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Beating Cabin Fever
Cory Schmidt

Some day soon the sun will begin to warm the earth; the snow will melt, as will the ice that now encapsulates our lakes. The time is really not so far away (even though it seems that way now).

So it is that I now lay down a preemptive strike of action—hitting cabin fever between the eyes in a sense, before cabin fever gets you.

To quote Garrison Keilor, “February is the month designed to teach people who don’t drink what a hangover is like.”

Why is it that that applies even more to ice fishermen?

Don't know for sure, but I do think it means it’s even more important that we stay positive, even in the face of “desperate” February— lest we find ourselves flippin’ for bathtub fish while mocking Roland Martin.
“That rubber ducky goes four - five – ten pounds, son!”

So, let’s begin today by focusing on the positive aspects of ice fishing (seriously) . . .

The more you ice-fish the sharper your presentation skills become; you’re forced to concentrate on presentation because ice presentation remains the biggest factor anglers can truly ‘control’ toward our advantage.

In other words, we can only move around so much on a lake (location is not so easy to control)—thus, it becomes necessary to utilize presentation skills to ultimately catch fish.

Finally, peering over a hole, you have no choice but to focus on presentation. This means you’ll be a better, more focused angler overall—especially once open water arrives.

Same deal for electronics. You’re forced to pay strict attention to images on your flasher or LCG screen, as well as how fish react to presentation. Again, makes you a better overall angler, as you learn to better interpret what you’re seeing.

On open water, we’re not alwaysgiven the luxury of focusing so sharply on sonar. This is where time crouched over a unit on ice will pay off.

If you own an underwater camera, the same principle applies.

Zooming in on specific structures allows you to form a very accurate micro-picture of the lake. You learn what makes a good spot a good spot, how fish approach and travel along each structure, and how they use certain cover objects to aid feeding.

You just plain have time to think. Ask yourself key questions, then formulate logical answers to them as you fish. Also, take time to visualize your presentation down there among fish.

Perhaps you see what we’re getting at here— all these factors mesh together, giving you greater confidence as an angler, whether on openwater or ice. And there’s no better angler than a confident angler.

As winter rolls on and on and the shack nasties seem to get the better of you, with a little therapy, we (I?) can make it on through into warmer March and even April. For now, hey, let’s all embrace this cabin fever thing.

After all, we only get to experience it once a year!

Red Pine Resort
Ice Fishing on Kabetogama.