Winter Tips !!!!

           Hello friends and thanks for checking in at the O’Grady Fly fishing Adventures. With Winter coming in so fast and furious this year I wanted to toss out a few winter tips but I need to start with a warning, if you are offended by a little adult content, this post is not for you.

          While standing in the river today I began thinking about an event that happened to me a few years ago. It was mid-December and we were several days into a nasty cold spell. Water temps were still in the low 50’s but outside temps were around 10 degrees and the breeze had me chilled to the bone. Someone with a functioning brain would have been home curled up on the couch but I was out stalking trout. I was half a mile above the NC area and the water had cleared and I was looking for fish and side stepping down river. I caught a little flash down to the right and I began to move, my foot was stopped by a rock but my momentum already had me moving.  I was three quarters the way down when somehow, and I have no idea how, I was able to get upright and probably save my life. I stood there for a second and realized how similar this was to my very first sexual experience. Both physical and emotionally the were the same, my legs were shaking and every muscle in my body was twitching. My emotions went from complete terror from not knowing exactly what was going on, and then complete joy knowing I may never look at life the same way again. And finally, in both experiences, I sat up, took a gulp of air and then looked around and saw I was completely alone.

          All fun aside, I have thought about that day many times over the years. Had I actually ended up in the river that day, I’m not sure I would have made it back to the car. So please on those super cold days, take a friend with you. One, if you do get in trouble you have help and secondly, and like the other experience, it’s so much more enjoyable with someone else.

          The second tip has to do with how to take care of the fish for pics. Now I’m not biologist but my wife is and we don’t believe there is any way pulling a fish out of 55-degree water and holding him out in 10 degree weather can be good for fish. I know when I get out of my hot tub at night and run into the house, I get really cold quickly and my lungs aren’t exposed. So please on the super cold days, take a quick pic and get them back fast.

          Next tip, stop by the shop and get yourself a bucket full of FOD’s. Water temps are dropping fast and the plethora of bugs and hatches we were seeing a few weeks ago have diminished to small midges and BWO’s. The other day I was hooking a few and as soon as I put a FOD on, it just turned on.

          And the last winter tip, is how to deal with perhaps another really long winter. Now I have no idea how this winter plays out but if October is any indication, the season will be awful. The lodge Cat and I go to in Belize has added a few upgraded rooms and April in Belize is a great way enjoy the cold. We still have a few rooms left and right now is the least expensive time to get airfare. If you are interested, please let us know quickly.

          As always, Connell, Cat, Winston, and the Drift Fly Shop want to thank you for reading…….