rise mercury, rise damn you

I actually thought we were in the clear as far as really cold weather goes but I was wrong. Very wrong. My high hopes of getting out and swinging some flies this week were squashed by sub-zero temps and blustery winds....again. Weird. Four of us from Tight Lines just got back from the Great Waters FlyFishing Expo in Chicago last night. I'd say that Sunday down there was one of the coldest days I've experienced in a long time, if not ever. However, it didn't seem to keep people away. We saw a ton of people at our booth, Timmy got great reviews on his talk on river smallmouth, and I met some really great people. Word on the streets was that people were really digging the new Sage Smallmouth sticks. They are ugly, but they are also rocket launchers. I also heard someone describe the color of the blank as "looks like beer", which put a new angle on things. Before, I just used the word "hideous". Only twenty days until early trout opens. I can't wait to get back and fish some of the home waters. Hopefully there isn't a big heat spell two days before and the rivers blow out, but for now I'll remain optimistic. I'm going to fish big and slow, probably trading quantity for a few bigger fish, which is alright by me. Our group will have an epic weekend....we're due after several years of rough conditions for the opener and people missing due to children being born. But this year the rivers will rock for us. If we can get Jon out of bed.

Tiger Hunting?

It's been about three weeks since I've cast into anything resembling open water and the only solace I have found is the knowledge that in a little over three weeks we will be able to cast to stream trout once again. I don't know if I'd be able to wait another month. I've tied myself out of hooks several times now and I don't think I'll be able to use...or lose all the flies I've tied in the last couple months. Ice fishing is really good right now and there are still good numbers of lake-run browns and steelhead in the tributaries, but there's nothing like an outing on the river you grew up on. Those mornings by yourself when you can really listen to the river, the red-wing blackbirds, the last hoots of an owl or if you're lucky, the gobbles of a tom up on the ridge are special times. If the trout are cooperative or not seems to hardly matter, even though that is why we are there. So be patient, it's almost here. And remember how bad you want to get out there right now the next time you opt to mow the lawn or clean the roof gutters of leaves instead of hitting the woods or water. Oh yeah, you might be wondering what the title of this post actually means. It's my goal for 2008. No, not to travel to Africa and kill a tiger, but rather to catch a Tiger Trout. These are the result of the cross fertilization between a Brown Trout and a Brook Trout, both of whom spawn in the fall, making the species possible. If it is possible for a stream brook trout to get any more beautiful, this is it. I remember as a kid catching what I thought were just really crazy looking brook trout in our local river, which held great numbers of both species, and dismissing them as such. But now I want to catch and photograph one and know for sure what it is. It's really a "fools goal" if you will because I'm not going to actually do anything different or change anything. It's not like they prefer a certain fly or a certain river, they're just an annomaly. It's all about luck. And I feel lucky this year. Get your gear ready, it's almost time.