yup, it's january

I hate to even say it, but we've officially made the transition from Fall fishing to full-on Winter fishing. It's shocking that we made it this late into the season before it happened, but alas, it had to come. Overnight lows in the single digits and teens have ice-locked many of the rivers and even the biggest rivers are gaining shelf-ice at a rapid pace.

I guided a pair on New Years Eve and the fishing was surprisingly tough. Even with the warm temps and overcast skies, the fish were unwilling to come out and feed. We did hook a couple fish, but the feedback we got from other anglers was the same as ours... the fish would strike, but it was quick and the fish were not staying pinned long. I'm still not real sure how a fish with a mouth that large can hit a fly (with a stinger hook) and not actually get hooked. There are just those days where it happens. I've had days where I've had a half-dozen hard grabs and not one fish stayed on the hook. It doesn't matter how you strike them (hard, or not at all), the size of the hook gap, the water that the fish are in, etc. They just strike the fly strange sometimes and there's not a lot we can do about it. I'm usually stoked that they even hit the fly at all.

Yup, it's cold out. Time to tie flies, dream about warmer weather and fish on those rare, warm Winter days. Check out the Tight Lines website for a full list of Winter guest tiers. These are free events to attend and showcase some of the area's best tiers. They're also a great way to get out and learn some new techniques, be inspired by a new fly or simply get out of the cold and have a hot cup of coffee (feel free to bring in a bag of your favorite joe to share).