DS Fishing Blog

Well, I have to say, I've been enjoying the Southern California Winter weather.  It has been wetter and colder than normal.  God knows we need it too.  Between global warming and global economic meltdown, it seems like we better get in our last few breaths before Armageddon.  So, when it gets below 40 degrees in my neck of the woods, I bust out the scarves and wool hats and revel in it.

Now, I'm sorry for all of you that have to brave arctic winds and shoveling snow and dealing with ice on a daily basis.  When I've had to deal with those conditions, I was on vacation.  I acknowledge that Winter temperatures here are like Spring everywhere else.  Nevertheless, when the mercury is hovering around freezing, and everyone here is complaining and hiding indoors, I go outside.  I know you gotta enjoy it while it lasts, because it's gonna be 75 degrees any day again.

The truth is, I love winter fly fishing.  Maybe it's because I don't get much cold weather and I need the change.  Plus, I can always count on beautiful scenery and less crowds, not including the traffic on the highway jammed with vehicles packed with snowboards and skiis.   Sadly, I haven't been able to get away, and I'm not even sure if I'm gonna get on the water before February.  I'll tell you what has put a smile on my face though:  Setting up my Tying station.  I have been stocking up on all those winter flies that I either need or think I need.  In fact,  I always end up with a bunch of flies that I tie and never use.  It's funny, but when I'm on the water, I generally pass over the new flies and swap out all the flies that I know have worked before.  I know that sounds perfectly logical.  What is strange is the need to always find new flies.  Over the summer I read some really interesting things about the RS2 (I'll talk more about this sucker another time).  I tied a few variations in color and size so as to match my waters.  It took me two days to finally try it out.  My go to flies were working just fine, so, I thought, why be adventurous?  Well, that RS2 worked like a charm.

So, now I'm sitting at my vise and I start working away on some midges.  Black tiger and Red zebra midges with different variations.  You can see from the picture the subtle differences.  Why so many variations you ask?  Well, the smart answer is to see what is most effective when I actually fish them.  The honest answer is because I can.  It's been several months since I've had my fly tying epuipment out and I've forgotten how much pleasure I get from tying flies.  It's just like fly fishing.... except you don't have fish... or water.  OK, it's not really like fishing.  But, I like it a lot; the attention to detail, the creative control.  It doesn't matter that I don't use much of what I make.. yet.  The satisfaction of knowing I made them and the knowledge that I have the right fly in box, whether I use it or not, is blissful.  Now, I'm gonna make some more WD-40's... because I can! (and because I watched an angler use them to take nearly every fish of size from a nice run recently.  She was kind enough to tell me what she was using.)

Happy New Year.

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