December 2001 Moccasin Telegraph

12/30/01

Coming up with recreational hot tips, or even gossip, has been kind of difficult this month. Just not much going on…. Big game season is over, waterfowl hunting is lousy, no snow (up until a few days ago) makes for darn poor skiing, too cold to fish. Dang, man, I have been reduced to giving some consideration to watching television. Which so far, I have resisted…. Been playing lots of guitar, though. Especially my daughter’s Les Paul through my old Fender Twin Reverb amp (that I am thinking of selling). Oh, the tone…that clean, sparkly, jangly, classic Fender twang…Maybe I’m nuts for thinking of selling it.

But, you probably don’t care about that…. You’re looking for unique recreational advice. OK, OK; here’s one that’s about as unique as I’ve heard of lately, and while an eminently viable business idea has some undeniable humor value. In fact, it is just ripe for humor….

A fishing guide we know; as obsessed a fisherman as I have met, has decided to expand his season by offering guided ice fishing…. Bwahahahaha…. That’s right. Guided Ice Fishing….!!

And while that may seem ludicrous on the face of it, he is certain there is a vast untapped market out there for his services, and we’re thinking he may be right. Let’s say you’re visiting from the Midwest on a ski vacation. You’ve been skiing for a couple of days already, and let’s face it, the skiing really isn’t that great. You see a flyer promoting ice fishing day trips, and it starts sounding pretty attractive…Here’s a guy that knows the good spots, has all the equipment, and will take you out for a reasonable fee and regale you with stories of Montana’s blue ribbon fishing in the process. He’s a pro; to quote Teddy Roosevelt, "as comfortable with cowboys as with Kings". And let’s face it, when you’ve ice fishing having a good story teller along is perhaps of more value than on a summer trip where you’ve got your hands full casting & mending & achieving that perfect drag-free drift. When’s the last time you heard an ice fisherman say "Ssshhhh, you’ll spook the fish!"

It’s been getting downright cold now for a couple of weeks, and the ice is setting up nicely. If you think a day on Canyon Ferry, Harrison, or Clark Canyon Reservoirs might be down your alley; call or drop us a line and we’ll set you up with the best ice fishing guide in the business. Maybe the only ice fishing guide in the business, but no matter…. Just think of the potential for one-liners….

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