Finding something positive in Minnesotas brutal winter happened Thursday morning, Jan.23 when there were giant sun-dogs on each side of the rising sun about 8:30 a.m. Apparently the 1 degree weather that morning is what was needed for Mother Nature to show off her bright colors of red, green and yellow which changed as the sun continued to rise. The scientific explanation says, “The sun dog is a member of the family of halos, caused by the refraction of sunlight by ice crystals in the atmosphere. Sun dogs typically appear as a pair of subtly colored patches of light, around 22° to the left and right of the Sun, and at the same altitude above the horizon as the Sun.” * * * According to the weather people we’re in for a couple of cold, windy days until Friday when it will start warming up, just in time for the Maple Lake Fishing Derby. 35 to 40 degrees is in the forecast for that Saturday which will be quite a change from the forecasted sub-zero and strong NW winds mid-week. The fish houses began trickling onto Maple Lake Sunday and I suspect there will be more activity on Friday as derby enthusiasts will make their moves to find that special spot. After being holed up during the Alberta, clipper anglers will be chomping at the bit to whet their lines and compete for the winning Northern in the 44th annual derby. Activity begins at 9 a.m. with a vintage snowmobile show and continues with other events concluding with a 4 p.m. after party. * * * I’ve been laying low for a couple of weeks when it comes to fishing, but from the scattered reports I’m hearing the crappies are biting well on Rock Lake during the day as well as in the evening suspended in 30 ft. of water. Long Lake in Ottertail County provided a nice catch of crappers for Don Dittberner, but he said the deep snow makes moving around difficult and the anglers tend to fish off the established trails. I suspect those with snowmobiles love it! . . . Walleye activity on Red Lake has slowed up and Lake of the Woods seems to being suffering from the same cold weather effects of a long winter. . . Keeping ice from forming on the hole in the dead of winter has always been a problem for winter anglers. One fellow said his method for keeping ice from freezing in the hole said they used a bucket of charcoal to heat their fish house in the earlier years of the sport. Then they would put one of the hot coals in a tin can and let it float in the hole to keep ice from forming. Pretty neat idea and once again convinced me that “necessity is the mother of invention.” . . . The Jan. 28th issue of the Minnesota Outdoor News’ Cuffs and Collars, which is popular with subscribers, included this incident: “District 1 – Baudette area CO Eric Benjamin (Warroad) worked ATVing, snowmobiling, and angling enforcement. Enforcement action was taken for possession of a small amount of marijuana, operating an ATV on a grant‐in‐aid snowmobile trail, illegal possession of fillets/immeasurable fish on a special‐management water, and failure to maintain carcasses.” . . That sounds like a lot of infractions and for that group of sporting anglers, if you want to call them sporting! I also noted a story in the same issue that told about the Wisconsin DNR detecting three ruffed grouse having the West Nile virus. Minnesota’s DNR is testing 270 birds, but those tests haven’t been completed yet. Those birds that contact the West Nile virus, a mosquito‐borne illness, usually die from the virus which is described as causing tremors, weakness, and loss of coordination. . . That’s something to keep in mind next fall if you’re a grouse hunter and spot a ruffed grouse stumbling. * * * A contingent of Maple Lake Legion Post 131 members and friends got the ball rolling on the kitchen remodelling project Sunday morning when they gutted most of the kitchen so it could be replaced with stainless steel, etc. to keep in compliance with the Minnesota Dept. of Health. I stopped by at about 1 p.m. with bar and hammer in hand to assist and was surprised to see I was too late to help. I know people have been asking when the kitchen project will get started and I suspect it should be put back together in all of it’s shining glory in a week or two. * * * I, for one, was pleased that Congress and President Trump agreed to get the federal employees working again. Hopefully it will be for more than the three weeks they settled on. Knowing how slow governments can be most of the time I’m skeptical about the outcome of this cat and dog fight between Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump over an immigration fence. Wether you like it or not, I think it might be Pelosi who holds the trump card in this battle! * * * From what I read in the Star/Tribune getting started on your income tax return early might pay off. Minnesota’s politicians apparently didn’t get their work done before adjourning for the year as it pertains to Minnesota’s Income Tax. Governor Dayton didn’t like what was sent to him and he vetoed a potential law that would have put the state’s tax form more in compliance with the federal return as it had been. The federal form supposedly is easier to file this year, but it is going to take a lot of head scratching to complete Minnesota’s form. Tax preparers should have a good handle on what’s necessary and can assist you. That’s going to cost you a few bucks, but it might be necessary to get the figures in the correct places. It also may help if your form is audited! Good luck.
