Eighteen hours after leaving the house, and 20 miles after leaving the truck, we reached our rig. With the elk in the back and the heater cranked in the cab, we headed for home.
Giddy, we roared through the last hundred and fifty miles to the farm we were going to be staying at for the next five days. We arrived a few hours past dark and settled into an old single wide.
I’ve kept pretty quiet about my favorite winter pursuit. But as the mercury rises, rainbows start to move, and larger groups of anglers begin to awake from winter slumber, I’m ready to fess up. For the last couple of months I’ve spent my spare time swinging a two handed rod in relative solitude.
Sluggish in the heart of winter, they rarely come to the surface. Small nymphs drifting by their nose comprise the bulk of their diet. A move of more than a few inches constitutes significant effort. With trout lurking in deep pools, some of us moth ball the fishing gear until spring, waiting for the bugs to, Read More
Snow stacks up on the windowsill and in the mountains. It’s good for fish, good for grass, good for ungulates. Those are fleeting thoughts in the back of my mind. Mostly I keep my eye on the snow report at the local ski area. I take a leisurely morning to clean the garage and, Read More
Sleeping bag tucked under my arm and Sorel boots in my opposite hand, I boarded the bus with my head down. I was the only kid carrying those items. As a freshman in high school I was embarrassed by the extra gear. But my dad wasn’t letting me leave home without it. Raised in, Read More
As we put the holidays in the rear view mirror many of us begin to wish we had a flight booked to the Bahamas. Snow and freezing temps get to the best of us. Before you know it days or weeks can slip by without getting out. It’s great to spend time behind the vice,, Read More
Being cooped up inside during the long winter months can begin to wear on the whole family. There are a host of tried and true winter activities but it’s not always easy to get outside. Fishing, other than through ice, is not on most folks radar this time of year. Take this one step further and, Read More
Plastic exploded as the wiper blades snapped against the windshield. I’d hoped to free ice from the blades and return quickly to the warming cab. Instead, a quick audible had me limping to an auto parts store for new wipers. The line was nearly out the door. Seems the whole town was in the, Read More
The sun peeks over the canyon rim, providing light for a few short hours. In the cold and dark hardly anyone visits. But the trout are still there.