Winter
. . . and just that quick, winter roared in on us.
That doesn't mean the end of fishing; but it does mean a shift in the method. Smallmouth bass will be hunkered down in deep holes, their metabolism slowed down by lower temperatures. Their diet - unlike ours - will be more a matter of survival rather than grabbing anything that comes by.
Trout, on the other hand, are not so affected by colder weather. However, their diet will also change, based upon what food is available. Gone are the grasshoppers and ants. Now most of the flies used to trick these wily trout will be small nymphs and midges.
And there is a change in those who fish. More layers of clothing, waders, jackets, neoprene gloves, earmuffs, watch caps.
Personally, I like fishing in the winter. The cold keeps the amateurs at home. To twist a phrase, penguins and hard-core fishers go out in the bleak of winter. I may have to move from fishing from my kayak to wading.
I once fished Taylor River canyon, just outside Gunnison, Colorado, in mid-winter. There was about 3 feet of snow on the ground. A blizzard blew up and the wind was blowing so hard it kept blowing my fly off the water! I was laughing so hard at what would have seemed to be idiocy to any onlooker. That's hard-core.
Fishing at Roaring River moves from catch-and-keep to catch-and-release and only Friday thru Monday. Fishing on the tail water at Beaver Dam will be far less crowded.
So, it is time to shift gears a bit. Now I will be spending more time at my vise, tying flies for the winter and anticipating next spring. I have caught far more flies at my vise than on any river; even though it's all in my head.
The writer of Ecclesiastes said: "There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens . . ." Eccl 3:1.
When we learn to celebrate the changes in the seasons, when we learn to "go with the flow," "roll with the punches," then we are on the road to contentment. Like the smallmouth trout, we can hunker down and just survive or we can be like the rainbow trout, adapting and thriving.
As long as we don't expect more from the season we are in, we will find contentment. And with contentment, comes peace.
May your wintry season be filled with peace.
That doesn't mean the end of fishing; but it does mean a shift in the method. Smallmouth bass will be hunkered down in deep holes, their metabolism slowed down by lower temperatures. Their diet - unlike ours - will be more a matter of survival rather than grabbing anything that comes by.
Trout, on the other hand, are not so affected by colder weather. However, their diet will also change, based upon what food is available. Gone are the grasshoppers and ants. Now most of the flies used to trick these wily trout will be small nymphs and midges.
And there is a change in those who fish. More layers of clothing, waders, jackets, neoprene gloves, earmuffs, watch caps.
Personally, I like fishing in the winter. The cold keeps the amateurs at home. To twist a phrase, penguins and hard-core fishers go out in the bleak of winter. I may have to move from fishing from my kayak to wading.
I once fished Taylor River canyon, just outside Gunnison, Colorado, in mid-winter. There was about 3 feet of snow on the ground. A blizzard blew up and the wind was blowing so hard it kept blowing my fly off the water! I was laughing so hard at what would have seemed to be idiocy to any onlooker. That's hard-core.
Fishing at Roaring River moves from catch-and-keep to catch-and-release and only Friday thru Monday. Fishing on the tail water at Beaver Dam will be far less crowded.
So, it is time to shift gears a bit. Now I will be spending more time at my vise, tying flies for the winter and anticipating next spring. I have caught far more flies at my vise than on any river; even though it's all in my head.
The writer of Ecclesiastes said: "There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens . . ." Eccl 3:1.
When we learn to celebrate the changes in the seasons, when we learn to "go with the flow," "roll with the punches," then we are on the road to contentment. Like the smallmouth trout, we can hunker down and just survive or we can be like the rainbow trout, adapting and thriving.
As long as we don't expect more from the season we are in, we will find contentment. And with contentment, comes peace.
May your wintry season be filled with peace.
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