She won't let go...

Winter...She just won't let go. All week I had looked forward to fishing Saturday. It was forecast to be the last day in the positives prior to yet another cold snap. After a short diversion to take care of some business outside of Grand Rapids I drove into some rain heading North. I watched the ambient temp gauge slowly creep from above freezing into the negatives. Luckily I drove out of that mess prior to the rain freezing and becoming a hazard. I arrived at the cabin and unloaded the gear. It was nearing 10 pm and damn cold. I lit the woodstove and settled in for a few drinks to unwind before calling it a night. Saturday morning came and went. I spent my time stoking the stove, drinking coffee with Bailey's, and trying to muster up the ambition to hit a partially frozen winter river. It was 1 pm before I finally donned the gear and made the drive to the access. In my youth I would have been devastated by a fishy morning wasted but with age comes experience, patience, and wisdom. My days of burning the candle at both ends and pulling no stops to fish first light are long over. I'm happy to arrive on my schedule well rested and ready to clean up the scraps. It's served me well and I have learned to go with the flow. I don't need much anymore and have nothing to prove. I am there to set my head straight and capture some memories and images on film. Well...as fate would have it my plan paid off in spades. The river was being her miserable winter self and reports from the morning shift were grim. I shook it off and put my time in, kept the faith, and covered water. The Atomic Orange Great Lakes Steelhead Co 10mm bead came through again. When I left I had turned 6 fish on a river that was being a stingy miserable bitch. My reel froze solid after the third fish. I battled iced guides and bone freezing winds the entire outing. As much as I'd like to complain it was a great day on the water. My gear kept me dry and warm and the crowds pushed me to some old water that paid off in dividends. It was a refreshing reminder to leave no stone unturned. Excellent advice for the quickly approaching combat Spring Fishery.