Wyoming Winter

“Winter lasts long, up this high.” That’s from Bearclaw Chris Lapp, played by Will Geer. He’s speaking to Jeremiah Johnson, played by Robert Redford in the movie of the same name. By March, a lot of us here on the Laramie Plains begin to feel the same way. This year, my friends in western Wyoming have had a much rougher winter than we have, so if they’re even more wintered-out, I’d certainly understand. But the fact is that we’ve had a great winter. In no small part, that’s about ice fishing.

God blessed us with a lot of flat water in our neck of the woods. The Laramie Plains lakes, both natural and man-made, stretch from the Colorado border most of the way up to Douglas. We fish them a certain amount all year long, sometimes from the bank and sometimes from a float tube. Sometimes it’s a pleasant experience, and sometimes it isn’t. The wind is notorious, and the surroundings can be a bit bleak. But there are fish – big fish.And in the spring, as the ice is going off these lakes, those big fish are often cruising the open water between the shore and the ice sheet. I like to fish for them then. Sometimes, there’s a hatch coming off and they’ll eat dries. I like to fish for them then, too.

But this year, we put a lot of energy into ice fishing. That’s really an oxymoron, since ice fishing is an act mostly performed from a camp chair, and the only energy output comes from dragging your gear out onto the ice or digging another beverage out of the cooler. But for whatever reason, we sorta hit our groove this year out on the ice. I attribute some of that to the new battery-operated ice auger. Small

Winter

gasoline engines and I have had a long and troubled relationship. Gas-powered augers see me coming a mile away and immediately initiate evasive actions. They won’t start. The blade gets dull overnight. The gas cap comes loose in the bed of the pickup and baptizes all my gear in hydrocarbons. You know the drill – pun intended.

The new electric drill takes about seven seconds to drill through 16 inches of ice. It weighs a third of what a gas auger might. I love it. But that’s just one factor.Another factor is the tent. Being out of the wind when there’s nothing between you and the North Pole but a broken-down barbed-wire fence isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. What’s more, since a number of our lakes are fairly shallow, a darkened tent enables you to actually see the fish come in to eat. I’m a visual guy, and that’s the absolute best part for me. Being able to watch a 24-inch rainbow cruise up and kiss your jig is like fishing foreplay. It’s just wonderful. My heart rate goes up just thinking about it.

And the fish themselves are another factor. I revel in just looking at them. Doesn’t much matter what kind. I glory in a 12inch splake pretty much the way I would in a 20-inch brown trout. They’re just glorious wild creatures. Sometimes I’ll knock one on the head and offer it a free ride to the smoker, but mostly I give them back to the water where they belong.And every time I do, I thank God for putting me on the earth in a place where I can see and touch and experience the magic of clean water, wild fish and good friends.

Thank you, God, for ice fishing.

Walt Gasson recently retired from Trout Unlimited where he served as the Director of Trout Unlimited’s Endorsed Business program. He is a fourth-generation Wyoming native and has worked in conservation for over 40 years in government, non-profits and the private sector.Walt currently resides in Laramie with his beautiful wife, Kim, and is looking forward to being retired and all that it offers.You can email him at walt.gasson@gmail.com.

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