Spring is (almost) here...

It's been a while since I've posted. It's sort of hard to post on a fishing blog when the water temperature is still below 40 degrees, so forgive me.

Now, the above statement doesn't mean that I haven't been trying to catch fish on open water. Warm water fish at that.

3/6/2008 - The day of sleeping
Floating a stonefly nymph to match those I'm seeing on the snow right on the edge of the hard current with a strike indicator suspending it perfectly. What does this new jack do? Missed TWO strikes on the nymph. TWO!

Diagnosis is that I didn't have my line between the indicator and the tip of my rod tight. Make sure you do that.



3/12/2008 - The day of "Oh Shit!"
Weather was iffy but pressure was dropping and it got warm. Nothing for the first 30 minutes, so I moved about 200yds upstream and that was the ticket.

Cast
Strip strip BAM! Oops, missed it.
Cast
Strip Strip BAM! OOH!!! I GOT IT!!!!
15 second elapses...

OH SHIT!


Broke me off. 8lb straight mono leader.

Get back to the truck...

OH SHIT!

Only made one leader. Only brought one. Time to go home...

Long story short, I came home, realized I needed to get right back there, made two more straight 8lb mono leaders and headed out. Nothing, but did find out I really like the action a fly a buddy gave to me has in the water. Big fish in a few weeks.

Spring is getting close. I imagine judging by how easily the fish broke me off it was probably a pike, or a particularly angry small mouth, or even a big fat river chub.


Honestly, I don't care... it gets my blood pumping and I felt some serious tug on the line and saw my 8wt rod bent in half for a few seconds.