Get up and go out for winter outdoor expedition

Filed in archive Winter Adventures on February 21, 2010

© Matti Mattila

Rather than munching junk and expanding your waistline sitting in your living room during winters it would be better to pull up your socks, go out and enjoy the weather. If you like fishing then one of the best places to head would be Kalamazoo River and its tributaries. It's a great place to hunt for winter steelhead. Jump into a boat and make your first stop at Allegan Dam. Since winter steelhead is not concentrated in an area, it would be better to launch your boat just below the dam and travel a few miles downstream. You could put to use casting spoons, pulling legs and even spinners to wake up sleeping salmons. While hunting for steelheads aim for deep holes having overhead cover from vegetation and logs. For fish which does not get attracted to your bait another option would be to adopt drift fishing to get your catch.

Try several fishing techniques to keep you and the fish busy. You could turn your bait over a couple of time while it drops down the column and when you are six inches from the bottom jiggle your rod several times which would make your bait bobble and then speedily move back up the column. This technique should be put to use a number of times in each hole and if nothing works, don't lose heart as there is always another hole waiting for you. Some of the other places where you can fish during the winters are Mirror Lake in Jackson County and Sugarloaf and Sherman Lakes in Kalamazoo County.

Another action you could be involved during winters is picking up antlers. For this shed hunting exercise it would be better to search for sheds along extensively used trails and bedding areas. Avoid areas with thick blankets of snow as you may never taste success at these spots. You could also practice archery at a local archery shop having an indoor shooting range as it will not only help in building muscle power but even boost up your confidence during dull winter season.

These are just some of the activities you could undertake to keep you busy during the tough winter season and I would feel really nice if you could share any of your winter outdoor experiences with me.