Entering the stagnant time of year

These pages have been pounded with information about outdoor-minded women and men will venturing into the Great Outdoors no matter the weather. The topics are aimed at the fact the stagnant time of year for the outdoorsman is approaching.

It occurs when outside temperatures hover at the lowest recordable for the entire year. Cementing the inactive time is the end of most of the hunting seasons, combined with the lack of a reasonable fishing season.

Sure, there are a few hunting seasons open. The cougar season will continue into March, and the duck and goose season will be open for about 10 more days. But, when the duck and goose seasons close, most of us will rest our firearms for a few months, even though we could stomp around the hills for yellow cats.

Similarly there are some local waters which are still open for anglers to wet a line, like Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir.

In years past, there have been a hardy and robust group of anglers who would gather at Medicare Beach, build a fire in a tent-type stove and visit as they waited for a bite. Of course, if ice covered the reservoir, angling from shore would be impossible.

Ice fishing would be fun if the ice becomes thick enough. Even I would participate. I'd buy a shelter and a good propane heater, cut a hole in the ice, and spend hours if not days fishing for under-the-ice creatures.

But alas, the ice on Columbia Basin lakes does not become thick enough for what I consider to be safe. Sure, some people ice fish in the Basin and return home safely. But three to four inches of ice is not enough in my book.

The time after the major hunting seasons have closed, and the warming of spring has started,is a tough time for active sportswomen and men.

My life is miserable during this time of year. But I turn it into a time to prepare for the upcoming seasons.

Fishing gear

This is a time to reorganize tackle boxes, untangle fishing gear, and separate it into an orderly bunch of lures, hooks and jigs. Some hooks may need to be discarded and replaced, while others simply need to be sharpened. Lures can be polished or repainted, so they look like new or better.

Fishing line on reels more than a year or two old should be replaced. The same old line could stay on the reel for three to 10 years, but the 8-pound test line could actually be 4-pound test in strength because of deterioration.

Fishing flies

This is also a time to replenish the flies in your fly boxes. If you tie flies, this may be the best time to attach fur, feathers and hair to hooks. Anglers who don't tie may want to purchase a few.

Prepare for spring hunting

The spring turkey season begins on April 15. This is the time to look at every piece of turkey hunting gear and make sure all is satisfactory for the upcoming hunt.

Read books and watch videos

Those of us who find it difficult to secure reading time during the rest of the year should use this time to catch up. Read a book on hunting and hopefully improve a technique.

Final thoughts

Although this time of year finds many of us outdoor-minded people stuck inside, we must learn to turn the tide and take time to prepare for another year of outdoor activities.