Not only did I think it imprudent but I also thought it close to impossible. That was until fellow fly fishing cohort, Justin, posted a picture on facebook showing us that - not only was it possible - but that we are all a bunch of slipper-wearing-cocoa-sipping pansies:
So on Saturday it was clear to me that I needed to grow some cojones (and subsequently shrink them) and go fish the river. Because only real men see a puny trickle of water flowing out of ice and snow and think "I bet if I spent all day freezing my arse off I might catch something!"
I soon found out that a great amount of water is still not in liquid phase and my usual haunts were completely unfishable. I know I should explore more water anyways and, if I was any good at this sport, I should be able to catch fish regardless. So I found some open water and despite previous misgivings I felt confident as I tested the ice and snuck in for a cast:
That confidence slowly died out after many drift-ruining ice snags and countless clumsy casts in deceptively shallow water. So then I thrashed around a bit and said some cusswords-- but that didn't work either. I then switched strategies, telling myself I was foolish to expect this to be easy, and stood back and simply admired how beautiful the winter landscape was. My wife would say "it looks like Narnia!" The snow is pretty magical and fishing is never disappointing if you aren't expecting anything. I re-rigged my rod with a stonefly and a small prince nymph and worked any hole that looked deep and slow enough to hold fish, this time without much expectation. I tried to stay low and stealthy and didn't really have to wade given the 4" thick ice extending 10 ft out into the river. I lost a a few flies and still couldn't fool a fish so I decided to try one more deep hole I knew of and then go home.
I huffed and puffed through the deep snow and ignored the surprised glances of passerby and the ever present crown of bundled-up river-dwellers. I found the hole, snuck in on my knees and made a dozen casts before my indicator slowed to a halt with what I thought must be a snag. I made a slow, bumbling, frozen-fingered hook set and felt that wonderful pulse of a fish shaking its head. I smiled with that inexplicable feeling rushing in my veins and eventually netted a beautiful, fat 19" rainbow.
In the winter its pretty much a given that where you find one fish you'll find more. I tied on a #16 whitish-yellow egg fly I have been wanting to try and made a few more casts. Pretty soon I had another trout in my net fooled by the egg (first fish ever on an egg fly!). I kept this rig and ended up landing one more trout and having one big rainbow kick me arse and throw the fly. I fished a few more pools then deemed the day a success and called it quits. All in all it was awesome to get out there and face the tough conditions. And once again the prince nymph was the star of the show with the egg coming in a close second!:
Last fish of the day - 19"bow:
