April fourth, spring, and it is 32 degrees here in Crooked Eddy. Our landscapes and riverscapes were freshened by spring overnight, and gleam white as the sun strives to illuminate them through the clouds. The rains have raised all of our rivers and thoughts of fishing are far away. This is Day Four of my countdown, and I am reeling from the Red Gods’ Revenge.
I fought back yesterday, as the rain continued to wash away my hope, tying half a dozen CDC cripples to match the Quill Gordons and Hendricksons that torture my dreams. My punishment is white!
One hundred sixty days have passed since I last cast a dry fly to a rising trout.
I just tossed my hat into the ring to join the gathering of fly tyers at the Catskill Fly Tyer’s Guild Rendevous on April 20th. This once annual event was missed last year, and I am pleased to see the tradition honored again. The event is open to all fly tyers. Many of our Guild tyers will be on hand to demonstrate and share all manner of Catskill flies, from the original classics to our own modern styles and interpretations of mayflies, caddisflies and all manner of trout food.
Adding to my stock of emergers and cripples comes as I ponder the high, cold water I expect to encounter when the weather does allow me to begin my seasonal hunt. Trout are less energetic when the bright waters only flirt with that magic fifty-degree mark, and there are times when a vulnerable cripple drifting in back-eddied currents can be the difference between endless waiting and watching and actually experiencing the thrill of throbbing, arching cane.
I tie the CDC wings a little heavier at this time, as the flies will have to struggle to remain afloat in faster currents. My wings are just a notch taller as well, to retain the fly’s visibility while bouncing along with their bodies beneath the film. They can be tied more sparsely in summer’s low flow and heightened clarity.
There is no baseball today to take my thoughts away from the waiting, so while the snow melts I may as well tie a few more flies. The Struggle Dun idea seems well suited to the conditions I will encounter once the Red Gods release their hold, so perhaps a few with an extra heavy CDC wing…
Bright Waters Catskill 