way to socialize and maybe line up a few fishing buddies.
• And think about carpooling; we can talk about it at Tuesday's general meeting, 2 p.m. at Chilson Center.
• St. Vrain is located just west and north of the highway 119 exit off I-25. The conference room is in the park's main building with windows facing Mallard Pond, which is stocked with trout.

Sportsmen's Expo is Jan. 9-12

 (From Colorado Parks and Wildlife) DENVER – Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is sponsoring and hosting educational booths at this year’s annual International Sportsmen’s Exposition at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver on Jan. 9-12, 2025. A digital coupon for a $3 discount off one adult ticket is available on the CPW website. 

The International Sportsmen’s Expo is an event where more than 200 companies pack two giant halls with outdoor camping, off-roading, fishing, and hunting gear and expert presentations are offered to attendees each day. 

This premier expo allows hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts to preview new outdoor products, learn new techniques at the seminars, see what premier lodges offer, test shooting skills, look at live raptors up close, explore the latest RV, camping and off- road vehicles, and find new places to go off the beaten path.

Event ticket and parking information is available at www.sportsexpos.com/attend. Youth 15 and under and active military with ID can enter for free. 

Some of CPW's featured exhibits will include:

• Stocked Fishing Tank – Kids can experience the thrill of catching and releasing a fish. Equipment, bait and helpers are provided. 
• Boating Safety Booth - Learn about the importance of always wearing a life jacket, the classes offered, and testing your boating skills in the new boating simulator. 
• Invasive Species Displays - Check out the Invasive Species section's new boat cleaner and learn how to prevent the spread of invasive species in Colorado.
• Fish Hatchery Trailer – Learn how our hatchery technicians produce over 90 million fish annually and stock them into Colorado waters. See if you can identify the aquariums' cold-water and warm-water fish species.
• CPW Info Booth – Got a question? We’ll have officers and staff who can answer the question(s). Pick up a brochure or passport to plan a state park visit, and learn about new hunting changes in Colorado.
• Colorado Clays Shooting Park – Did you know a premier shooting range located 30 miles from Denver is open to the public six days a week? Visit with the staff at this booth and learn more about the trap, skeet, sporting clays, and shooting opportunities available.

This event aligns with CPW’s mission to educate outdoor enthusiasts on how to balance outdoor recreation with mindful conservation, and how to keep our outdoor spaces thriving and available to anyone who wants to experience them. 

For more information about the expo and a complete list of exhibits, visit CPW's website or the International Sportsmen's Exposition website.

Big Fish contest entries due by December 31!

 Each year we pause to recognize the club member who's landed the biggest fish of the year coming to a close.

The winning fish is the largest one of any sport species taken from public water in Colorado, as a percentage of the Colorado Master Angler criteria for that species. That can be an enormous carp or a relatively huge bluegill.

All entries must be submitted by December 31 to Club Vice President Darrell Knight, DarrellKnight99@gmail.com or 1-678-232-2040. The winner will be honored at the January meeting at the Chilson Center. 

Holiday group portrait!

 

Alert Loveland Fishing Club member Dave Boyle got us all together for a group photo at Tuesday's annual Holiday Party. All together, a very distinguished looking group of anglers. 

Reminder: Tuesday's meeting is a party with gift exchange

There's no formal agenda for the 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17th general meeting. Instead we're having a party and gift exchange. 

There'll be coffee and cookies, but feel free to bring something else to share with the rest of the club. If you forget or choose not to participate in the gift exchange; just don't pick up a gift. Pick out something new for about 10 bucks. Wrap it up but don't put your name on it.  See you Tuesday.

Looking back to December 2010: Another Loveland Fishing Club posting from years past

 Okay, as promised, here's another look back at life in the Loveland Fishing Club a few years ago. In this case, it's a reprint of the first of the club newsletter, The Forgetful Angler. A number of things have changed since then, to wit:

Um, we don't have a newsletter any more; just these e-mail postings that simultaneously appear on the club blog, http://lovelandfishingclub.blogspot.com. We do have a Facebook presence, but don/t use it much. There's also a fond reference below to breakfast at the Widow McCoy's. We don't do breakfast there anymore; if fact, there's no longer a Widow. We do spend about the same amount of time at Friday breakfast somewhere, talking about hip replacements and gall bladder surgeries. And Tom Miller can still stretch a half-hour trip to Fort Collins into an all-day adventure. Enjoy. Bill 

First topic:  Why Real Anglers Don't Tweet. 

 Below is the first of what could be a monthly report on essential club activities.  Your suggestions would be much appreciated.  Bill P

I am often asked why we do not have a Loveland Fishing Club Facebook account, and why members cluster together like a school of baby shad every Friday morning at the Widow McCoy's to talk about events of the week just past.  In the spirit of the season, I will share these and other closely held club secrets:  The answer, people, is that we've got time on our hands.

Looking back again: Ice out at Delaney Buttes!

That photo posted to the blog last week by Pat Mikulak of the late Norm Engelbrecht sparked Walt Graul to come up with one of his favorites, shown below: eight club members who ventured to Delaney on April 25, 2022 in search of open water and big gullible trout. That's Walt on the right and Jim Roode far left. Jim and Jim Clune started our ice out tradition well over a decade ago. That's likely our first group venture together after the Covid-19 outbreak pushed anglers and everyone else into isolation. Note the blue sky:  we should start preparing for the 2025 trip. 

Pat shares a memory of a good old friend

 This is a season where memories can come flooding back. In this case, Loveland Fishing Club's Pat Mikulak is sharing the photo below taken a few years ago at Boyd Lake of the late Norm Engelbrecht, easily the club's most obsessive ice fisherman. Looking at it makes me think of Norm flat on his stomach on the ice, looking down into his fishing hole. 

 "He was such a good friend and mentor," Pat recalls, adding that the much-customized sled on Norm's left is now one of Pat's favorite possessions. Have any other memories of past seasons that you'd like to share? Send them to me at billjohnp@gmail.com. Bill 

Second in our series looking back to years past: "First ice fishing trip of 2019!"

Following up on our Nov. 22 post, "What shall we talk about until Spring?" following is the second in a promised intermittent series of articles that appeared on the Loveland Fishing Club blog in years past. Remember, this is a reprint; do not show up at the K-Mart parking lot Tuesday expecting to find:

1. Well, for one thing, the K-Mart. It's now called Jax. 
2. And don't look for other eager club members anxious to go fishing. We did that five years ago.

I don't recall how this planned first ice fishing trip of 2019 turned out (hey, I'm almost as old as some of you guys). But I suspect we did really well. 

(And as for 2024 fishing, know that the Johnstown Scheels Ice Fest is this Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a free ice fishing bucket going to the first 200 attendees. I've not heard from any club members who've ventured out on the ice yet, but Wayne and I did pretty well about a week ago on some open wateer at the Recycle Pond. Bill 

First Ice Fishing Trip of 2019 (again, not 2024) 

Meet at the K-Mart parking lot at 8 a.m. Tuesday and carpool to Red Feather Lakes, where we'll fish Dowdy or West Lake.  We're pretty sure the ice is thick (enough) and the early-season bite should be astounding.

Newbies to ice fishing:  if you don't have the equipment or the know-how, no problem.  Give me a call and one of us will loan you bait and tackle.  Dress in layers; the only hassle with the Dowdy Lake area is an occasional frosty wind.  You might want to invest in Yak Trax or other ice grippers; you should have a pair if you live around here anyway.

We should have decent ice; Fish Explorer reported a 5-inch cap on Dec. 2.  To be sure, we'll have newest members test the footing, as a sort of good-hearted initiation.

Actually, fishing on frozen water is not nearly the dumbest thing club members do regularly.  I've been following Dave Harem and crew onto the ice for a decade now, and haven't fallen in once.  Just take your time and look around, don't approach rocks and stuff sticking out of the ice, and resist the temptation to bounce over to look down my ice hole after I catch the first cutbow.  Bill

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December meeting is Tue, Dec. 17. Gift exchange!

 ​Remember, there's no planned agenda for the last general meeting of the year, 2 p.m. Tuesday Dec. 17th.In its place: the annual holiday party! And gift exchange.

President Danny Barker and other club party lovers will ensure we have coffee and cookies, but if you're so inclined and handy around the kitchen, feel free to bring something to share with the rest of the club. If you forget or choose not to participate in the gift exchange; just don't pick up a gift., so we don't run low on presents when we get to my name. 

Remember, if you want to participate, get something (new) for about 10 bucks. Wrap it up but don't put your name on it.  We have a kind of raffle to decide who gets to pick first. Happy holidays, everyone. Bill