January Thaw And A Few Trout

It was time for a change today.  For one, the air temperatures started where they usually end up for a high.  The other is that with the slight up tick in water temperature the fish moved from steak and eggs to small nymph patterns.

This is when you will move to thinner tippets as well as changing fly size.

I started this day in the usual way getting up so that I can be on the river just before the dark is passing.  I had worked on some flies the day before and had my collection of Orange Blood Dot Eggs all ready as they were the top fly on Thursday.  The first pool with the eggs produced nothing.  I was puzzled.  Off to stop number two.


Making a short walk through the woods gave me a great feeling.  Calm air with the snows condensation rising to the warmer air above was very peaceful.   The river flow was steady and clear and I had the confidence of knowing there were more than a few good fish to be captured.  I continued throwing the eggs.

After watching a fellow angler take two fish from river right I decided that a change was needed.  Switching out the dropper to a size eighteen Olive Turkey Biot proved true and I landed three beautiful winter bows from the run.  Then switching over to an Olive Sparkle Top Jailbird continued to take two more.

As the day moved so did I.  Up to a favorite run that was sure to be productive.  I had the right flies but the pool produced nothing.   Back to stop number two where I released one more for the day.

I completed my time a bit early.  Six Rainbow Trout, with the smallest measuring sixteen inches, is good enough on a warm spring day let alone January 13.  The small flies will continue and then start to get a bit larger as we move toward spring.  The first hatches will come and the regeneration to small will be in place again until the last hatch finds each species beneath the rocks for another years cycle.

For right now, find some open water and think of the winter as a perfect season all to itself.  After the fish start to shun the meat flies just think small.  Dry fly season will be here soon enough and the warm sun will trend other changes.  Carpi Diem.