Nick Simonson

The Thanksgiving table wherever we are for the holiday has always been about options. As a kid, I had the easy choice of grandma's turkey, along with a side of Swedish meatballs, and was able to easily pass over the traditional Norwegian offering of lutefisk and save that for the older generations who still took a chance on the smelly lye-cured fish for dinner. With picky eaters of my own now, their grandma has a spread set out for them this week which includes rigatoni and meat sauce for my youngest, burgers cooked earlier in the week for my oldest, and for the rest of us, the traditional turkey, stuffing and potatoes I recall from my youth. Whether a traditionalist or of another epicurean angle, having options at the table, and with the approaching ice season, is always a good thing.

The Thanksgiving table wherever we are for the holiday has always been about options.

Even the old FL-20, which had some target separation issues under the ice, still shows fish under the ice and helps increase success in those winter angling outings.

Anything that keeps water moving, from inflowing creeks to even flocks of late-staying migratory birds, can slow ice formation. Be certain to inspect thickness with a spud bar, and tread carefully at early ice when starting the hardwater fishing season.

A quick walk for pheasants on a warming Saturday morning, and a quiet sit at the deer stand Sunday before the weather shifted allowed me some alone time to draw

A quick walk for pheasants on a warming Saturday morning, and a quiet sit at the deer stand Sunday before the weather shifted allowed me some alone time to draw up the boxes of things to do ahead of those seasons' end, beyond the obvious of filling a muzzleloader tag and getting a few more brightly colored roosters and their pelts for my winter fly tying efforts. Leading into the holidays, these December weekends offer the best of all worlds outdoors and a time to tie the previous seasons up with a bow and tear the wrapping off the ones to come. Like a mix of cookies on a holiday-themed tray in the back room at the office, there are so many options to choose from.

Targeting big bluegills under the ice can require finesse and some fine tuning, but when the bite is on, the extra effort is worth it in winter!

A pair of colorful rooster pheasants take flight against the white backdrop of a small draw. A few weeks remain in the upland seasons, and those later hunts in December paired with the holidays can make for a very memorable experience.

Whether it’s a late season hunt, or an early ice bite that takes a person out into the colder weather of December or the first months of the new near,

A red Lindy Flyer is ready for use. Confidence colors can trigger bites better than other hues on a certain lake, so put the time in now to find out what offerings work best under the ice.