So what does a fisherman do who doesn't fish during the winter. That's a fair question I've been asked on more than one occasion. Allow me to explain...
First, I've been pouring over the calendar and making plans for Spring. I'm trying to mix in more nearby destinations in 2010 - some that I usually drive by on my way elsewhere... Riffe Lake and Coldwater Lake to the south are two examples. Lost Lake to the east is another. There's also a certain spring creek in central Washington that no one likes to name out loud and I have actually never fished it. Maybe this will be the year. There are some rivers on the Peninsula I've never tried and a couple of large urban lakes very close by that I've only dabbled at.
That's what I love about my winters. Setting out a calendar and perusing the possibilities is a lot of fun.
Of course, in the mail I have recently received the Bass Pro Shops Marine catalogue and the Cabela's Fly Fishing catalogue. That helps pass the time.
At the end of January there will be the traditional Washington State Sportsman's Show at the Puyallup Fairgrounds but, alas, no Fly Fishing Show in Bellevue this year...
I also like to take time in the winter to pause and look back. Remembering fun trips, beautiful destinations, and great company is worth a pause in the normally busy routine. Below are a few snapshots from a trip that seems like a long time ago but was only ten years back in the summer of 2000. Okay, I guess that was a while ago... It was one of Tommy's first trips to Lake Chopoka with me and for a young man of nine years, it was a pretty successful outing. We fished from shore to keep it simple and he beached some real beauties on Scuds. Dad would spot and tell him when to strip and Tom would dig the butt of his rod into his belly and reel for all he was worth.
I will never forget it and I remember fondly that first night, sleeping in the back of the pickup and talking in the dark before we fell asleep. Tom is grown now and will leave in March to join the Army so there won't be any spring fishing together this year.
But I will remember that there once was lots of it... And we found in fly fishing a way to connect... And that connection endures.
First, I've been pouring over the calendar and making plans for Spring. I'm trying to mix in more nearby destinations in 2010 - some that I usually drive by on my way elsewhere... Riffe Lake and Coldwater Lake to the south are two examples. Lost Lake to the east is another. There's also a certain spring creek in central Washington that no one likes to name out loud and I have actually never fished it. Maybe this will be the year. There are some rivers on the Peninsula I've never tried and a couple of large urban lakes very close by that I've only dabbled at.
That's what I love about my winters. Setting out a calendar and perusing the possibilities is a lot of fun.
Of course, in the mail I have recently received the Bass Pro Shops Marine catalogue and the Cabela's Fly Fishing catalogue. That helps pass the time.
At the end of January there will be the traditional Washington State Sportsman's Show at the Puyallup Fairgrounds but, alas, no Fly Fishing Show in Bellevue this year...
I also like to take time in the winter to pause and look back. Remembering fun trips, beautiful destinations, and great company is worth a pause in the normally busy routine. Below are a few snapshots from a trip that seems like a long time ago but was only ten years back in the summer of 2000. Okay, I guess that was a while ago... It was one of Tommy's first trips to Lake Chopoka with me and for a young man of nine years, it was a pretty successful outing. We fished from shore to keep it simple and he beached some real beauties on Scuds. Dad would spot and tell him when to strip and Tom would dig the butt of his rod into his belly and reel for all he was worth.
I will never forget it and I remember fondly that first night, sleeping in the back of the pickup and talking in the dark before we fell asleep. Tom is grown now and will leave in March to join the Army so there won't be any spring fishing together this year.
But I will remember that there once was lots of it... And we found in fly fishing a way to connect... And that connection endures.
