DON’T BE A LAZY FISHERMAN, spending winter inside. Voracious northern pike continue to fin and feed beneath the ice. Even better, they’re quite easy to find and catch. Here’s how it’s done:
[1] FLAGS AND JIGS True hard-water heroes employ a strategic alliance of tip-ups and rods and reels. Consider the tip-up an “exploratory device.” Position them — sometimes as many as state law allows — both shallow and deep, in and out of the weeds, and with bait held tight to the bottom and midway through the water column. Once they’re set, you start jigging in precut, unoccupied holes, while scanning the field for triggered flags. Keep moving, as quietly as possible, from hole to hole, always checking for bites.
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ON THE TEE Punta Espada, Cap Cana Resort, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Not every Dominican all-star is round on a baseball diamond. Golfers can still discover some on the Caribbean island, and a brand new heavy hitter has just been added to the lineup. Half of the holes at the Punta Espada Course at Cap Cana Resort edge the Caribbean Sea (and you can see it from every hole). The course is designer Jack Nicklaus’ equivalent of a bases-clearing blast to the upper deck. Located on the eastern tip of the island, the brand new, 37,000-acre resort and residential development will ultimately have three Nicklaus Signature courses, but the Bear is going to have to work hard to top his maiden effort, which opened this past summer.
The layout incorporates bluffs, beach and jungle in its 7,396 yards, and wildlife abounds throughout, from the iguana that lives in a rock outcropping near the first fairway to roosters that strut around the grounds. The ultimate camera moment comes at the 13th, a 249-yard home run that plays directly over the ocean. But don’t worry if you only have warning-track power: there’s a bailout area to the right.
Golf Magazine
One of the best ways to escape the winter blahs is to let your thoughts wander into next year’s garden. Imagine your frozen soil thawed into glistening loam where robins pluck up earthworms. Then put yourself in the picture, poking fat pea seeds into the ground, or patting compost over a newly sown bed of lettuce.
Come to think of it, where are your seeds? No doubt they are resting somewhere; after all, seeds are plants enjoying their ultimate state of dormancy. But are they in a comfortable place, protected from heat, humidity and strong light? Did you put them in order before you forgot about them last fall? Maybe you should check on them, and take the first step toward actualizing your garden fantasies by tending to the needs of sleeping beans or tiny onion seeds.
Seeds deserve good care–a diverse collection is valuable property, both financially and personally. Should an enterprising mouse enjoy a midnight snack of the heirloom mahogany marigolds passed down from your great-grandmother, no amount of money could replace them. There’s no better time than now to organize your seed collection into secure containers.
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In a hurry? Don’t tackle a pomegranate.
You need time for the ancient fruit, which is in season from September through January.
Split open the purplish-red rind and you’ll find a mass of seeds embedded in a spongy white membrane. Only by bursting the tiny bubble of liquid around each seed with your teeth do you get a squirt of sweet-tart juice. Whether you spit out or swallow the seeds, it takes time to eat.
On the other hand, when you just want something to nosh on, a 100-calorie (potassium-rich) pomegranate that takes half an hour to munch through is a good thing. (If you don’t have time, check your supermarket’s produce section for small plastic tubs of fresh pomegranate seeds.)
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By Doug Howlett
Time’s running out and you still haven’t filled your tag? Not to worry. Follow these tips to make the most of the best deer hunting of the season
20 HUNT BEFORE A STORM The rut is over, and so is the main crush of hunters in the woods, Though many big boys have gone nocturnal, they still have to eat and drink, As the weather grows colder and the number of hunters in the woods decreases, look for bucks to return to the familiarity–and safety–of their pre-rut home ranges. Was there a buck you scouted out before the season that seemed to go AWOL once the rut kicked in? Well, with a little luck, he survived the barrage of opening-week gunfire and will return to his old haunt. Look for deer to move on the front edge of storms as they detect the drop in barometric pressure and begin to feed heavily. The first two days behind a front can also be productive.
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