Date: Fri 09-Jan-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

ice-fishing-weather

Full Text:

Local Ice Fishermen Can't Warm To The Weather

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Temperatures this past Sunday morning soared into the low 60s, the sun was

shining brightly, the ground was thawed and the grass was a vibrant green.

On Saturday, the thermometer reached 60 degrees, breaking the area's all-time

temperature record for January 3.

If you didn't know any better, you might have thought it was April. But it's

not. It's early January. This is when we are usually hit with below freezing

temperatures, ice storm and blizzards. The thermometer is supposed to be

dipping down toward zero degrees Fahrenheit. It's not even close to that. Some

people even reported seeing honey bees and a wooly bear caterpillar earlier

this week.

The climate has suddenly turned itself upside down. Could it be the effects of

El Nino?

Chuck Reichardt of Castle Hill Road seems to think so. He and other area

fishermen have been "chomping at the bit" in anticipation of colder weather.

Ice fishing season is here, but everything is on hold until the ice forms.

Popular fishing holes like Taunton Lake remain ice-free.

"This is really unusual," said Mr Reichardt. "There's usually safe ice by the

first of the year."

The Newtown Fish & Game Club usually stocks Taunton Lake during the winter,

but has held off on adding any new fish to the lake until the ice forms. Of

course, there's nothing that says anglers can't still throw a line into the

water, but it's just not the same without the ice.

"Ice fishing is not as hectic," Mr Reichardt said. "You can just sit around,

make coffee, cook hot dogs and wait for the flags to go up. You drill your

hole and just relax. You don't have to worry about lugging a boat into the

water."

There have been reports of some ice fishing in the area. Mr Reichardt said he

heard there was fishing on five-inch ice on the Marjorie Reservoir in Danbury

Sunday.

According to Chris Wasserback of the Western Connecticut State University

weather center, the warm weather has been the result of a ridge building from

the Gulf of Mexico which has blown warm weather into the jet stream and up

into the Northeast.

"This has been unbelievable. Unfortunately it's been cloudy, but I guess you

can't have it both ways," the meteorologist said.

Mr Wasserback said temperatures are expected to remain unseasonably warm at

least through Saturday.

This past week's warm weather has reportedly also caused some trees and plants

to blossom prematurely, meaning they may die as colder days surely lie ahead.

"Usually a week of warm weather can open buds on some plants," explained Marie

Dube, an extension educator in residence horticulture for the University of

Connecticut's Cooperative Extension System. "Whether they survive or not

depends on how far they open and how quickly the weather turns colder. They're

not predicting any Arctic blast any time soon, so they should be all right."

Most northerners are simply enjoying the mild weather while it lasts. They

know all too well how quickly the thermometer can drop. Don't put away your

mittens just yet.