1st Skunk

The 3rd weekend of the year yielded on one hit and it got away before i could real him in.

So...

Well the day started cloudy but i managed to get out and found the valley covered in snow, but wait this was mid-April and the temp was ~ 50. Turns out it was peak bloom for the magnolias in the valley where hundreds of 1st growth forest were established the field.

Brown A last look back

Bumping for April Bottom Dwellers

I started the day off well, bumping along the bottom (with a nymph) after a few hits I settled down then things got productive fast. 3 quick parr, 2 - 2year olds. 1 more and could stop counting & enjoy the day thank you very much.

I tied on one of the ADK caddies from my last purchase prior to the accident.

For the rest of the day this was my only fly. I fished it dry, wet, skiddered, sunk and as streamer.

Opening Weekend

Saturday was to the be the day!
But my allergies kept me away.
Sunday, ah Sunday.

Cold & Gray, at 42 it was an ideal 1st weekend day. The water level was just right, not to high not to low & just a bit cold for anyone in their right mind to be waist deep this early in April.

I had a flee flicker of a 3wt 6.6 with a heavy isynicikia tungsten bead head.

down, deep, solw & across - - - - bang; A 14" spawning color abloom brookie.

noticed a long trailing tippet & thought about tying on another so i got out a woolly worm.

down, deep & down straight below me was an active surface, so... down & bang.

This one was difficult to reel in (a 3 wt is just not really opening day fare). As i lifted the head i noticed the most pleasantly surprising sight to ever see, let alone on opening day, there on the line with 2 hooks were a fine brace (2 fish) one, on the bead head & one, on the woolly worm.

I knew right then it was time to leave the day could not get better.

Opening Day

Opening day is now 2 days away and the thoughts and plans are in motion...

First although i have an outfit up & ready to go, i should have all 9 ready. I dream that one day i will have time in the winter to clean, lube, mend, repair, etc... so all outfits are ready at a moments notice. But not this winter.




Everyone i know who gets seriously into the FF ends up with a quiver of rods for each type of water although 2 generations ago 1 was more than fine. this year i have my eye on a 15' willow stalk which i will gleefully poke through dense foliage into deep holes which edge a favorite spot. I will bathe in the shade of hot july day until the sun tires of beating us down and retreats for the evening.

But this was about opening day - typically a cold 50 degree day w/ wind and a light rain to make you wonder if the chill will ever end. Think bead heads and heavy stone flies. Sometimes i miss lead / lead wire / and all the other associated heavy metal products which plunged our terminal tackle to the icy depths of spring pools before our offering is so far down below the objective we know a 59 degree fish would not make the turn your morsel. I do not miss lead enough to use it but recall being warned off butter & eggs needlessly a few decades ago.

3' wt, check
sinking tip reel & line check
assorted do-dads check
cigar check

I think we are ready to chase the las t of the dragons of 07'

Good luck to you all,

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Ducks or Bats

I was originally going to write about ducks or bats and some past experiences, however i read this week that about 90% of the upstate bats are dying off this winter. They do not seem to know why, its between a fungus and a virus (West Nile?) either way this means bad news for those us who spend time outdoors as the bug populations should see an up tic (ha, ha).

Bats scare me (a lot)! Although I have never really been hurt by one (or any other animal). In any case I still do not want to be in a world with out them. It is not b/c of the bugs but rather i like how scary they are. When the last light is fading in the west (as opposed to???), they come up first one and them several and finally many, they swoop & swarm over under and around. They may have been here first.

I have now caught 2 of them the first i was unable to properly release (now with a cigar i just burn the tippet and know they hook will dislodge in a few days at the most). My wife's dad built and place many boxes around rivers and G/Cs and I think that is a good thing.

I guess it comes down to this they are smaller than us, and we should defend their space.