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