I haven’t written in a while because I haven’t been fishing in a while. In fact, I think this has been the longest I have gone without fishing since I was 10. That was 14 years ago. I haven’t been fishing in, literally, months.
So I was excited packing up my waders, new rod (Sage ONE rod, 590-4), a handful of trusty salt patterns and a spool of tippet. Do you ever wonder if it’s been so long you forgot how to do it. I kinda did. Use it or lose it right? Thankfully we have muscle memory to hang onto skills like riding a bike, skiing, and most importantly, the double haul.
My buddy Jay and I drove to the south sound. The wind was coming out of the south, gusting to 20 or so, and at just the right angle to make some of may favorite winter haunts pretty darn unpleasant. Plus snow was in the forecast. We took our time rigging up, talking about business ventures, conservation, the usual pre-fishing talk. I hadn’t fished in a while but I wasn’t super keen on trying to power 50’ casts into the wind with a five weight rod in 30 degree weather. Jay wasn’t either.
Funny how on the best weather days you head to the spot you know, if the fishing’s good you stay there and fish all day. If the fishing’s bad, you might stay there all day too, hoping it will get better. If you’re not careful you’ll never find new water. If you’re smart though, when the fishing’s bad, or the weather’s bad, you’ll go somewhere else. Not home, just find someplace more comfortable to cast, or less crowded, or whatever. It’s way more fun to cast in a nice protected bay than flog away with a howling gale blowing snow in your face even though you once hooked a 20” cutt there.
Jay and I moved. We found access to a nice little bay with a hard mud bottom with lots of current when the tides moving and, most importantly, no wind. Ah, that’s better. Of course Jay hooks up almost immediately. It also started snowing but fish were rolling and there’s nothing quite like finding new water with good friends on a cold winter day, catching a couple fish, and watching the tide go out. A good reminder to sometimes live my life by those rhythms rather than the rhythms of the city.
