EVERGREEN, Colo. — "You can jig your line or you could just let it sit there."
Young and old, but mostly first-timers, dropped their lines Friday at Evergreen Lake, part of an ice fishing clinic organized by Evergreen Parks and Recreation and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
"It's all about ice fishing, both the safety aspects and how to be effective and catch some fish," said long-time fisherwoman Marisa Fox about her first time learning to ice fish. "It's you know, you start doing it when you're two or three. But you just feel a sense of accomplishment when you get a bite and when you can, you know, get a nice-sized fish. And it's delicious."
Several CPW instructors were on hand to provide advice and know-how to some eager kids. Donna Forrest made sure all the rods and tackle for set up for each fisher.
"I've been an angler since gosh, teens, maybe even younger. So that's where the love of the outdoors began. Of course, it was fishing and camping and that kind of thing," she said.
Forrest explained the rods are shorter and the reels less complex because anglers aren't casting.
"So you're just dropping your line into the holes that we drill into the ice. Then we have a little bobber and a little weight to help the jig go down into the water and that's what we use our digs for ice fishing," said Forrest as she adjusts the bobber and jig on the line.
Some more seasoned anglers felt confident but weren't seeing the baits come up with a bite.
"Sometimes the fish get annoying and they just swim by, slap it with their tails," said Lincoln Walker of Evergreen. Walker said he and his family spend a good deal of time going fishing, including yearly trips to Staunton State Park and Taylor Park.
"I guess it's just about how you're feeling about fishing. It depends. Some days you'll just feel like it's the right weather like it is out here today. And you'll just want to come out and go on the lake. It's a lot of fun. You'll want to do it a lot," he said.
Still, without a catch today, Walker felt humbled and stressed determination is the key to this sport.
"It's a day that they're just trying to mess with me. I mean, every angler has his day," said Walker.
