Bayou Outdoors | Time to Adjust

article by Dan Chason

My two least favorite months are February and August. Okay, I said it.  I used to love the month of February as it meant pre-spawn bass fishing and deep water crappie fishing, squirrel and rabbit hunting and of course the age old tradition of breaking down deer stands, cameras and feeders for next year.  I guess old age has changed me as I no longer wish to tolerate cold weather.  I can remember one late January years ago when I entered the Angler’s Choice fishing circuit and our first tournament was on Toledo Bend.  It was a two-man, team circuit and my partner and I woke up at 4:30 a.m. with the temperature at a blazing 21 degrees.  There was ice on everything.  The boat deck was a skating rink.  It was so cold we had to defrost the trailer’s wheel bearings with de-icer just to be able to move the boat.  Icicles hung from the trailer from our practice run the day before and I had on every stitch of clothing I had brought, and I was still cold.  We did get launched and watched several trucks slide into the water on the iced over ramp.  I definitely had second thoughts about participating but we had put up our entry fee and I was a die hard. Well, at least I was until my partner R.D. Lewis fired up that 200 Mercury and we began the idle through the stump fields.  Our first location was 27 miles up Toledo and I can honestly say I have never been that cold in my life.  R.D. had placed his rods inside the rod box of the 20 foot Ranger, and I had mine strapped beside me in the single console boat.  It was on that day that I swore I would never ever again own a boat with a single console.  I tried facing the rear, laying down and would have crawled inside the rod box had there been room.  My moustache was pure ice.

Upon arrival, I reached for a rod and reel only to discover that my rods were literally frozen together.  The eyelets were solid ice and the morning would be spent sloshing them in the lake to be able to cast.  Much to my surprise, R.D. pitched a jig (which he did most of the time) and set the hook on a 8.3 lb bass on his first pitch.  To make a long story short, we caught a load that day.  I pitched a Bulldog spinnerbait all day and R.D. stayed with the jig.  He had one bite all day while I caught 14 fish with my largest being on the last cast before the long ride back which weighed in at 7.12 lbs.  Our total weight was 25.02 and we missed winning the tournament and an additional $10k by just 4 ounces.  It was a day to remember but I learned some valuable lessons.  The first was not to skimp on good clothing.  I had a set of big overalls but they were not high quality.  The second was my choice of tennis shoes over boots.  The third was my failure to purchase a “Little Buddy” heater.  The last was having an ample supply of “Hot Hands.”  When it is cold, your body loses heat through your extremities.  Head, feet and hands are so very important to keep warm as that is where you lose heat.  I can remember many trips after that in similar weather where I was amply prepared.  The day was not nearly as long and I assure you that no amount of fish in the livewell is worth risking hypothermia, it just  takes all the fun out of it.  Call me weak, a sissy or whatever but you will not catch me in the deer stand or on a boat without proper attire or the listed items to keep my head, feet and hands warm.

Such was the case back in my early days at the age of 18 when I was invited on a duck hunt at Corney Lake by my friend Doug Jerome.  I was working but not making much money and when Doug told me we would be wading, I knew I had to have some chest waders.  I visited my local Walmart and after getting sticker shock on the price of chest waders, decided to buy a rain suit bottom (they looked the same) and a roll of duct tape.  My thoughts were to put on the rain suit over my knee boots and tape them onto the bottom of the rain suit. Simple enough, huh?

Upon arrival at Corney Creek, there was ice on the ground.  We had decided to camp but abandoned the tent and ended up in the public restroom and literally built a fire on the floor inside.  It was absolutely miserably cold.  Just prior to daylight, we suited up and off to the honey hole we went.  As I waded out into the timber, I found out that duct tape was not nearly enough to stop the rush of cold water that engulfed my legs.  We broke ice and I hugged a tree to keep from collapsing.  After only about an hour (and I don’t know how I tolerated it that long) my partner, Doug looked over at me.  I had not fired a shot and was still embracing this pin oak tree.  “You alright buddy?” was all he said and my response was “I cannot feel my feet.”  With his help I made it back to dry ground where he had to cut the boots and rain suit off of me.  I was covered in ice, my feet were almost blue and I literally could not walk.  I’ve said that to say this,  I hate the cold and nothing is more dangerous than not being properly prepared.  Take the necessary precautions and remember a duck, deer or fish is not worth risking life or health.  Been there, done that.  And that is why, my friend, that you won’t find me afield in those situations ever again without the proper equipment.