Ok, it should be known, that i fish all year. Sure, fewer days in winter overall, but I already have three days under my belt so far this winter. Last Sunday I decided to go and it did not go well. When I arrived at the river, t was 12 degrees. The cold didn’t bother me, I was dressed for it. What surprised me when I got there was all the ics floating down the river. Even with a heavy nymph, my rig just didn’t get down. Fishing a streamer was even a bigger problem. Cast after cast, my leader was suspended by the ice, even if the fly sunk.
It became really clear that I needed to get closer to the source, before the ice was able to form, so I went upstream to the dam. Below the dam, the water was free of ice, but I was greeted by a 35mph wind and I did not last long. My hands went numb and I had a to leave.
Looking critically at the day, I realized that I could have made other choices, not fishing at all was clearly one of them.
