Friday, March 23, 2012

Some things never change


It certainly didn't feel like my car was traveling at 90 mph.  I am repeatedly surprised that the little 92' honda civic can reach speeds that high.  What can I say, it's been a good car.  High speeds when en-route to fishing are almost a guarantee... that is when I am the one driving.  For the most part the driving has become less reckless as I have grown older, but the urge to fly has yet to leave.

The excitement of Christmas morning (the kind you experience as a kid) is probably the best way to describe the feeling I get when I'm headed to the water.  I can't wait to get there, to drink in the scenery, to feel the resistance and pressure of the water on my legs, to listen to the hushed bubbling of the water, to sight a camouflaged shadow gracefully navigating the current, to angle my cast directly into the dark  section of the pool, to feel the sudden tension with accompanying head-shakes, and finally to admire the beautiful reflective colors of each fish brought to hand.

This burning excitement to BE fishing came at a very young age.  My mom still enjoys reminding me of the time we brought a small trout home.  I wouldn't let them cook it.  I fashioned a fishing pole out of a stick and string, which I then attached to the said little trout.  That trout was caught again and again in the bathtub (as gross as it sounds), in the gutter that my mom grudgingly let me run hose-water down, and in the little wading pool in our backyard.  I was obsessed before I knew the meaning.  It is in the blood, to the occasional chagrin of my wife.

The driving speeds have become more manageable with age, but on occasion it still sneaks up behind me.  The same could be said about my occasional fishing binges.  At those times I become a worthless fish-crazed blob.  This usually coincides with the spring and fall fishing seasons.  The fits last for shorter periods of time now, and fishing doesn't usually require the whole day as it used to.  As manageable as it has all become, I still find myself looking down at the speedometer and thinking to myself, "teleportation would sure be convenient."


 Beam me fishing Scotty!

As pertaining to current fishing events, spring and winter are beginning their back-and-forth dance.  We know who will win, but it can sure be a trick as a fisherman knowing when to cut in.  The rivers are now intermittently cloudy, and the water levels are slowly rising.  It is officially time for steelhead and carp on the fly, but with both the timing is so important.

On another side note, I love sightfishing.


  




Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Spring, it's a comin'

Things are getting warmer, which only makes it harder to be indoors doing homework.  Time to break out the breathables again.





Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Trout and Carp and Awesomeness, OH MY!

Monday was set to be a beautiful sunny day with temps in the upper 40's to low 50's.  Well, the weatherman got it right.  It felt like taking the first real step through Spring's door.  We left town before noon and made it to the water around 1p.m.  The water had dropped at least a foot since the last carping attempt.  This pushed the carp into different areas, and we couldn't find them at first.  Since there weren't carp to be found initially we set to finding some trout with streamers.  After getting to the spot I intended to find trout I was surprised to see a pod of carp just off the edge in about 3 feet of water.  With my large black articulated streamer already on I made some slow retrieves trying to get the fly on their dinner plates.  Only a few casts in and BAM!  A large bow crushed the streamer. (Didn't see that coming.)  It was a beauty that almost looked like a small steelhead.  The day produced a surprising amount of large fish.



Shane later discovered a decent pod of carp.  Some were sunbathing, some were cruising, and a few were looking for lunch.  They  weren't active enough yet to chase down a fly, but if you could get the offering right in from of them, they would take.  Shane and I both managed one carp before they dispersed.  He nailed a beastly mirror with his trusty san-juan, and I tagged a medium sized common on a large black leech.




All in all it was one of those days that leaves you with a permanent grin.  Things fell into place and there were some awesome fish caught.  They fought great too.  I was also able to break in the new GoPro.  I can tell that it is the beginning of a great relationship.  This first video is a bit of a chop job.



As things continue to warm up the fishing is going to get better and better!









Thursday, March 1, 2012

They say it's your birthday...

Well it's my birthday too ya!  Well, actually it was two weeks ago.  The Mrs. decided to surprise me  with the money needed for a...





I just picked it up today.  It is currently charging and probably won't see any use till next week.  Woohoo!