Shortly after our Perkins' pancakes digest Friday, stout-hearted Fishing Club ice anglers will be heading to the mountains, with maggots and toe warmers in tow. 

We're thinking Dowdy or West Lake, possibly due to lack of imagination, but also because they should be solid and pretty accessible after this week's cold and snow.  If you have a better idea, let's discuss.  Call or e-mail Bill Prater

Christmas bonus: bass fishing with a salt-impregnated worm

I just finished stuffing two nephews' new tackle boxes with a variety of baits to get them hooked on bass fishing, and thought it might be something you might find worth trying this spring, or worth sharing with a young angler buddy of your own. Merry Christmas.  Bill P

Dear nephew,

You are at a perfect age to perfect the one skill most important to your future happiness:  fishing!  I didn’t realize it when I was your age, but that short period between ages 10 and 13 is absolutely the perfect time to be a boy:   First of all, though Mom and Dad may tell you different, no adult really expects much from you yet in the way of time-wasting chores or other responsible behavior.  You also likely haven’t discovered girls yet. Trust your uncle; they will eventually really eat into your fishing time.  But for now you have time to really obsess over how to outwit a bass!

Dowdy trip postponed til the winds die down

The wind's been howling at about 35 miles an hour up at Red Feather, with no sign of a slowdown, so Tuesday's ice fishing trip has been scrubbed.  We'll reschedule as soon as weather permits.  Hey, this ain't Florida.  Bill

First ice fishing of the season! Tuesday, Dec. 8 at Dowdy

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

First Ice! Volunteers needed

Okay, club members, there are reports of the first ice fishing of the season taking place at Lake John, which means places like Dowdy and North Michigan may also be in play.

Before we schedule a trip for someone like me, we need someone of reasonable heft to go walk around on the ice and see if it's safe.

Or, what the heck, we can plan a first trek of the season!  Any interest?  If someone wants to give it a try, or knows whether or not the lids are thick enough on lakes in the high country, let's talk about it at breakfast.

Meanwhile, here's a link to a useful Fish Explorer article on ice safety. http://fishexplorer.com/co/articles.asp?action=det&aid=96

Bill P