The three AM sojourns have taken a toll, and I am taking a forced withdrawal pause this morning. No, I found myself still awake at that hour, but the body needs a rest.

Still, I hate to miss the opportunity: the cool misty air at dawn, the unseen cues, the sounds of water out there cloaked in the cover of the mist. The rewards…

The heat has been oppressive here in the ordinarily pleasant Catskills. Two air conditioners, acquired the past few summers, are working overtime to keep the living room and bedroom tolerable. Barely so. While I hope this is a passing trend rather than a permanent change, our summers have been getting hotter.

There could be some blessed rain within the next few days, but all in the form of thunderstorms. Any rain is sorely needed, but hard, brief downpours produce mostly runoff which doesn’t do much for the vital groundwater which sources our river systems. We will have to wait and see.

I have some surgery to undertake on my promising new Trout Bug fly today. The wings which produce such wonderful visibility have been twisting my leader badly, even after downsizing the flies. I am rather surprised that it has taken so long to dawn upon me that I’m using too much material for those wings, but the three AM morning jump starts seem to have dulled some of my thinking. While I’m at it, I should take a quick inventory of my terrestrial hooks, just in case I should wander over to the fly shop or place an order. Today may be a rest day from fishing, but that makes it a work day for all of the other tasks that keep me out there.

There are always a couple of fly lines to clean, reels to lubricate, and leaders to inspect and return to full length and service. An angler’s work is never done!