Mother Nature has once again established who’s in charge when it comes to outdoor activities, namely fishing. While February is normally not the best month to head out and wet a line, there are sometimes a few windows of opportunity to breathe fresh air. Well, this week has been a nightmare for those with cabin fever, but fortunately the upcoming weekend appears to provide a small window for those who might be willing to try their luck for inshore or river fishing.
Water temperatures are reading in the lower 50s and will surely dip with the forecast of yet another arctic blast, with lows in the low teens, arriving later this week. The concern now will be what, if any, impact the extremely cold weather will have on what remaining fish stocks are seeking refuge in the creeks and bays. Cold stun is something areas along the East Coast have to deal with almost every year. While it looked like we might get away without one this year, the weather this week may declare yet another fish kill in our area and waters to our north along the Pamlico and New River areas. We’ll just have to wait and see what impact the weather has and how quickly the fish manage to rebound.
For those who have stowed the fishing gear waiting for the temperatures to warm up, this might be a good time to pull those rods and reels out and conduct some maintenance before the spring fishing season is upon us. There’s nothing more frustrating than finding out that fishing line needs to be replaced or a reel is frozen up or malfunctioning just when you’re heading out the door for that first trip of the season. Should your reel need repair, and unless you are savvy in this particular region, most rod and reel repair shops will need at least a couple of weeks or probably longer to get your gear back to you, because you won’t be the only one begging for a quick repair. If it’s only replacing line or just some general oiling and cleaning that needs to be done, that can be accomplished relatively easily while watching TV.
For those who haven’t given up on fishing and fish all year long, as anyone in our area knows, the weather changes daily in our parts. While winter conditions appear as though they will never end and the extended forecast isn’t looking that much better for next week, the silver lining is the month of February is almost over. While March can also provide intense winter surprises, conditions normally improve rather quickly and there are more good days than bad and just a few days of fishing during the month will get you through the rougher days until the spring season is officially here. Then your only problem will be deciding what to fish for.
