Why love winter and HATE spring!!!!

[MO QWACK]

It drives me mother freaking nuts when I hear ooooh yeah can't wait for the spawn fish should start biting or you see 700 boats that haven't seen the water since the last 65 degree blue bird day. No jack legs the fish "bite" all year your just to lazy to catch them and why should I have to wait in line at a boat ramp for you to realize the gas in the tank is bad because you fish every 3 years grrr! Winter time in Missouri is when the wanna be's are still 4 months away from finding their fishing rods and the real fisherman are out enjoying the lake as God meant it free of idiots  ok rant over
  It was a great day on the lake 9 degrees and snow LOVE it the air smells better, the fish are bigger and the coffee taste amazing can't beat it! I wish I could just skip over spring time blahhh

[Botanophilia]

9 degrees?  You're insane.  I stayed inside in my PJs all day.

[ctom]

I love cold water crappie fishing, just not under ice. Our crappies here run larger as a rule in the colder water too. With the weather we are having a boat is not in the cards until some ice gets sloughed off the river. 9 degrees is pretty chilly on open water. And for all of the ice freaks, nothing is colder than open water at under twenty degrees than maybe 9 degrees. I did four hours at zero once. That was plenty for me but we sure did get sauger and crappies.

[AJayToRemember]

If I'm catching fish I'm all for rough conditions! Though I do prefer summer lightning storms in a johnboat to below freezing temps lol

[eyedo]

I am usualy done before they open the gates to the zoo. It would take all day to chop out a hole big enough I like it when I am the only idiot out there I friggin hate combat fishing. Won't do it.

[eyedo]

Even niagra falls is frozen. The long range for cast put this crap all the way into march. This will be the first feb. since 1889 that temp. didn't get above 32.

[2XL]

If I can get my boat in the river then I will. I keep a shovel, sand, salt and a spud bar in the back of the truck come late fall/early winter and when the ice first goes out in early spring.  I always plan ahead for somebody greasing the launch by not letting their boat trailer drain when they launch/retrieve their boat when it's cold.

Agree with not wanting to deal with the combat fishing scene and I don't. There are always great spots to fish other than the community holes if a guy is willing to look for them. 

[ctom]

Our local crappie lake is a zoo when the spawn is on and I am confident enough in my fishing that I don't have to fish the spawn. The fish are there all year. Should I decide Togo while the crappies are spawning it's all c/r and I am usually leaving the water by the time the neophytes arrive. The timing is usually about right that the bass in the big river backwaters are going hot and heavy on a top water bite and I'll shift gears and go chase them and leave the crappies alone. There are some waters I'd actually like to see have a sliding season so the crappies could spawn unbothered by nitwits that plunder the resource when they are vulnerable. Maybe in a perfect world, eh?

[eyedo]

Ctom is right. At that time of the year you could give a monkey a pole and bucket of minnows and he would kill them. My favorite time of the year to fish is winter. I don't winterize my moter I springerize it. But the only possible place is below power dams. Every other landing has a village of trucks and shacks. 36+inches of ice. I keep in the truck 2 buckets of ashes. 50lbs of rock salt. snow shovel. Sometimes I shovel 8 or 10 inches of snow off. [nuts] maybe but when I slide 2 or 3 17 inchers in the tub.

[ctom]

I see a lot of those monkeys on the water double dipping crappie limits during the spawn. Boat registration numbers and any vehicle license numbers go directly to the TIP number, plus I have all of the local CO numbers in my phone.

[Dfiene1]

Your lucky. Most of the piers get pulled and the DNR chains off a few of the ramps during winter. They make it hard to get to the water (when it is open) during the winter months.

[eyedo]

You bet' I have DNR and co. on speed dial. they have no problem visiting boat landings. anywhere' we have some uh can I say non indigenous folks and others who have no respect for rules. It's like a candle just so high burns my ass. As for that landing the power co. keeps it open for maint.

[Fatman]

Gave up ice fishing in 1980 when I went through!!  Not fun so I just wait for spring now.