In the bleak midwinter

Frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron,

Water like a stone;

Snow had fallen, snow on snow,

Snow on snow,

In the bleak midwinter,

Long ago.

These hauntingly beautiful Christmas lyrics from English Poet Christina Rossetti (1872) were on my mind as I approached an icy stretch of creek in search of late holdover browns and steelhead.  I’d previously walked three other tiny tributaries, scouting for fish.  I managed a creek chub at one, while catching a small rainbow at another.  Considering the recent rain and melted snow, this didn’t seem impressive.  I even checked out a hot spot culvert which in years past yielded fish.  As unimpressive, was the minimal change in water level.  Our creeks could still use a steady soaking.  It can be frustrating to cover hundreds of yards of water that may or may not contain fish, depending upon the right flow.  I’m ready to give up on one of my favorite Greece tributaries as the past two years have been very scarce w/ fish.

Still, we fish because we are hopeful.  Full of optimism and music, I arrived at my fourth creek and walked to a deeper hole.  An ice shelf covered 80% of the water and there was a 4′ open trough in the center.  I tied on a # 4 white zonker w/ a chartreuse bead head.  On my second drift under the edge of the ice shelf, a steelhead engulfed my streamer.  It was fun to watch the slash/take.  After a decent tussle and a quick picture on ice, I released the fish.  Shortly after, that same creek gave up a larger steelhead and a 29″ salmon in an another hole.

You could say we have entered the bleak midwinter.  No problem, there will still be fish out there to catch.  Target the warmer portion of the day, cover lots of promising water, fish the edge of the ice shelf, stalk your target carefully, slow down your presentation, look for fresh fish after the creeks rise, adjust to smaller tippet sizes, less weight and more natural/smaller egg or fly sizes and you will still be able to find fish.  I’ve put away my two handed rod on these smaller creeks and am happily fishing a 10′ 7wt.  The lighter rod allows for increased control and stealth in my presentation.  Enjoy this holiday season and good luck with your transition to winter angling.