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Every year about this time, I have the same problem. First, our area fishing has pretty much shut down for the winter. I never got much into ice-fishing, so that’s it until next spring. Instead, my fishing thoughts turn inward to all the things I might accomplish over the winter.
Fly-tying is foremost. I’ve been tying since I was a little kid. There are some voids in my fly boxes I need to fill or replace. And I have an ideal spot–a desk next to a window and also near the wood stove. So I can gaze out at the snow while also being warm and comfortable.

Maybe too comfortable. Because despite my early winter resolutions, by early spring most of them remain undone. All my thoughts about rod-building, tackle-sorting, fly-tying, lure-making and more haven’t produced much. I might have made a dozen or so hare’s-ear nymphs, and that’s about it. And the same thing happens year after year.

I do tend to various household repairs and chores that seem imperative. I go for walks in the winter woods, shovel snow away from the barn, and haul firewood inside from the woodshed. But beyond that I am frequently seduced by a comfy easy chair and a good book in which I might lose myself until dinnertime.

This is indeed a very nice life. But it’s not very conducive to fishing projects or other things that are easily put off. One thing at which I excel is procrastination. And I know I’m not alone in this.

So what do other people do? That is, besides always putting off until tomorrow…. Is there a winter to-do list in your life that involves fishing-related projects? Do you get them done according to some sort of self-determined schedule? Or are you more like me, with lots of good intentions but a bit short on follow-through?