More?

I took advantage of a warm day (58 degrees) earlier this week and went fishing. I went up to a stream I don't fish much...hoping to get into enough sections of stream with sunlight to be able to land a fly on water versus ice.

As it turned out, there was ice, but not as much as I had feared. And, I was surprised at how active the trout were despite the cold temps we have been having. During the morning hours, I was having to deal with various ice issues on the river, but the afternoon was much better in those sunny sections of the stream. In one braid section that runs along tight against the mountain side (shady and woody), I saw some brown trout swimming below me as I walked the trail. I sneaked down to the edge of the stream and took a bow and arrow shot between the tree limbs. What? The fly just skittered on top of the water...a clear sheet of ice over those fish and no way to get a fly to them:) I got my good chuckle for the day and hiked back down the mountain for ice free(er) waters.

If you were wondering what flies I was using, the dry fly was on the line and I got enough trout to rise and take it to keep me motivated. Yep, I'm going to finish out this year using "dry flies only" it seems. This day may be my last time to fish this year. We'll see. I'm starting to look forward to the new year and planning lots of fly fishing adventures...

Gear: Winston WT 8' 2wt fly rod; Trutta Perfetta fly reel; Over lined with Rio Lightline WF3F fly line; #14 Royal Wulff dry fly.

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