Birch Hills' Andy Winder posing with his two daughters and a Northern Pike. (Submitted Photo/ Andy Winder)

By Ronald Quaroni

Icy Fishing

Cold weather doesn’t stop Birch Hills man from trying to land the big one

Jan 15, 2020 | 12:44 PM

There’s not a lot that can keep Andy Winder off the lake.

While the average angler would hesitate to venture out once the thermometer drops, the avid sportsman from Birch Hills never lets cold temperatures keep him from hitting his favourite fishing spots.

“When you’re a die-hard like me you just go when you can. If it’s cold out, you make the best of it,” Winder tells paNOW. “We go out all the time when it’s – 30 C, – 40 C outside. You just dress appropriately, wear layers. We have a heater in the shack, I wouldn’t want to be sitting on the ice on a day like today,” Winder said.

Winder explained sometimes the cold weather can improve your chances of getting a bite.

“If the fish aren’t biting sometimes you get a cold streak like this and it will turn the fish on and they’ll bite more,” he said.

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Not completely immune to the elements, he said it can be chilly snowmobiling to a specific spot and setting up. Certain things can extend one’s time on the ice.

“You’ll be little bit more cool inside a tent. If you have a wooden shack, it’ll hold the heat a lot more. Wood heat is definitely better than propane heat, but the propane heater works. You’ll typically find me using a propane heater in a tent,” Winder said.

“You might get cold feet and freeze your toes a little but it’s worth it in the end.”

Not one to go alone, Winder often takes his three young daughters to help Dad net the big one.

He fishes a variety of waters in the area including the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers as well Tobin, Candle, Montreal and St. Brieux Lakes.

Winder runs the Facebook page Caught and Released Canada, a group dedicated to sharing photos of catch and release fishing.

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Ron.quaroni@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @RonaldQuaroni