PREPARING FOR COLD WEATHER FISHING
By Bob Jensen

I just returned from a fishing trip on the Mississippi River near Lake City, MN. Action was good: Walleyes up to eight pounds and some nice sauger were taken. However, I was once again reminded of how important it is to dress for the weather. There is still lots of time to take advantage of the open water fishing on rivers throughout the Midwest, and ice-fishing is just around the corner. However, if you don't dress appropriately, you're not going to be able to fully enjoy the experience. Here are some ideas for dressing appropriately for cold weather fishing.

My Number One Rule is to always dress warmer than you think you need to. Don't look out the window of your living room to determine how cold it is outside. It will almost always be colder than it looks. Step outside, check the Weather Channel on tv, get a good feel for the temperature, then remember that it will probably be colder on the ice or in the boat. Dress warmer than you think you will need to. You can always take a jacket off, but you can't put it on if you don't have it with you.

Do not wear tennis shoes in the boat this time of year. They will almost never be warm enough, and if your feet get cold, it's going to be hard to enjoy the day no matter how good the fish are biting. Wear boots!!

Be sure the insides of your boots are dry, be sure you're wearing good socks, and be sure your socks are dry. While packing for my most recent trip, I noticed one of my socks had got pretty threadbare. I packed it anyway, making a note to replace it when I got back home. The foot with the threadbare sock got pretty cold, even though I was wearing a good pack-boot.

Speaking of boots. Get good ones. For ice-fishing, I like boots that are thicker on the bottom. This insulates your feet from the ice a little better. Try on lots of boots, and get them somewhere where the sales-person can provide expert advice on the boots.

From now until the end of ice-fishing, I always have a set of Carhartt Extremes in the boat or in the truck. Although not always necessary for the temperature, the Extremes break the wind really well, and much of the time it's the wind that makes you cold.

Also, for ice-fishing, you can kneel on the ice or snow in the Extremes and the cold or wet won't get through. Generally the bibs will stay on all day, although the jacket might get too warm as the sun heats things up.

Wear a cap. Most of your body's heat escapes through your head. Keep that heat in and you will stay warm.

There is too much excellent fishing going on in the late fall and winter months to miss just because it's cold outside. Dress appropriately and you will find that you will enjoy your fishing in the winter just as much as any other time of the year.