4 The New Year

PROSPERITY

Good Luck

did general sherman goof?

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.. As it's been a brisk -30° F for a couple of nights and the highs during the day have reached a blistering +9° F we've retreated to the  kitchen to warm our soul and belly.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, Y'ALL.

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The Fish Truck

WAITING PATIENTLY

Ever Ready - Loyal

time to exercise all wheels

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Yule Tidings

TRADITIONS DIFFER

Ours Is The Eve Of . . . .

spoil not the day with feasting

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.. Our feasting has finished. It was several days in the preparing. It was several hours in the enjoying. We're stuffed and will enjoy Christmas Day in a leisurely fashion while nibbling what ever is in the fridge or on the buffet.
.. Imbibing, tempered with conversation and fellowship, is only a small part of our gentle festivities. It's hard to beat gentility and immersion in historic recollections - at our age. Observing the raucousness of the general population is a mildly entertaining part of our celebration. It's mostly old folks, out of touch with contemporary hustle enjoying each other. It's not all bad.
.. We tickled the very early morning with our dopey conversations and reminiscences. We then slept in: to hell with Santa. We awakened to pick up where we left off. We'll nibble the day away and enjoy the fresh white blanket of snow that quiets the village and hides reality. It's sublime. It's way away from most of the neighbors who are out on the streams and river. It's all O.K.
.. Just one of our more exciting traditions is a sinister place setting for dinner. It satisfies those amongst us that suffer all year with the right sorts of folks and presents the rest of us with a bit of gentle insight into the real meaning of Christmas Eve.
.. We've been persuaded by the neighbors and friends who indulged to share the best part of it with you all. It isn't fishing so feel free to click away and find other vicarious satisfactions.

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RESTING ROAST AND YORKSHIRE PUDDING

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END CUT:  JUICY AND CRUNCHY

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TRADITIONAL AND STODGY  --  YUM

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TYPICAL CELEBRANT





Soon To Be

SEASONAL YUMMIES

A Wee Bit Of Tradition

indulgence comes in all sizes

Dead Dry - Second Salt - Awaiting Slow Heat

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Fish Or Eat ?

'TIS THE SEASON

Decisions, Decisions

there are many ways to sin

AGED, TRIMMED, BONED, TIED, RESTING

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An Other World

IT'S VERY QUIET

It's On The Cold Side

midges = recipe for success

WALLPAPER:  MIDGE HUNTERS OF THE MADISON

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.. Now that the fair weather fishers have left the room, and the part time fishing guides have found alternative employment, and the white stuff has finally arrived in earnest; fishing becomes a neighborhood activity.
..The neighbors relish this time of year. The pace of life and fishing in particular dwindles to a gentility that is a quiet joy.

.. There is no rush to claim a beat. There is no frenzy to find and prick all the fish in the river. There is no need to fight for parking places or defend oneself from flailing elbows and gigantic phallic rods that are whipping the water to a froth with mega buggers and other mighty streamers.
.. Our neighborhood midges invite our fish to gobble them up. They appear on warm bright days. They clump together in dark clusters on the water. They ride the gentle Merry-Go-Round's of the delicate swirling back eddies or the still froth puddles near the shore. They are mindless snacks waiting to be ingested.

.. It's possible to just watch the slurping fish gently rise to the surface and suck in midge after midge after midge. Heroic, underwear-ripping, casts are not necessary for fly presentation. The stealthy fisher need not cast at all.
.. With a long rod, keen eyes, and delicately smooth movements a fly may be placed on the eddy in synch with the trout's rhythm. The trout seldom miss on the first try. They will often spit the fly with lightning rapidity. No need to re-present the fly: just watch it make another circuit and be a bit more alert. Lifting is in terms of inches not feet.
.. The fish cooperate and sink down after each inhalation. It's a dance of suavity. The cool waters bring a slowness that is missed by the typical trout slayer. The fight and struggle is just as strong as ever can be but the prelude is poetry incarnate.

.. The neighbors know the shoreline. The little eddies are ephemeral phenomena. They vary in location with depth of water and speed of flow. Seldom  do our visitors understand that the viscosity of the water can also affect the little swirls. Slow and deliberate progress along the shore yields the best results. Sharp eyes aided by vest-pocket binoculars bring results that can be missed by the rapidly galumphing gonzo fisher.
.. Observation, stealth, planning, and execution for this type of fishing is much akin to hunting big game. Sometimes the fish are large as well. Occasionally it's necessary to step in the water. Position and placement of flies are keys to this leisurely sort of endeavor. Although some of the kids in the neighborhood indulge themselves with this sort of pursuit, it's usually the fishers of a more mature demeanor and gait that indulge themselves. We do.

.. We have no excuse for a cool brew to quell the sweat in the nether regions of our waders. We'll have one anyway and sip rather than quaff it as we watch the noses expose themselves to the early winter air. Mighty predators of the deep have come to the shore to partake of a seemingly endless single course meal. We are appreciative and enjoy the watching as much as the catching.
.. We usually leave the barn around noon and catch the mid day warming. A few fish happily inhale our offering and we quietly gloat with glee. No one is around. No high five's. No blood curdling war whoops. No license plates from foreign countries clog the miniscule parking spaces. And, our track in the snow is the only one. It is an other world.
.. We're back in time for tea.

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WALLPAPER: CRUMPETS AND BUTTER AND JAM

Little Sun - Little Snow - Little Warm - Not Cold

MID DECEMBER WARM

Dusting Continues

park opens to tires

RUBBER TRACKS OR GIANT TIRES HEAD TO YELLOWSTONE

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.. This is not the warmest mid December on record. It's getting close.
.. Around town there may be six inches of snow on the ground. The plow piles are not too deep and there is some bare pavement on some streets and sidewalks. The neighbors are not planting tomatoes just yet. Overnight lows are in the mid teens and daytime highs nudge the low 30's on occasion.

.. Fishing has been easy during this mini meltdown. Catching has been problematic as the sun and clouds have alternated in intensity.
.. The early trails pounded through the snow have become icy and muddy and elbows have proliferated at an alarming rate on the Madison River between the lakes.
.. Midges have made their appearance on a couple of occasions in the past weeks and the fish have discovered them. Little fish seem to be the order of the day when midge fishing. Nothing over 14" has yet been taken on a midge - it's early though.
.. Just about any small bit of dark fluff will suffice for the current midge fishing activity. We've been using our supply of small ants from the invasion of tiny ants along the shores of Hebgen Reservoir last summer. They work just as good as anything: size 16 is what we have.

.. Around our village winter activities are proceeding in their normal fashion as the neighbors pray for some substantial snowfall. We are getting intermittent  dustings of an inch or two when the moisture content of the air is adequate - nothing to write home about.
.. Tomorrow Yellowstone National Park will open for over-the-snow-travel and visitation. Obsolete vehicles with skis or metal tracks will have to wait for additional snow before they enter. Snowmobile traffic will be limited and dependent on this evening's snowfall - if any.
.. The ski festival was lucky to have some snow and managed to complete all events including the long races, ski camp, and biathlon courses.
.. Our first sled dog race will be on the 18th and the dogs will run no matter what the conditions. The trails through the trees are snow covered and packed. There are a few patches of mud and slush in a couple of short open stretches but the dogs can handle it. Snow is predicted for the coming week and if it all comes true there could be 6 to 8 inches of dry powder by Friday, next. We'll see.
.. On a related note: there is a quiet revolution taking place with winter travel in Yellowstone National Park. This is the second year of a trial for innovative vehicles with large low pressure tires for over-the-snow-travel. Large vans and small buses are being equipped with tires up to 48" in diameter with bead lock rims and air pressures of 4 to 8 pounds.
.. Last year the trials were a success beyond any anticipated outcome. The snow covered roads were not badly rutted by the tires, as they are by other vehicles. The visitors experienced a quieter and smoother ride in the park. The vehicles are warm and well insulated, higher than others, and visibility is excellent.

.. Winter use environmental standards for noise and emissions have been met or exceeded by the trial vehicles and the current Best Available Technology, (BAT,) standards for winter use are undergoing scrutiny in light of this trial program.
.. The current BAT standards were developed over the last 15 years and depended on the previously available vehicles that were used in the winter in the park.
.. As a result of the current standards the snowmobile manufacturers have produced sleds that are cleaner and quieter per passenger mile than any of the other modes of transportation. The trial vehicles with tires may result in a better solution for winter travel than all the other vehicles currently in use.
.. There is also some talk of allowing sled dogs for limited travel in Yellowstone. And, of course, there is always a small but persistent cry for plowing and greater public access during the winter.

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WALLPAPER:  PATIENTLY AWAITING THE SNOW