First Snow

It’s still falling gently this morning, and I say a little prayer for the rivers with every flake…

Like all of the precipitation events predicted during these past months, this one has underperformed. The snow was to be preluded by more than an inch of rain on Wednesday night and Thursday, though we saw just a little, barely enough to move the river gages here in the Catskills. The snow could be significant in the high country, though my brief excursion on the porch this morning showed perhaps two inches here. As the Guild tied and laughed last night, a friend much higher up above the West Branch reported a couple of inches down in her yard while light rain still tapped upon my metal roof here in Crooked Eddy. JA might send a report from his cabin along the Beaver Kill tributary this evening, if he makes the snowy drive north later today.

I hope my friends find no difficulties with the weather or the snow-covered roads, but I do hope the mountains throughout the Catskill watersheds receive the foot of snow the forecasters foretold. I hope fervently too that there is a lot more moisture to follow beyond this first taste of winter!

To inaugurate our new tradition of Thursday evening Zoom gatherings, the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild honored our friend Mike Valla, tying his Wemoc Adams Catskill dry fly as homage to his induction into the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame earlier this autumn. The pattern demonstrates Mike’s appreciation for the Catskill fly tying history by choosing fox fur for the grayish body, and for the late John Atherton’s influence with a gold wire rib and Cree hackle. I offered my own appreciation for Mr. Valla’s creation, taking his inspiration to fashion my own version as a 100-Year Dun, substituting rolled Teal flank for the wing.

We enjoyed a fine turnout last evening, with more than sixty members tuning in, most tying along after JA demonstrated Mr. Valla’s pattern. I for one like his choice of Red Fox fur for the dubbing, as that allows a hint of the animal’s subtle tones of red and tan to be blended with the predominating gray underfur. Nature is not after all the abode of monotones.

We agreed to reconvene on December 5th, bowing to the Thanksgiving Holiday. Per Pennsylvania member John Capowski’s fine suggestion, we will take a contributory format to show and discuss member’s favorite caddis patterns. These sessions can be expected to continue through March, when we hope the rumblings of spring will draw us forth from our tying desks to welcome a new season!