26 NEBRASKALand • DECEMBER 2016
us gathered around, a group of friends curious what
monster lurked beneath the ice. We found out a couple
minutes later as a 20-something-inch channel catfi sh
came through the hole. This fi sh was a game changer.
We all perked up a little bit more the rest of the
afternoon, and added a few more channel cats to
the already impressive number of bluegill on the ice.
However, I couldn't get my mind off of Jenny's jig and
the additional cost of my newfound passion, a passion
which had kept my kids happily on the ice since early
that morning. We had found our winter activity – but
could we afford it?
FINGERNAIL POLISH
A few days later, while working in Papillion, I had a
few minutes to spare and dropped into Dick's Sporting
Goods. I scanned the shelves for ice fi shing jigs, each
in the same price range as Jenny's, then saw the red
clearance sign seemingly shining in the distance. On
this rack were two boxes of lead
1
⁄16 ounce jig heads,
with a 10-count each,for $1.40. I could handle 14 cents
a jig, if only I could get some color on them. But I
already knew just the place to start.
Painting jig heads with fi ngernail polish is one way
to save money when buying ice fi shing supplies.
Alex Wade of Omaha poses with a crappie from Lawrence Youngman Lake as his dad Scott looks on.
