Smart
Tax
Tax Time
Made Easy
Taking New Clients
Please bring last year’s tax returns
All tax returns, all payroll services, sales
tax forms, fuel tax forms, all bookkeeping
services, QuickBooks professional.
Cindy Martin • [email protected]
260.768.4089 • 260.336.2020
805 N Van Buren St.
Shipshewana, IN 46565
(Behind Shipshe Pizza)
Mobile
Oil Changes!
We come to your home or business to change your oil
Mobile Services available
• Brakes
• Oil Changes
• Alternators
• Belts & Hoses
• Tune-Ups
• Diagnostics
• FREE Estimates!
* Also, on-site forklift repair & service
* Insured * Credit Cards Accepted
OSA
on
site
auto
LLC
Call Eric Dunithan: 260.376.0044
Spotlight on
by David Lane
Advanced Indiana
Master Naturalist
Y
Nature
Fishing Through The Ice
es, it can be fun! The last few
Saturdays that’s exactly what
I was doing. I was fishing
through the ice for some
tasty fresh pan fish.
I remember back in the day, when
my father took me ice fishing and I
came to enjoy the sport. Even though,
at first, I thought it was a waste of
time. Spending time with Dad, that
was priceless and not at all a waste of
time. Even the times when we would
come back home without any fish at all.
A lot of people (mostly those who
have never done any ice fishing) think
that this is a cold, uncomfortable
sport. With today’s clothing, footwear,
and wide choices of pop-up shelters, ice
fishing can be downright comfortable.
And catching fish through the ice is
every bit as much fun as fishing from a
boat or off of a pier. I believe the ideal
ice fishing temperature is between 20
to 35 degrees with hardly any wind. I
also enjoy fishing in a shanty.
Warm up around this month’s
topic “ice fishing” one of the great
outdoor’s most popular winter activities. It’s cold, windy and the ground is
covered in snow. Some will seek snowthemed comfort by riding a snowboard
or snowmobile, but the ice fishermen
layer up and go sit still against the
winter wind. On a sheet of ice, they
hover over a small hole hoping to lure
whatever fish swim close by.
There are many advantages of ice
fishing. Why do you do it? Is it safe?
The honest answer is yes, but you need
to use some common sense when it
comes to ice fishing. Most ice is safe
to walk on when you have at least 4 or
more inches of good solid ice, but you
have to watch out for springs in the ice
too, which can cause the ice to be less
solid. I know some people go ice fishing
when there is less than 4 inches of ice,
but I would not recommend it! You
have to know the lay-out of the lake.
Why go ice fishing? Indeed, it is
lots of fun enjoying the out-of-doors
and simply enjoying the solitude of
being out on the ice or the smell and
taste of fresh caught fish being fried in
a skillet. What’s not to enjoy? “Living
the dream!”
I am not much of a “jigger” but
tip ups and spearing are hard to beat.
If the weather is really nice I will jig,
but s pearing on ice may just be the
most fun of all. If you have not tried
spearing pike or even sturgeon you are
missing out for sure. It may not be deer
hunting or duck hunting, but it will
cure the winter blues and your kids will
love it too. That’s how my Dad introduced me to fishing and hunting. It’s
even fun to take your wife out if she’s
willing to go.
Ice fishing has come a long way
over the years, since I first started
some forty years ago. Maybe this only
applies to locations that experience a
hard surface to fish from during blizzards and freezing cold. With today’s
gear available like ATVs, snowmobiles
or snow sleds towing portable windproof pop up shelters/shanties with
GPS and flashers, it’s easy to locate hot
spots on featureless frozen lakes. Using custom rods and ice fishing tackle,
why would anyone want to sit on the
couch? Get the family or fishing buddies and head out before it’s too late!
Just ensure the ice is thick enough and
safe for travel before heading out. As of
this writing, the ice was very unsafe in
some spots.
Reminder: The Annual Maple
Syrup Days are March 16 and 17 at
Maplewood Nature Center.
The Hometown Treasure · March ‘13 · pg 39