Tippet

The Gift Without a Bow

December 25, 2019 by Leigh 1 Comment

Last night I went to the 11 pm Christmas Eve candlelight service at my church. It started with a short video. A man wakes up to find he and his wife covered in Christmas wrapping paper. His shoes, coffee mug, briefcase and car are also nicely wrapped. The shower and faucet have bows on them. The point of the video is that we have much to be thankful for even before we see what’s under the tree.

I felt the same way as I headed out for a quick Christmas Day trip to the Farmington River. A couple of hours isn’t much, but enough to remind me how much we have and to be thankful for all of it.

Forty degrees may not sound warm, but by Connecticut standards it’s downright balmy. With no wind, it seemed like a real Christmas gift.

Yesterday I found out the hard way that my waders have a leak in the seam of the foot. I grabbed a pair of neoprenes off the wall. It has been at least 2 years since I’ve worn them, but they did the job. I felt a like Santa in a chimney when squeezing into them, which told me that this has been an enjoyable and prosperous holiday season. A reasonable diet and training schedule will resume Jan 1.

Upon driving a quick loop of the upper river I discovered that I’m not the only one who likes to fish on Christmas Day. There were plenty of liberated elves. I was able to find some water of my own and quickly seized it.

After getting into the neoprenes and rigging up, I put Tippet in the backpack and we headed to the river.

I had a size 10 thinmint woolly bugger tied on. Within minutes, a nice brown was in hand.

After releasing the fish, I looked around and realized that we have so much to be thankful for. Even in winter, the river has a beauty and serenity that overtakes all other thoughts.

This will probably be the last FinFollower post for 2019. Although my frequency of posts has declined, my love for the sport has not.

Tippet and I wish you and yours a healthy and prosperous 2020, with tight lines and more fishing adventures.

Enjoy!

CFFCM Summerfest 2018 – Plan B

August 5, 2018 by Leigh 6 Comments

The Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum’s Summerfest is always a great way to spend a day or two in late summer. The property has a field filled people casting, fly fishing vendors and those who just want to enjoy a day outside in the Catskills. There are a number of programs and events. CFFCM also has a museum and art gallery/event center.

I’ve been a few times and written about it before. Here are a few of my past CFFCM Summerfest posts:

Catskills Fly Fishing Center & Museum Summerfest 2015

Catskill Museum of Fly Fishing Summerfest

A Day in the Catskills with Walt from Rivertop Rambles

The museum has plenty of items on exhibit, including flies, rods, books, signs and other related items.

There’s also an adjacent space that pays tribute to Lee & Joan Wulff. Joan is still involved with the museum, and on occasion gives casting lessons.

Every time I visit there is something new to see. This year a Gyotaku exhibit caught my eye.

It has almost become an annual pilgrimage, usually topped off with some end of day fishing with my friend Walt Franklin and his wife Leighanne. Walt writes the blog RiverTop Rambles, which I would recommend adding to your reading list.

Unfortunately, this was not going to be a fishing trip. Rains came thru the night before, leaving most of the rivers, including the Willowemoc, the color and consistency of chocolate milk.

In essence, the fishing license I purchased for the trip was little more than a contribution to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.

So with a couple of hours on our hands before we headed in opposite directions, we discussed what the best non-fishing options might be. We were also pretty hungry and thirsty.

The Roscoe Beer Company turned out to be a great Plan B.

Not too far from CFFCM, Roscoe Beer Co. is pet-friendly, and has a good bar menu for hungry anglers. They have several craft beers on tap. The growler of stout went down nicely while we had lunch on the back lawn and caught up.

In addition to blogging, Walt is a gifted writer. I was lucky enough to get a signed copy of his latest book, Streamwalker’s Journey. The essays in Streamwalker’s Journey are a celebration of the fly fishing life, with a focus on the triple divide of watersheds in north-central PA and upstate New York. His books are listed on the Rivertop Rambles web site, and I’ve always enjoyed his writing.

So how do I judge a good trip these days? See the pic below. Tippet had a full day of sightseeing and making new friends. It was a quiet ride home.

Hope your summer includes some opportunities to get out and share fly fishing with others. Enjoy!

Renewal

December 31, 2017 by Leigh 1 Comment

It’s 11 degrees outside as I write this last post of 2017. The pellet stove runs nonstop. Tippet wears a sweater and completes her outside breaks in record time. I’m usually covered in some combination of wool, down and fleece before I step outside. In short, winter is here.

The amount of daylight is much too brief, but I’m told we’re gaining a few minutes each day.

Many of the ponds and lakes are now home for ice fishing shacks or hockey rinks.

Small streams aren’t in much different shape. Large rivers are lined with ice shelves.

My canoe and kayaks sit snow-covered and idle, waiting for spring.

IG pics appear showing large pike and musky pulled from under the ice. I spend time restocking my fly box.

Occasionally I’ll get an unexpected surprise, like this documentary film on trout in Mexico, found on my friend Walt’s blog, Rivertop Rambles.

And on some days I hike along the frozen banks, remembering what was and looking forward to next season. After all, this is the time for nature to replenish resources and renew the beauty that awaits us in the spring. For most of us, it can’t come too soon.

Hope this past year was a great one. May 2018 bring you and your family the best. Enjoy!