Stories from Monday, December 29, 2014

Happy New Year! Hard to believe that 2014 is over! This final week of December has been beneficial for ice fishing. With lows in the single digits and even below zero, Mother Nature is once again making some ice. As I drove around the lakes last Sunday, except for the bridge areas, I saw entire lakes locked tight. ...

In the past, we have talked about how lure color can have an influence in our fishing success. And, while color certainly can have a role in determining how many fish we catch, there are other factors that also come into play in our fishing success. Let's talk about some of those factors...

In another column in this week's outdoor page, Wendell Hansen talks about the importance of keeping bird seed and bird feeders clean. That is extremely critical for the health of the birds using the feeders. At the same time, it is also important to keep birdhouses clean. If you haven't already done so, the winter months are also a great time to clean out birdhouses! This is the perfect time check over the birdhouses for any needed repairs...

Wet birdseed can be unpleasant for birders and dangerous for birds, but how can backyard birders protect birdseed from rain and snow? For my two cents there is not much that can be done. You could try and put a roof or a baffle above a feeder, but the only way that would work is if the rain or snow is falling straight down. The chances of that happening in the northwest Iowa are slim and none...

Are there 100,000 tiny brown trout darting along the concrete raceway inside the Manchester hatchery? Just take their word for it. The tiny, just hatched fry resemble a black wriggling cloud rolling through the water. These brown trout were spawned in the hatchery in November. ...