Warmin up nice

[ctom]

The old thermometer is getting a vertical workout this morning. Currently we are at -6, up from a reported -20 not far from here. I went to the garage and thought I'd shoot a mold-full but when I blew on the mold to warm it up some I got the chops too close and my lips froze to it.  Then when I pushed the start button on the microwave I got a sign that said "go back in the house fool"....never seen that before but I will be contacting the manufacturer. So Ma tried warm coffee to loosen the mold's grip on my lips and burned me....warm to her is about 240 degrees as proven by her bath water. So now my plans to watch the Christmas Story all day tomorrow have been dashed, what with swollen lips to come back to mind when I see the kid with his tongue on the flag pole.

Is it me or is it just too darned early to have -20 already? What I'd give for a gentle rain and 70 degrees right now. 

[Gonzo.ca]

gentle rain?!?! is this guy serious Ive got both sleds on the trailer ready to go for tomorrow morn.

[Muskygary]

Think about the poor guys out there sitting in their tree stands still trying to harvest vension!

[ctom]

Think about the poor guys out there sitting in their tree stands still trying to harvest vension!

The only thing poor about those guys is the choice they made if they are out there in this.

[Blackhawk19]

It's gonna be 21° here in East LA (Eastern Lower Alabama) in the morning and that's just wrong. Would you northern guys quit messing with that strand of barbed wire that keeps the cold up north

[Denny Welch]

65 and sunny...no rain called for in the next 7 days.  Local lakes are down almost 100 feet...local rivers that feed the lakes are mere trickles...water temp last week was 45 degrees and the bass were huggin' the bottom...most in a catatonic state...hardly any snow in the mountains which gives us spring waters...getting nervous.

Welcome to California, the land of the yin and the yang.

And I can't get this out of my mind.  Tom, what are you doing touching Ma's bath water?  If I were her, I'd drain the water and scrub the tub.,

[ctom]

Hey...you never know when lucky might happen, Denny. Give her a nice back wash...maybe she'll make me hot chocolate when she makes her's..

[pjmcla]

Local lakes down 100 feet.   I can't fathom 100 foot yearly changes in a lake level.   We only have a couple of lakes in the South East; that I am aware off; that a 100 foot drop would not all but leave dry.

[Denny Welch]

Many of our big lakes are man made and used primarily for water storage.  Those lakes are mostly located in the foothills and the dams that hold the water back are built in canyons.  At full pool, some of these lakes can get pretty deep...400'+ at New Melones for example.  It's not uncommon for us to have no rainfall of any significance between mid-June and the beginning of November, hence the drop in water levels.  It effects us anglers in trying to launch boats on ramps that are high and dry, or have a 5mph speed limit because of unmarked hazards.  The fish are still there, however, but now it's a matter of fishing structure you haven't seen before.

The natural waters, Tahoe, Clear Lake, and the Delta aren't affected quite as much as the others.  For example, an 8' drop on Clear Lake is a big deal.

[DF]

 Wait...Ctom, you froze your lips to a mold?  Your wife must be a caring soul. After the X-acto knife in the leg I thought you would be more careful.     I always enjoy your posts, Merry Christmas

[ctom]

lol

[basskat]

I love my molds but can't say I ever kissed one! Too funny 

[ctom]

We've got 17 degrees here at a quarter to 7 in the morning. Short-sleeved shirt weather almost.

I woke up Christmas morning to needing the snow blower. Wasn't quite what was on my list for the morning but... . Carole and I had to drive about 65 miles to her sister's home for the big dinner and the highways were a treat. The outside lane had every overly-cautious driver stacked up in very long lines while the inside lanes were simply a pair of ruts in the snow. The further north we drove the better the conditions seemed to get, but in the first 30 miles we saw a lot of people in the ditches that were obviously going to be late getting to where they were going. I found it interesting that just about every one of those vehicles were 4wd SUVs....one was a 2wd pick-up and it looked like he may have pulled over for another reason and just got too far over and slipped down the grade a ways. We got to our destination without any issue.

The trip home didn't have more snow but the wind was howling and hauling the snow that fell in the morning. For the most part both south-bound lanes we used we free of standing snow but also had areas of black ice, especially where the wind was pulling snow across the highway. Thankfully we don't have enough snow in this area to start the drifting. Yet.

We had a great day with those who could make the trip safely, only two couldn't get there. Now I need to gas the animal that clears the snow as we have another "wave" of it forecast for a bit later today. Here's hoping everyone had a great day yesterday.

[efishnc]

The natural waters, Tahoe, Clear Lake, and the Delta aren't affected quite as much as the others.  For example, an 8' drop on Clear Lake is a big deal.

Denny, I thought the delta was strictly tidal - at least that that is how I remember it from the late 80s and early 90s - probably my favorite water in Cali... I really miss the fishing there and have thought more than once to take a trip back just to re-acquaint myself with an old friend.

[Denny Welch]

You're right, it is tidal water.  I'm bad.  (I keep telling you that a mind is a terrible thing to waste.)  It's about 90 minutes from home so I've only fished it a few hundred times.  If any of you are ever out this way give me a call and I'll take you out to one of the most fabulous fisheries on earth.  No lie.