By Michael Smith, Sr., Contributing Writer
Are your kids spending too much time on the couch? Are their eyes becoming rectangular from watching too much TV? Are their fishing rods tangled in a snarl on the garage floor where they left them last July? It might be time for you and the kids to get out for some winter fishing.
Two local lakes offer good winter fishing opportunities especially suited to young and beginning fishers. Lake Tye, on the west side of Monroe, and Gissberg Ponds, East of I-5 near Marysville, are ideal for kids who want to try their luck during the upcoming winter break from school. Both are open for fishing year round, are easily accessible by car, and are perfect for bank fishing beginners.
Catching has been slow lately, but if the unseasonably warm weather continues, fishing will heat up nicely, just in time for the kids' Christmas break.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife stocked both of these fishing spots with rainbow trout in October and November; Lake Tye with 8,000 and Gissberg with 5,700 catchable-sized fish.
For an additional bonus, the catch limit on both Lake Tye and Gissberg Ponds has been raised to 10 fish daily with no minimum size until February 13.
The fishing will not probably be hot, as in opening day hot, but there are still a lot of fish there. Patient and persistent fishers willing to brave the elements will take fish home.
It will probably be wet. It might be windy. The temperature, if you are fortunate, will be in the mid 50s, so dress warmly for the rain and bring a thermos of hot chocolate.
Get out there as early in the morning as you can get yourself on the water, and plan on spending a couple of hours.
You will need a light spinning outfit with light line and leader. Try this sequence: Main line +Ö light, sliding weight +Ö swivel +Ö 24GÇ¥ light leader +Ö #4 bait hook +Ö floating, smelly eggs or power bait.
You want your bait to float just above the top of the grass and weeds growing on the bottom of the lake. Toss the lure out about 40 feet and let it settle. Jiggle and move the bait a foot or so every few minutes to create a scent trail for the fish to follow.
The fish are not as active as they will be in the spring, but they are there, and they are moving and feeding. They are waiting for you to get off the couch and come on down! Good luck!
Michael Smith, Sr. is a retired, second-career pastor, most recently at Monroe United Methodist Church. A lover of fishing, Smith hopes to provide easy-to-understand information for the novice fisherman.
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