Well at least in the Northern Hemisphere. I seriously pity you people who live in the far south. After the winter we've just been through, no-one would wish the same for you.

The birds are singing, the snow is gone (no matter how often it tries to come back), and the ice is melting. Here in Ontario, there have already been the traditional deaths due to snowmobiles breaking through hard water into soft, so can the warm fishing weather be far behind?

But this can also be one of the most frustrating of times. Though the ice has left some of the sheltered areas and faster running streams and rivers, the fact remains that the melt-off makes the rivers impossible to fish for their speed, and our favourite quarry has moved out of the sheltered spots with the ice.

So what is one to do? Perhaps a trip to a local park or empty parking lot of an apartment building will give us enough space to practice a few casts. Maybe another analysis of the deficiencies in the tackle box will keep us busy for half an hour. Or, if so inclined, open a fresh libation from the 'fridge and settle in the most comfiest of chairs to watch videos of recorded fishing shows. The problem with these 'solutions' to the cabin fever we feel at this time is that they do nothing more than feed the fires of frustration burning deep inside. Sitting on that couch, standing in front of your tackle box or snagging dry-land tree branches cannot compare in the least with casting from a boat, stream or bank and studying the nuances of your line where it enters the water -- senses honed to a razor's edge in anticipation of that first explosive strike that will announce in no uncertain terms that "YES! THE SEASON HAS ARRIVED AND LIFE IS GOOD!".