Fishing Season by
The Thomas Ranch
Fishing Season, when is that?
The answer to this question will depend upon who you are and where you live. People from across the World each have a different opinion on this. No one has the correct answer, not even me. But to try and explain myself will be easy.
Those that live in the North have two distinct Fishing Seasons.
The first Fishing Season that they have is after ice out and when the weather starts getting nice enough to wear only one jacket. This is their Spring-Summer-Fall Fishing Season. If you are interested in Learning How to Fish you may want to read our
Family Fishing Fun page.
During this time boater’s run all over the lake trying to find the secret hiding places of Monster-Fish. The Fish that their Grandfather, Father, Son, Neighbor, or anyone may have told them about.
“I swear that thing must be over 20+ pounds!”
Thus, this is how many of us end up in dead end patterns, trying to locate the Fish that someone told someone else about.
I will not try to list each and every state and their Fishing Season start dates.
· It would be almost impossible without duplicating each State Fishing Regulation.
· It would depend upon what Fish you are Fishing for.
Do you realize how many different Fish species there are?
I know you die-hard Bass Fishermen are screaming that I should write in the date for each state. I may do that later, but for now I am not going too. Trust me anyone who is so addicted to one Fish Species will not hang around these pages too long. I love Fishing. I Fish for Bass, Blue Gill, Carp, Catfish, Crappie, Musky, Pike, Walleye, White Bass, the occasional Mud Puppy (Salamander), and sometimes tree limbs.
Some days when it is hot out and I feel like being on the Water I place a Worm on my Hook and just throw it out there. Who knows what is going to bite it. It really doesn’t matter at this point.
Do you have days like that?
Anyhow, the second Fishing Season for the North comes in the dead of winter. The Ice Shanties are pulled out of their summer resting places, repaired from the year priors’ use, and drug out onto the ice. A hole is cut into the ice and Fish are brought up thru this opening. Bone Chilling Wind causes Chill Blain and Hypothermia, these are your two worst enemies.
When winter sets in and the temperature plummets the top layer of water freezes. When the ice layer gets around 12”-18” people start venturing out onto it. Remembering your summertime deep-water structure Fishing area is a prime target to start your Ice Fishing adventure provided it is in an accessible area.
Cutting a hole in the ice is easy with an auger, or a chain saw. Ensure that you think safety when you are operating either of these two devices.
Warning: Do not try to operate augers or chainsaws after or while consuming Alcohol. This would be a recipe for disaster.
Not everyone out there fishes out of an Ice Shanty while Fishing. Some use tents that have had their bottoms modified to allow access thru the ice. Others stand in the open and run between their Pop-Ups (A device that holds a flag in place until a fish bites the line and then it allows the flag to wave in the air).
Many large quantities of Fish are caught during this time. When you catch one Fish while Ice Fishing don’t move others are around. Have you ever seen the pictures of a pile of Fish outside of Ice Shanties? This is because Fish love to School together.
That pretty much sums up the North’s Fishing Seasons, two distinct seasons.
The South on the other hand has one Fishing Season. The South has been blessed and cursed at the same time. No matter what month it is you can always head out and Fish. The only distraction to the Fishing Season is when
Hunting Season opens. That’s right Fishing Poles get replaced with Rifles and Bows. Tackle Boxes get replaced with Boxes of Shotgun Shells. Besides that they have an open season on Fish.
Don’t get me wrong I do not prefer one way of Fishing to another. But to be a well versed Fishermen you need to know how to be flexible and know how to find and catch any fish at anytime.
I love Fishing! Anytime! Anywhere!
See you out Fishing somewhere.
The Thomas Ranch
