Thursday 24 January 2013

A Trip Down Memory Lane.

Today I made the trip on my lunch to grab the NRX. A day I have been looking forward to for awhile now. I raced back to work and with 20 minutes left to eat I wolfed back my Sandwich as I admired the rod.
 

  My mind was wandering as I wiggled the blank. I thought first of fishing it, how great it would be to load it up on a fish. After succumbing to the fact that the rivers were locked up and I would have to wait to try it out I somehow got thinking about a Christmas many years ago when I was 14 or 15 and my parents had given me my first real quality Skateboard. A Powell Peralta Tony Hawk. Yes I was heavy into the Skate scene. Growing up with the Bones Brigade,
 
 
 
 
 I was a huge Tony Hawk and Steve Caballero fan. I loved watching them skate in the movie "The Search for Animal Chin".  Anyways, that Christmas I unwrapped the unmistakably shaped present and was confined to the cement floor in the basement to try it out. I remember holding the telepost in the basement and spinning around in circles. I would Ollie and Kick Flip over whatever I could find in the basement. I remember praying for an early spring so I could rip it up outside. That winter was a long one.
 
I am ultimately happy we are finally having some wintry conditions.  Hopefully the snow will stick around and this spring will be a slow melt. It would ideally be the best bet for the spring and produce some nice river levels. However as I type this my ear is catching the forecasted highs on the Weather Network for next week.  I can't help but think how great it would be to get out and rip it up with this rod. Either way Spring is on the way,it could be a bit of a wait, but eventually this stick is going to see lots of action.  Just like that first deck did so many years ago.   Perhaps this Summer after I have had my fill of fishing I will get back on a board....






Sunday 20 January 2013

A Little Slush Won't Hurt You.

Friday afternoon and my phone beeps, a text message from a friend. "FYI River is full of slush, not sure if she will clear or not, might not be worth the trip". Damn. The weekend prior a friend and I attempted an outing. We knew the river was off but to what extent we were unsure. Long story short she was way off and huge masses of icebergs were making their way to the open waters of Lake Huron. Determined or crazy, I'm not sure which, we decided to fish her anyways. For the next several hours we dodged the ice floe and probed the dirty brown water for those fish we love so much. You guessed it.... nothing, except all the hooked bergs and logs brought to shore. I think that the fun of hooking them ultimately kept us there longer than we should have stayed. So my sights were set on the coming weekend when I knew she would be past prime conditions. Back to the text.... I was going...I can handle a little slush.  I had waited a week and who knows when the next chance to fish will be. I had to go.  I arrived late the next morning and although the river was slushy she had great flow .

 
 I began by breaking and releasing a huge slab of shelf ice and pushed it out into the flow. The slush was soft, I was hopeful that it would clear out with the mild temps. Several hours passed and the slush cleared, shortly after I rolled two fish, one right after the other. I was annoyed that I missed my first couple chances, but ultimately happy conditions had allowed the outing. The sun came out several times while at that first run. I decided to walk up to the next dig, happy to find it vacant I went through an array of patterns with no success. The wind was picking up and a light rain/snow mix was falling. Finally I felt that awesome feeling of the rod loading up on a fish. Instantly like a reflex I worried about rolling this one too. After a minute I was confident this was my first of 2013, that is until I somehow allowed this fish to reach the tailout and into a set of riffles. I couldn't get below her so I followed quickly, gingerly giving her line as needed, finally I was able to slide her into a soft pocket of water and promptly tailed her. I was impressed with this fish as she fought with intelligence and strength .
She darted out of sight and I returned up river and made my way back to the Van. I decided to call it a day, satisfied I drove home.






Tuesday 15 January 2013

A New Reel Calls For A New Rod, No?

Well I thought I would throw in a quick entry.  Upgrading the set-up.  I am a die hard nympher who likes to swing every once in awhile too, so the obvious solution.... a switch rod.  well after looking for awhile, I decided to treat myself. The decision, a G Loomis  NRX 12'-6wt.  Some basic factors in coming to this decision were, I wanted something light and not too long.  I fished this stick once in the fall and it was unbelievably light.  Going from a 10' 7wt to a 12' 6wt was an amazing difference.  Mending and reaching was so much easier.  So one thing at a time.  I needed a new reel for this stick, so I headed out and grabbed the Ross Evolution LT #4.  I then ordered the rod and threw down a deposit on it.  I should have the Rod in several weeks and I am just dying to get my hands on it.  So here is a pic of the Ross Evolution LT#4 in  Grey Mist.


  An amazing light reel.  The LT#4 is rated for lines 7-9.  I will be running a 7wt nymphing line, and ordering an extra spool for backing, running line and a 400 grain Skagit head for swinging.  Very stoked to say the least.  For now the 10' 7wt will see some more action, but I plan on retiring it soon.    

Tuesday 8 January 2013

Out of the Loop



Wow, it has been awhile since I sat down to compose another blog entry.  December was a crazy month.  Influenza and common cold viruses ran rampant through our household,  it seemed at times like it would never end.  The end of the Mayan calender neared and I remember wishing all the paranoid folks claiming the end was approaching were indeed correct, then perhaps I could sleep.  Of course they were wrong and the sickness and runny noses would continue on the rest of the month.  I fell ill several times too.  Throat and ear infections, a bout of the Flu and a nice persistent cold I would fight off the whole month while fishing of course.  I was not about to let these illnesses keep me from cashing in on some great fishing and ending the last month of the season early.  I packed my meds and fishing I went.  Luckily this past year I completed my Christmas shopping early.  A first for me.  I am usually running around with the masses a day before Christmas,  not looking for that last little item, but rather trying to scratch every entry off multiple wish lists in one day.  No... not in 2012, I would enjoy some excellent fishing  instead.

I love December.  Big fish seem to be the norm and more often than not the crowds have thinned.  Although I did run into a little more traffic this year, I was able to find some nice quite water and enjoy some peace and solitude.


My friend Neil and I would enjoy several outings together as well and a first "Double Header."  Walking up to the run and both hooking up within a matter of minutes was very cool to say the least and has proved to be a highlight of the 2012 Fall/Winter.

  Other Highlights include a personal best for me,  a big Buck taped out to 30" and surpassing my  2011 totals for hooked and landed fish.

So, as I type this we seem to be in a January thaw. I am hoping these mild temps continue.  If they do, I no doubt will be on a year round stretch somewhere this weekend looking for my first tug of 2013.

 I trust you all had a Merry Christmas and a fitting Happy New Year's celebration with your families.  All the best in 2013!