Jackson: There's no excuse to avoid the challenge of ice fishing

As we get closer to the outdoor show season, I am reminded about the deluge of e-mails I always receive from readers and listeners (to my outdoor radio talk show) complaining there's nothing to do during cold Chicago winters.

I'm not one to criticize someone else's choices or lifestyle, but this complaint has become old hat and I'm a little tired of hearing the negatives.

It's the same story every winter with communiqués from the poor souls who choose to sit glued to their couches in front of the television while gritting their implanted teeth when the Chicago Bears blow another game.

While I enjoy football with any team other than the Bears, I also enjoy ice fishing, especially when my phone rings and a friend reports that the crappies on Pistakee Lake are bunched up and hitting on tiny jigs and minnows.

I have a Fish Trap ice tent that pops up in less than a minute. I've already drilled two holes and turned on the heater. And believe me, it's toasty inside.

Any good ice tent or shelter makes a world of difference while it allows the angler total comfort and warmth. I leave a vent open in the tent to make sure the heater doesn't chew up the oxygen and create problems for me.

And if the fish aren't biting in about 10 minutes, I'll move the whole setup to another spot with pre-drilled holes.

I generally use the power auger to drill 20 or so holes in a circle so I can quickly move to a spot that shows fish on the sonar. It's that easy, and once I'm back inside the tent the fun starts all over again as I start catching fish.

The excuses I get from the lazy element is that it's too cold to get out on the ice. Or "I have all the comforts at home so why should I get cold sitting in a shelter on the ice?" Most of the complaints are similar.

Another category for chronic complaints is fly fishing. The opinions are similar to those who downplay ice angling.

"Fly fishing is too tough too learn." Or, "I'm too old to try something new." And "I don't want to spend any more money for something I know I won't like."

Before taking a trip to New Zealand, I spent 20 minutes with my wife teaching her how to fly cast. By the time we finished, she was able to make 60-foot casts on the front lawn grass with one of te inexpensive rods and reels I had given her to use.

Once in the fast current of the world-famous Tongariro River she made a long cast and hooked a massive rainbow trout. Unfortunately, she lost the fish as it close. But her excitement was echoed in her statement that"those few lessons really paid off."

This from a person who had declared she would never touch a fly rod. Afterward, she had this to say: "I want my own rig for the next trip. And when will that be?"

• Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@comcast.net, catch his radio show 7-9 a.m. Sundays on WGCO 1590-AM (live-streamed at www.1590WCGO.com) and get more content at www.mikejacksonoutdoors.com.