2013 Winter Trout Season Starts

The opener started off this morning with a temperature of -11 degrees F.  Brrrrrr..... this meant lots of coffee, a late start, and lots of ice on the fishing guides.

For whatever reason, I decided to start the season by visiting the metaphorical headwaters of my fly-fishing youth.  A river I first learned to cast on as a teenager; and, a river I first started to experience significant catches of trout on (all during the winter season).  But, the river has changed since. The old haunts are filled in with silt from agricultural run-off and soft watershed management.  No longer can you look in familiar pools and see the dark shapes of trout finning and nymphing along the bottom.  Instead, these places look like deserts--ripples of clean sand with a foot or two of water running over it.  The hoards of cars at the access points no longer exist (only one on the opener today and they didn't last long).  In addition, the river experienced a 500 year flood (or something akin) in 2007 which blew out year classes and changed the river significantly--filling in most of the old reliable spots but ever so slowly starting to carve new runs and pools.   

Nonetheless, there are still fish in it.  I've caught them.  And, today had me going to a couple of new spots where I know they reside...  only to find, upon arrival, roughly 30 mallards swimming on them!  As you can imagine, when I approached the pool they burst off the water in a panicked state of splashing, beating wings, and alarm-full quacking.  It was as if a new riffle had formed in the middle of the once tranquil pool!  I can't imagine where that sent the trout (next county?!).  The pool was pretty much toast before I even got started. 

With the cold temps and lack of precipitation lately, I was surprised to see the river running cloudy with lots of weeds, sticks, and organic debris in the water column.  Nearly every drift became fouled and the fly had to be cleaned of debris.  No bugs were observed along the stream which was another surprise.  No rises were observed.  Usually, there are midges coming off and they can be seen slowly crawling along the snow near the stream bank.  Today, nothing.  But, the casting was as good as ever and nostalgia is out of my system.  So, the next outing will find me on a stream which is healthier and with more fish.    

A once deep bend pool where I caught my PB brown trout as a youth.  Now you can wade across it in hip waders.