Earlier today, I was out running some errands, and by the time I got home, I noticed some ice had formed around some of the sides of my heat pump, as well as on top of a big, green, neighborhood electrical box located in my backyard. Can't say why, but those sightings triggered a flashback to the days when I lived in northern Virginia and fished Lake Anna a lot. Many was the day I would spend nearly as much time chipping ice from my rod guides as I would actually fishing. Haven't experienced that annoying phenomenon down here in southern Virginia, but then, I usually stay home on really cold days now. It's not because I've gotten any smarter, but more accurately, I simply know I'm going to lose any battle I wage with Uncle Arthur. He (or more precisely, it) brings me to my knees faster than Dad did the first time he ever showed me how to "milk the mouse."
In the words of three-time Elite Series champion Jason Christie, "As frustrating as all this is, I've never really figured out a way to completely eliminate icing. I've sprayed my guides with everything from WD-40 to silicone sprays and line conditioners. I tend to prefer the conditioners, but I think the best you can do is just minimize the icing."
Micro guides have become really big in the rod industry, and they can be helpful in various applications, but consider this: The smaller the guides the quicker they'll freeze up. Accordingly, Christie carries rods with standard-size guides when he knows he'll be fishing in freezing temperatures.
"They're the same length and power as my micro-guide rods," he said, "but they'll give me a little less trouble with icing. I still can fish with micro guides in cold weather, but if I know I'm going to be fishing freezing temperatures for three to four hours, I'll go with the standard guides."
Something else to keep in mind when fishing in cold weather is what baits you'll be using. When fishing a crankbait, for example, you're constantly dragging line through the guides and leaving water on them, so they freeze up faster. The same is true when you fish a swimbait. On the other hand, if you're throwing a jerkbait, you'll be twitching the rod constantly, which keeps water from settling in the guides and freezing.
Christie thinks some of the toughest winter fishing can be shallow waters of river systems like the Red and Arkansas Rivers. "They're tough," he said, "because the water is brutally cold, and a lot of times, it's off-colored. Also, it's hard to navigate the shallow fisheries because you're bundled up and fighting stumps. You still can catch fish, but it just makes it harder to get around."
One other concern Christie has in freezing temperatures is his boat hatches freezing shut when he's on the road. For that reason, he takes precautions to keep ice off the deck, starting with the fact he travels with a cover on his boat. If moisture gets on his deck, he dries it off as quickly as possible. He also props the hatch lids open a little at night.
"Just don't make the mistake I made once," he said. "I came out to my boat one winter morning and found my hatches frozen shut. I tried pouring hot water on the lid edges, and that helped a little, but the morning was so cold that the hot water actually froze, which doubled my problem."
Christie further pulls the drain plug after a cold day's fishing to let the water run out, then replaces the plug. "There's always a little trickle of water coming from the drain hole after you've gotten most of the water out," he explained, "and if you leave the plug out overnight, you might have a problem with ice forming in that drain hole.
"Winter's tough enough as it is," he concluded, "without making it any more difficult."
If you're interested, here's the link to a video that you may find helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oO-YHGkjaA.
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