It is thirty-seven degrees here in Crooked Eddy, with the expectation of sunshine and highs above seventy. Rivers have fallen, and prime conditions for wade fishing are with us.
I just finished cleaning the ferrules on my hollowbuilt Menscer rod, a necessary task with bamboo. Ferrule fitting is perhaps the most mysterious of the black arts learned by master bamboo rodmakers like Dennis. Another rod crafter I knew described it as fitting smoke, and I thought that the perfect analogy. Mating surfaces should be cleaned for each day of use, wiping gently with denatured alcohol on a soft, clean cloth or a Q-tip for the female, no abrasives whatsoever, and the alcohol must never touch the varnish!
The nine year old Airflo fly line on that dedicated CFO IV was freshly cleaned and lubricated as well. I am particular about the care of my fly lines, one reason that I can still fish that line after nine hard seasons. I desire the best performance out of the tackle each time I take it on the water, one of the little details that make a great difference in taking difficult trout. We have all experienced those moments when our best cast fell inches short of the feeding lane of the trout of our dreams, again and again. Gaining those magic inches can come down to small details.
My friend the ghost will join me today. He has earned the name by vanishing outside the dry fly season, only to return when mayflies take wing in springtime. It will be good to talk with the ghost, to catch up on where he has been and what’s afoot since he vanished last summer.
Of course, we will both keep our eyes glued to the surface of the water, searching for the sight of wings, or the soft rings made by large trout feeding secretly. Would that we do witness those events, the beginnings of the magic on bright water!
Bright Waters Catskill 