Week O' Warm

SPRING HOVERING

Winter Still Nigh

neighbors dance in streets 

WALLPAPER:  GETTING READY

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PREDICTED ICY ROADS IN THE MORNING

.. Conditions are ripe for false hopes. Yet, we allow ourselves to be fooled. Daylight Saving Time is just two weeks away. And, as John Muir said; "Spring's work is going on with joyful enthusiasm."

.. Our head, in light of the calendar, says that  we need tie no more piles of flies.
.. We are busy putting off the onerous task of packing fly boxes for specific occasions. We are thinking deeply of cleaning and waxing the fly rods.
.. Our cogitations run toward washing and treating our fly lines, (we did it last fall but it can't hurt to make sure.) Of course the reels will need some attention as well!
.. We'll get it all done, right after the next winter blast blows through.
.. This is an iffy time of the year. We can fish early IF the runoff is not too early. We can scope out the park IF the runoff is on time. We can drive the trails IF the neighborhood melt is on time. We can pop a bear IF they come close enough. We can gather up bushels of hungry trout IF ice out is slow and steady.
.. For most of the neighborhood kids Spring is just a calendrical notation. They've been fishing pretty steady for the last few months anyway. We're truly pleased with the arrival. It means that our old legs have made it through the dark time. It means more mud and less ice. It means hopes and dreams that have been put off have one more chance to come to fruition. Hooray & Yippee Shit it's Spring.

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.. We need to point out a nifty bit of reading that appeared over at Chi Wulff [LINK.]
.. We, in our stuffy habits, have  been selecting fly lines for fly rods based on anticipated conditions and situations for years.
.. Rod and line numbers, for us, have fallen by the wayside long years ago. If your gear is not working as you feel it should, something should be changed.

.. Many folks just go to the counter help and buy a whole new rig. Ahhhhhh, just what the industry wants. It's important to become intimate with your tools. Practice on the grass at the park. Take several reels and lines. Imagine the short stuff. Imagine the long shots. Practice, practice, practice.
.. We frequently fall back on double taper lines of various weights. Old fashioned indeed. Works wonders.
.. We carry bits and pieces of lead core to adjust for the situation. We've even been known to finagle a paper clip or two for fine adjustments.
.. Testicles from the lead finch are a last resort.  Well worth the read [LINK.]

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WALLPAPER:  MEATBALLS