Finishing the yearly paperwork at last, I looked up from my desk to find the window full of snowflakes falling. The sun had been bright when I sat down, and the change was surprising. After lunch I headed out for a riverwalk with the sky sullenly gray and snow still blowing about. Three layers made the walk comfortable and, by the time I neared my driveway, the sun was making a comeback.
My vest lies nearby, it’s pockets filled with the three Wheatley boxes that hold my spring dry flies. The new patterns have been added, the tippet tender replenished, and now the last of the waiting remains. A dozen days remain on my calendar, though I fully expect to wander a river before zero hour arrives. The weather has turned too fickle not to have some hope!
(Photo courtesy John Apgar)
I felt the first real sense of accomplishment Saturday, as the caliper revealed the final dimensions of my first rod strip to be finished planed. I would plane three strips for the butt section during that day’s work, half a rod section, and I finally felt some confidence that my rod project would come to fruition. If all goes well, perhaps I will be able to fish it sometime this summer.
I have yet to decide which bamboo rod will accompany me as I search for that first rising trout of the new season. Chances are a classic Leonard will get the call. Why not open the Catskill season with a rod with a Catskill heritage?
Gordon’s Quill will be tied to the leader, regardless of the rod chosen, though it might not be the first fly cast when I find that rise. Epeorus pleuralis is the mayfly most likely to appear first, but Mother Nature has been known to bring one of the olives or a small spring Blue Quill. Of course I could look to a more general pattern. My Catskill Adams is a prudent choice, particularly if tied in a standard size 16. It can imitate any of these mayflies well enough to seize a hungry trout just shaking off the river’s early spring chill!
Bright Waters Catskill 