the longest month...

As I sit in the great room of the cabin and collect my thoughts I find it hard to commit to the task at hand. The allure of the woodstove is hypnotizing and my now tired and weathered body beacons for anything but the concentration required to put together this entry. It's hard to believe that it has almost been a month since I was last here on a fishing adventure.

I find it hard to distance myself from this place for any lengthy amount of time but commitments kept me at bay until this week. I was anxious to get up and check on things after the early deep winter lock down we have been experiencing and equally as eager to wet a line in pursuit of some winter Steel.

 I arrived late Wednesday evening and was pleased to see the new plow guy had been and gone. I unloaded the truck and settled in for the night. The morning came early and with it some much neglected chores. The cottage Truck was almost buried under a foot of snow and practically begging to be shovelled out. The Backup generator had a warning light on the display and beckoned for some much needed attention. Finally a few overdue bills needed to be paid before any fishing adventures could even be considered.

Well the snow was heavy, the truck battery was dead, and the Generator required an hour or more of attention. It was noon before I hit the river. I had all intentions of pulling the Hyde out of the garage and taking advantage of the predicted mild reprieve but after the morning chores I didn't have it in me to put forth the effort. I threw the gear in the truck and made my way towards tippy.

The late start didn't phase me in the least. After all it was Thursday, still damn cold, and mid day. The section of river I wanted to fish was only to be shared with one other gentlemen. The bite wasn't epic but I managed to put a few to the bank before my frozen feet finally made me succumb to old man winter .

Today the Great Lake Steelhead Co. Atomic and Glow beads were the ticket. Orange and blue seemed to grab their attention. Winter fishing is a double edged sword...On one side the solitude it affords is priceless but on the other the extreme elements take their toll on the body.

It's always worth the price of admission but each year gets harder.