It’s nice to just have a few minutes to catch up with all of you. This day off couldn’t have come soon enough. The busy schedules we all  have sometimes makes it hard to blog as much as we would like. I find this morning’s bright sunshine and a good cup of coffee a bit different from the hectic pace of the last week or so. I’m taking time today to enjoy it!  The Christmas season is filled with so much to do and so little time that we rarely stop for even a moment. Before we know it the New Year has come and gone and it soon becomes just another blur in our memories of Holidays past. My wish for all of you this Christmas is that you can pause for awhile, reflect on what Christmas is truly all  about, and share that very special gift with those who you hold deepest in your hearts. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and wishes for a safe and Happy New Year!

The last few winters around here in Illinois have been relatively cold with plenty of snow and ice. I was starting to really enjoy them. A new found commitment to ice fishing, my weekends and late afternoons were spent drilling holes, setting up the portable shelter, and jigging up a few gills, with an occasional bass and crappie thrown in for added excitement. What a way to spend a cold winters day. With my Coleman heater and a few good layers, I could sit out in the shanty for hours and be quite comfortable. Last year I purchased my first underwater camera (I returned it at the end of the season because it was shorting the battery out, and it wouldn’t recharge.) Watching finicky pan fish take your ice jig and not even feeling them bite was a real lesson. All the times I had spent ice fishing before, that had ended in futility, with us wondering why we couldn’t catch anything, were now completely explained. You have no idea of how excited I was for this season to begin. With a new underwater camera on the way and my friend Rich’s new flasher we will have all the tools we need to have a successful winter of fishing…but we have no ice!

Yes, you heard me right. There is no ice at this point in Illinois and I am wondering what I am going to do without it. I would like to take a trip up north if time and money permits me to do so, but at this point it is very frustrating. So I sit here at my kitchen table, preparing to spend this day shopping with my son Bryan and getting ready for our Family Christmas, while waiting patiently for Jack Frost to get his lazy ass back to work so we can go ice fishing!

Thanks again to all of you who read and follow the Blogs at Fishing Headquarters and at Cappy’s Pond.

Over the last week or so my Facebook page has been full of comments from impatient ice fishermen waiting for that first safe ice of the season. I’d like to say that the long range forecast will bring ice to these parts soon, but the 10 day forecast doesn’t look too promising for most of us. This weekends temps are to be near 40 with plenty of sun, and that’s not going to make any ice that forms overnight stick around for very long.

Until then, you might still try to hit some of the local forest preserves for Crappies. Reports have been coming in from Busse Woods and some of the other lakes of good sized crappies being taken from shore with slip floats and small fatheads. Patience has been the key here, targeting the warmest parts of the day for best results.  Move frequently and change depths often until results dictate the appropriate methods.

Good luck if you head out, and if you decide to stay in, now is a good time to sharpen all the ice fishing hooks and check out all your gear for best results this winter. It’s much easier to check your equipment in the comfort of your living room, than a frozen lake. Besides, if last weeks Bears vs. Chiefs game was any indication of what the “No Jay & No Forte” Bears are going to be like, you might not want to turn on this weeks game at all. Have a great rest of the week  and remember, you can’t catch any fish if your line isn’t in the water.