Funny how perspective and goals change at the first of the year.
I often look ahead at the expense of the present, like now, for example. We have a full month of duck season remaining, and two full months of archery deer season. I will indulge a lot in the former and a little in the latter, but I'm more excited about what waits beyond.
Spring turkey season is less than four months away, unless you count turkey scouting season. That begins in March, when I'll sip coffee on desolate roads at dawn listening for roost gobbles.
By April, I hope to have one or two gobblers pinpointed so I can find a place to await them on opening morning, but I know from experience how quickly they can find a new place to roost far from there.
Some of the year's best fishing is already upon us, if you enjoy fishing in the cold, that is. Trout fishing is prime on the White, Little Red and North Fork rivers from now until summer. It's not much different from fishing in the summer because those lake-fed waters are the same temperature year round. Layer up for warmth and enjoy it because big trout bite in the winter.
Don't forget the seasonal trout fishing available in the Lake Catherine headwaters below Carpenter Dam, in the Ouachita River below Remmel Dam and in the Little Missouri River below Greeson Dam and at Albert Pike Recreation Area.
Smallmouth bass fishing is great in the winter, too. We associate float fishing with spring and summer, but some of my most memorable trips have been in January and February. That's when I catch many of my biggest, fattest smallmouth bass and Kentucky bass on the Caddo and Ouachita rivers.
Winter smallmouth floats have been a tradition with Rusty Pruitt, Bill Eldridge and me for nearly a decade, and they seldom disappoint. Sometimes we catch a lot and sometimes only a few, but the trips are always fun.
I often write about my striper and walleye fishing trips up the Ouachita River. I'll start those soon, but there's a sidebar. There is a spot in the national forest in the area where I fish where I always see a flock of wild turkeys about the same time each day. They gather on a point and fly across the river. I always intend to return for them in April, but I never do, I guess because I always scratch my turkey hunting itch elsewhere.
Maybe this will be the year. I said that last year, too, and the year before that.
In March, Eldridge makes his annual crappie fishing pilgrimage to Lake Ouachita. He camps out for about a week and invites his buddies. If I had a week, I'd spend it there because Eldridge is one of the best crappie fishermen on Lake Ouachita, and I always leave with enough crappie for a few good meals.
Don't forget about all the great largemouth bass fishing that's in high gear right now on lakes Hamilton, Nimrod and others. The annual drawdown at Lake Hamilton has reduced the lake's surface area considerably and concentrated its bass. If you can find them, you can catch some of the year's heaviest limits.
Some spots, of course, always produce. You'll find them where hot spring water enters the lake. They attract baitfish, which attract game fish.
We can all stand to be in better physical shape, which contributes to better health. My one resolution for 2019 is one I will keep. I will spend a lot more time in a fishing kayak this year. It's a great cardiovascular exercise that also exercises all major muscle groups, but it will also make me a better angler on lakes.
I'm a classic "grass is greener on the other side of the fence" kind of guy. No matter where I am, the fishing is always better "over there." A powerboat enables my impulsiveness.
A kayak neutralizes it. It's a lot of work to get "over there," and it takes a lot longer than firing up a gas motor or dialing up a trolling motor. A kayak forces me to fish smaller areas more intensively, and it encourages me to study my electronics a lot closer to find all the subtle fish holding features that I often miss zipping here and there under gas power.
We live in such a great state for hunting and fishing, and we could easily build a weekly planner to take us to a different adventure every week. Maybe your twice-weekly visits to this page will spark some wanderlust of your own.
Sports on 01/03/2019