That Time of Year

Every year at about this time I get a yen to go fishing.  I know it is too early, and the water is still too cold.  The fish are sluggish.  They won’t bite … but I still want to go.

Why not go ice fishing?  The ice is still good on some of the higher the lakes in the mountains.  I really can’t tell you why, but ice fishing never really appealed to me.  That comes under the heading of “different strokes for different folks.”  When I fish, I like to be able to move around.  I guess that’s it.

To be forthright, I once fell through the ice while crossing the North Platte river on a deer hunting trip.  It was in December, about twelve degrees above zero (F), and the wind was blowing.  It was in a place where the water was deeper, and the current was pulling me under the ice.  If I hadn’t caught myself on the ice in front of me with my rifle, I might have drowned.  I was soaked to my chest, and by the time we got back to the pickup, I was becoming hypothermic.  Now, I am more cautious about ice.  I still go out on it, but I don’t push the envelope.

My dad taught me to fish on the mountain streams near Aspen, Colorado.  I liked it because it was on those fishing trips that I got to spend some time with him.  He worked two, or sometimes three jobs so that Mom could stay home and take care of us kids.  When he was home, he rested, watched TV, or slept.  Anyway, I learned to enjoy fishing from him, and fly fishing on streams was the kind of fishing he did.  When you fish on mountain streams, you move around a lot.

After dad died, I developed my own style of fishing.  When I was younger, I backpacked into wilderness areas in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana, and I fished a lot on high alpine lakes.  I was still exclusively a trout fisherman.

Now that I have reached my “golden years,” and I no longer am able to backpack,  my style of fishing is more diversified.  I no longer fish exclusively for trout.  I still like to fly fish on streams, but I also fish from a small ten foot Jon boat for bass, trout, walleye, pike, and whatever else bites.

I fish from shore when my wife, grandkids, and/or sister come with me.  That way I can help them rig up their rods, bait hooks, and untangle their lines.  My wife and sister are afraid to ride in my little boat, and the grandkids are too young and wiggly.  They might tip the thing over for real.  They can ride in the boat when they are older.

The kind of fishing, or type of fish, no longer matter.  I just want to get outside and enjoy it.  You get cabin fever by the end of winter.  I work on the house and yard as it gets warmer.  There is a sense of satisfaction when a project turns out well and the place looks better, but for me it’s work … not fun.  For sure, it can’t compare with having a good fish on the line.  Now that is fun!  See you on the water in a few more weeks.