Yesterday was the Winter Solstice – that day when winter officially begins, and the sun shines the least it will all year long.
It’s a day you notice not because it promises any immediate relief from the cold and dark, but because it offers the faintest hope; from now on, each day grows a tiny bit longer instead of a tiny bit shorter.
With winter’s worst yet to come, progress of any kind makes a real impression on those of us who think light and warm and Green Drakes are better than dark and freezing and nothing.
Me on a small stream last summer. A repeat is many months away... (photo courtesy Jim Troyer)
And while surviving a mountain winter from the heavily insulated, nicely heated Trout Underground/Man Cave World Headquarters doesn’t exactly qualify me to write a Jack London-esque short story, sunsets at 4:30 in the afternoon do eventually take their toll.
If you’re a short-horizon type like I am – someone who tends to focus on the near-term situation instead of the long-term picture – milestones are the tools that keep you going when the light at the end of the tunnel is dim indeed.
Some fish even when the river’s too high (and going higher), and others decide that writing about something interesting is almost as much fun as doing something interesting, and hole up in their office and type.
Chris Raine – being neither – is (typically) scattered across a half-dozen different bamboo fly rod building projects, while the local guides either work hard on their businesses, or essentially take a few months off.
Others tie flies like obsessed shamans – wielding fly tying tools like talismans meant to ward off madness – and some fools even clean their fly lines and oil their reels for next year.
That we look to January as the start of the year is nothing more than a convenience borne of rigid thinking.
The real fly fishing year begins (and ends) yesterday, and what are you doing to get ready – or simply make it to – next season?
See you in the (growing) light of day, Tom Chandler.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
The inner-home pacing of madness usually doesn’t start for me until Feb 1st. Until then, during then and for a space of time after, I can be found tempting hypothermia on the rivers, fly fishing when one shouldn’t be fly fishing and probably fitting into your category of writing about fishing to fend off the eye lid twitches. Rebecca(Quote)
Late February is when I’m finally forced to admit I’m not getting 100 dozen flies tied in the off season, and in fact, I may not really get any tied.
At least I feel OK are talking myself into not going fishing today; it was snowing when I made the decision not to chase olives, but now it’s sunny and windy as all hell.
It’s always nice when a hunch pays off.
Sadly, in February, I probably won’t even have the BWO option… Tom Chandler(Quote)
Tom, if you can’t wait for that small stream fix, the entire American River drainage is open year-round. Miles and miles of mostly untouched streams, almost none of which will be fished by anyone but me this winter.
Just a thought.
PS: Waders keep one warm on the snow, too. Kevin(Quote)
I too have nearby waters that are open during the winter, and when the gate to the upper road is closed on Sundays & Mondays, I can hike up the road and have the entire canyon to myself — seems like no one is into walking anymore.
I am lucky I don’t have to worry about snow, and rain is just water that’s not in the creek yet. You gotta love Goretex. Smarter and Better Looking Brother(Quote)
These lamentations about the unavailability of large fish on the upper Sacramento seem sadly out of place at this time of year. There may be snow up there in your neck of the woods, Tom, on which St. Nicolas can land his sleigh and sneak down the chimney to bring lots of goodies to the Chandler household. But what the Undergrounders really need to make their Christmas complete are some pictures of WALLY! C’mon now, don’t be a Scrooge. Kentucky Jim(Quote)
For me winter is sitting in the tying den and filling boxes. Send one up and I will work on it for you. As for fishing, I sneak out 3 or 4 days a week and hit a hatch. Feb. will find me heading up to Portland area to pick up the new boat just in time for the March Browns that I know you will be up for so smile Tommy its all fun. Give Nan, & and my new little niece a hug for me.
David David Roberts(Quote)
The key to you Dave, is the sitting in the WARM cave bit…and I’m seem to remember something about a Wheatly box and some flies…now were did I put that ?
Oh yea I second the part about Wally and photos of him frolicking in white stuff.
Sam…the bastard pup. samistopdog(Quote)
Since the man cave is warm, does that mean the home hostage sitch is all wrapped up? Bjorn(Quote)
STEELHEAD! andy marx(Quote)