Forecast for Spring – High mid 40’s, low 30’s, rain…

It’s Spring 2002. I know this because it’s the start of tournament season and the weather is cold and rainy. I’m sure that if I didn’t have fishing tournaments to go to twice a month, the weather would be warm, sunny and beautiful. But Murphy’s Law comes in to play every year about this time, and I have learned not to put the winter clothes away just yet. You haven’t lived until you’ve attended a weigh-in where the spectators are as wet as the fish, or the temperature’s only a degree or two warmer than the inside of your refrigerator.

I’ve come to expect extremes in the Midwest in the spring – temperatures either very hot or very cold. Just like two years ago, this is a year for the cold. The optimist in me is expecting to be able to put my winter coat away in August so that I can get it back out again in October. By then, what light tan I may have had last year will most certainly have turned to winter white – it’s not much darker than that now, so the tan lines on my feet from my sandals will certainly be gone by August. If I look at it this way – I’ll save money by not having to buy summer clothes (I’m going to forget that winter clothes cost more than summer ones…).

Winneconne, Wisconsin and Clinton, Iowa seem to be the locations for our weather extremes, and we’ve managed to hit them both already this year. Two years ago, we encountered rain, hail, lightening storms and cold weather in Winneconne. I had been encouraged to “pack light” – so I did. We’d been enjoying warm weather at home, so I packed shorts, sandals, no jacket. I had to buy an entire wardrobe (shoes, socks, jeans, shirt, jacket) to keep from freezing and getting soaked at the weigh-in. I don’t “pack light” any more – I prepare for everything. This year, we had extremely cold temps (lows in the 30’s the night before the tournament) and rain the day before and the day of the tournament, coupled with high winds. (I paid closer attention to the weather reports this time – I didn’t even think about packing shorts.)

We were just south of an area that received about 10 inches of snow that weekend – the last weekend in April. It was so windy that during the takeoff (normally a beautiful sight as the anglers perform a synchronized dance to get into position, and the big, powerful outboards roar as they lift 1,500 pounds of fiberglass up and out of the water to balance on a small rectangular pad), the boats with their teams of anglers barely accelerated, picking up just enough speed to plow through the waves instead of rocking up and down in them like a child’s toy in a bathtub.

In Clinton, August, 2001 we had cold, rainy weather the two days before the tournament, complete with severe storm warnings and a tornado watch. Then on tournament day, the sun decided to work overtime and we all cooked. I drank about a gallon of Gatorade waiting for the weigh-in and after. For me, that is an indication of desperation (and dehydration) – I have never liked the taste of any Gatorade product, but after last year, I changed my mind. This year, the weather was sunny (such a change from Winneconne the weekend before), but the temps at night were down into the 30s again. Camping was such a joy. I slept in my clothes, tucked a fleece sleeping bag inside my 3-season bag, and crawled down inside. I started with my head out, but as the temperature dropped, I scrunched down so my entire head was covered. I slept just fine until I had to get up at 4:00 (yep, a.m.) to see my angler and his partner off at the ramp. My angler, on the other hand, thought I’d left the tent to go sleep in the truck, until he lifted the edge of the sleeping bag and found me curled up all the way inside.

As I write this, it appears that warm weather is finally here – we’ve reached the 70’s during the day and the nights aren’t quite so chilly. However, I will still prepare for all weather types. We go to Winneconne again in June, and to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin – a place we enjoy more each time we visit. Maybe the weather will be more cooperative. But no matter what Mother Nature brings, it will most certainly be another tournament adventure.

-Linda Morton

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