Yesterday and Today

Got Snow?

Yesterday was a fine day of fishing. Not gangbusters by any means. The sun did not show until after 5pm, and the breeze was a bit chilling. Guide ice was regular and ice off paste helped a little. The snow was deep and every 3rd step your foot would break the crust sending your boot into to the ground up to your knee. We refer to it as “post holing” and it made the hips and knees on this old body feel the torque of life. It was great!  Water temp was 40 degrees for most of the day and the fish were active until 6pm when we made our way along the long hike through the snow fields back to the truck.

The fish ate large nymphs, soft hackles, midge larva and Griffiths gnats. You just had to put it on their noses. Hundreds of fish fed actively on the surface. These fish however were difficult to catch. The area they chose to feed in were the long flat crystal clear stretches of slow water where midges could be easily be intercepted by the trout. In these runs the fish could  expend the least amount of energy and still get a meal. Even at 13 feet of leader, the line slap would send the trout fleeing for cover. Every once in a while a village idiot trout would fall pray to this top tier predator. The challenge was a reminder of how tough these trout can be to fool.

The day ended with a search for Microwavable Pork Rinds. Yes you heard me correctly. Apparently they have become all the rage and after talking to a number of locals we located the mother load at Scottie’s Sports Bar in Ellsworth, Wisconsin. They were delicious. Thanks Scotty!

TODAY

Today marked the beginning. The sun has shown all day with a noticeable intensity. Water has begun to run. BY NO MEANS AM I SAYING THAT THE STREAMS ARE MUDDY OR EVEN DIRTY,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,YET. The fields in the area are soaking up the water like a sponge. The South facing slopes are beginning to show bare ground, but as you can see by the top photo there is a boat load of snow to melt off and run to the rivers. We should freeze up tonight and tomorrow but daytime temps are forecasted to continue to rise and by Wednesday we will no longer drop below freezing at night. This could start the real runoff for this spring. I’m just sayin.

TCTU/MNTU fundraiser/banquet on Saturday the 19 at Hazeltine Golf Club. Don’t forget. It will be a fun night!