Dead Hopes for these Days Down Here

Even hopes for safe ice on ponds died down here, although low temperature tomorrow morning is forecast at 13 degrees in Budd Lake, 18 degrees Bedminster, so even further north colder temperatures yet may result in some fishing. I looked ahead to February 17th, and according to the forecast, there's no hope. After mid-February, the chance of an enduring arctic air mass lessens pretty dramatically, as I remember years in the past.

When I bought my power auger five years ago, my wife told me I'll never use it. Winters are getting warmer and there won't be any ice fishing. Nonsense.

And to extrapolate from a hunch is foolish. Just because I've felt pretty certain for about three weeks now that ice fishing is pretty much out this season, to turn such a specific psychic fact into an assumption about seasons to come has nothing to do with the hunch itself. Hunches are always about just what they are about and nothing more. However, if I were to speculate, that's different. And hunches easily may suggest speculative ideation, but if regarding the likes I don't gather evidence to support assumptions, they're just based on fear. As if to say, Gee whiz, I didn't get out ice fishing much this winter....Maybe I never will again.

This isn't to say the climate's not changing. Abundant evidence exists for this. But no more ice fishing in New Jersey? I doubt this will become the case for awhile yet.