Being in the middle of the winter season, sometimes it can be difficult to do outdoor activities, but one Greene County outdoor enthusiast has some ideas for indoor activities.

Greene County Conservation Naturalist Jacob Fernholz suggests involving kids in making their own fishing lures. He says there are kits and other materials available for people to make their own fishing tackle that they can personalize, as well as making their own fishing rods, to better fit their customized needs. Fernholz points out that it can also be a money saver over time as well.

“I can make a jig for roughly $0.10 to $0.15 between the lead, the hook and the paint versus going to another store where they’re going to sell a pack of ten for $3 maybe $4 a piece. Is that a lot of money? No, but if you go out fishing and you love (to) fish as much as I do and you’re going through maybe 150-200 jigs per year, up to I know some people go through thousands of jigs per year, that’s a lot of money over time.”

Fernholz notes another way to pass the winter time struggle is taking time to really plan out that next outdoor adventure. 

“Take a mental escape from where you’re at here and think about that upcoming event. It fills you with excitement and anticipation.” 

Fernholz recommends doing lots of research for where you want to go if it’s hunting, fishing or camping, by studying maps, reading the regulations and reviewing habitat reports, applying for that state’s wildlife tags, scheduling where to stay. He adds by lining those things up now, you can see some savings with special deals and it will save you time later on when the weather warms up.