by Larry Gibbs
The start of a new year. Tempus Fugit. Yep, that is just about my total knowledge of Latin, but it does seem that time flies. We are supposed to be going through some of the coldest times of the year. It just has not been happening. We can only hope that the cold weather will show up and put a lot of snow up in our mountains. Let’s face it, up until Christmas, we had virtually no snow up in the mountains as what little we did have all got washed away by those ‘rivers’ of rain that hit us. That spells bad news for a good solid and thick snow pack. Yes we are getting some snow now but it should have been accumulating since the middle of November and it has not. I am really worried about the river and stream levels for this coming summer. A friend of mine lives in western Montana and on Christmas it was 44 degrees there, just like it was over here in western Washington. Not a good sign at all.
Some hearty fly fishers will be out on the rivers, lakes and saltwater, enjoying catching lots of fish once the rivers settle back down. At least when I used to fish during the cold days of winter (down to 16 degrees) on the Yakima River, I would almost always be catching lots of fish, and some really nice ones. Winter is really a great time for fly fishing. True it is mostly nymphing, with only occasional chances for some dry fly action. That never bothered me, I was willing to fish either dry or wet. After all, it really are the fish that determine how you should fish. What they are eating is the key. I remember one year I was on a guided drift on the Yakima River when it was very cold. I was nymphing and catching a lot of really nice fish. We saw a drift boat coming down the river so I stopped fishing to let them pass. The two who were casting were obviously dry fly fishing. I asked them how they were doing and one person said he had a hit a little while ago but that was all. Yet, there I was catching many fish by nymphing. Well, I guess to each his/her own.
So, for those of us who do not fish during these cold times, what else is there to do? Well, there is always tying flies. Now is the time to build up your arsenal of flies for the coming year. This is also a great time to bring out your fly rod and start practicing your casts to keep the muscle memory active. Plus, it is a great time to clean all your gear, like our reels and fly lines. That is very important. When I went of fishing trips, I would clean my fly lines every night, then add a good treatment to them and give them a nice stretch to erase the coil memory from the lines. I would have fly lines strung out all over my motel room, not reeling them back onto the reel until the next morning. Then, depending on the condition of the river water, I would give them a quick cleaning and treatment during lunch. It is amazing how well clean fly lines will float. Oh, by the way, if you haven’t figured it out, my favorite place for fishing was on guided drift boat trips on the rivers of eastern Washington, Montana and Wyoming. So, what to do regarding fly fishing for this late winter and early spring? Well, it just so happens there are some really great events coming up right around the corner
The Fly Fishing Show will be held in Bellevue again this year, on February 14 & 15. That is a very good event to attend. You can checkout all the new equipment that is being offered, get some casting lessons and tips from some great FFI trained experts and watch some of the really good fly tyers we will have there tying their favorite flies. The WA State Council FFI will have a booth at this event, swing by and chat a while.
The Oregon Council FFI is having their huge event in Albany on March 13 & 14. The Northwest Fly Tyer & Fly
Fishing Expo. Check it out at https://www.lcfairexpo.com
The Washington State Council is having a very good one day event on April 19th in Issaquah, the WSC Fly Casting and Tying Fair.
If you are reading this, there is a good chance you belong to the FFI. If not, then please consider joining this great organization. If you do belong, and you have some friends that you go fishing with, talk to them about joining the FFI. The more people who belong, the stronger our voice will be. The FFI is very strong on conservation and education. We want the current and future generations to be able to enjoy fly fishing as much as we do. So, please join. Please renew your membership if you are already a member. Even if your membership isn’t due to expire soon, renew now, as the FFI simply adds it to your existing expiration date. The cost is minimal, so please give this some serious consideration.