Hey Hall of Fame family,
In last week's blog, I wrote about my experience fishing the Mississippi Gulf Coast for the first time. Check it out here! Spring can't get here soon enough! All the lakes and rivers around us in Missouri have been frozen for weeks, and it feels like we haven't seen a warm day in quite some time. Paul and I aren't much for ice fishing, so that leaves us about a month or two every year, typically January and February, where it's just brutal to go bass fishing. Trout fishing can be stellar during this time of year, but the nearest trout stream is 2 hours away. By mid to end January, cabin fever has usually set in hard. The bass fishing is tough and it's challenging to consistently travel 4 hours in a day to go trout fishing. So that begs the question, besides bass fishing, what can we do outside during this awful weather?
One thing completely unrelated to fishing that I love to do in the winter is to go skiing. I make a point to hit the slopes for at least 3 or 4 full days every winter. I'm admittedly not the best skier in the world, but I always have such a fun time! I go up to Chestnut Mountain in Galena, Illinois every year, as well as frequenting our local Saint Louis skiing gem, Hidden Valley. I have also taken trips to Iowa and Wisconsin in the winter solely to ski. The thing about skiing is you can get hot and sweaty while it's 25 degrees outside. I've actually had to shed layers when it's below freezing, just because your body warms up from moving and going down the slope. There has been just one time where I can remember being cold while skiing. It was at Chestnut, and the air temperature was -4 degrees with a windchill of -19. It was so cold that ski patrol was out making sure nobody had bare skin exposed to the elements due to risk of frostbite. The only times I was comfortable during the -19 windchill was when I was actively skiing down the hill. On the lift ride up, the wind would bite through your 4 layers of clothes. I think I'd still rather ski than go fishing when it's -19 degrees outside.
Another fun thing to do in the winter is go hunting (I think this aligns more with our audience). Paul, our cousins, uncle, and I went squirrel hunting earlier this winter. We saw just 5 squirrels the entire weekend, shooting only 3 of them. We walked miles through the woods searching for them, and found an old cemetary in the forest with headstones from the 1800s. We even met the area game warden and had our hunting licenses checked. The hunting was slow, but we spent the weekend hunting, shooting, laughing, and spending time with family. We still had a blast! Get it?
This week's post is a little on the shorter side, but I hope it was worth the read. I wanted to share a little insight on what I like to do when the bass fishing just isn't happening. Stay warm and remember spring is almost here. As always, tight lines!
Erik Hoffman, Hall of Fame Outdoor Co