The first half of January provided decent day-to-day streamer fishing. It was nice to have the opportunity to return to so many favorite stretches of water. All areas provided action, some better than others. As usual, leech patterns in black and olive were the top producers. I was glad to see several year classes of trout represented, most of them fat and healthy. Unfortunately, there seems to come a period of time, every early season, when something turns the switch to off and kills the vibe. I can’t say for sure what it is other than I know it can’t be me. So, having no choice, I’ll blame the weather.

The first two weeks of the season, the weather was cold, but stable. Cloudy, light winds, highs, usually in the 20s. Then, as to be expected, one of those polar vortexes came for a week-long visit. It was too cold to consider fishing, shelf ice developed and some sections of the stream almost completely froze up. After six days of staring at my fly box the time came to return to the stream. Since that cold snap, all of my outings have been slow. So here is what I think I know.  I’m still taking fish, but not in the numbers I was earlier in January. My best technique to date is still fishing streamers. Nymphs and scuds will pick up some fish and on the few warmer days of late, we’ve had some surface activity. On those days one should never rule out small olive mayflies, but most likely at this time of year, and depending on the watershed, any surface activity will be on midges or little black Stoneflies. I typically don’t start seeing Blue-wing olives in any numbers until March. 

So, I’ll continue to fish most days. Eventually, with stable weather patterns, be it nice or not so nice, things will settle in. As the next four weeks go by things will only improve. Until then I may have to make a sacrifice to Njord, the Viking God of the sea and fishermen.  It couldn’t hurt. 

Skal!