On the brink of a new season
Here I sit facing my computer trying to focus on writing but the window to the rear of the computer keeps getting my attention. The glare of light rerflecting off the fresh inch of snow reminds me that a new season is in the cool crisp air. This winter bringing the promise of fresh brite fish to our favorite winter steelhead rivers. This thought in it self keeps my fingers from the keys and my blood pumping warm. The indoor nature of the holidays lets us remember the last years great victories, brake throughs, and even good fish lost.
In the doldrums days of winter where you might be stuck with your family, or the rivers are at their extremities ( high, low, off color). When we are in these situtions are focus must turn to keep our minds in the game. Tying flies, building lines, and cutting sink tips are all good ideas. Organizing gear bags, cleaning reels and rods, changing out running lines are what we really should be doing.
I wish i could predict the up comming winter season, and tell all of you that we are going to whale on the bad boys this year. The simple fact is nobody can. The only way to achieve success in the world of swung fly steelhead fishing is to go fishing. Being selfish with ones time on the river is the only way to ensure that the sometimes redundant act of casting and stepping and casting and stepping will eventualy lead to the pinnacle of the bent throbbing rod attacted to the bright, hard bodied, crome, smooth steelhead. The scales of this fish alone on close inspection can often tell a story that speaks of the journey only a true wild specimen of wonderful oceans of the northwest can produce.
The last thing that I would like to leave you with on the first post, is be creative don’t be afraid to use new flies change tips , and fish new water. Tight lines Travis Johnson