Theme '15

     The ice has waned, and I am ready.  It has been an extended break from the river with another non-negotiable winter in the Catskills.  I fared remarkably well over the last few months, in my opinion.  The household may disagree, but only I know how well I managed to keep my composure, sans the river.  

     In the background, I have slowly been cleaning up the gear and rounding to form.  The usual thoughts creep to mind, about how I simply have too much crap and I have wasted more money on this sport than is practical.  Ninety percent of my fish have come on twenty percent of my stuff.  My long term goal is to be a fishing minimalist and simply be happy with the sun on my face.  

      I put a lot of thought into what I want out of 2015 and I had gone back and forth between the end of last season and so many nights at the tying vise while helplessly held captive between the sub zero temperatures and Say Yes to the Dress on in the background. Ugh.  It wasn't until I came across an experiment from bass fishing last year that I sought to refine and make it my purpose.

     Last year, I flipped around a Lefty's Deceiver that I tied on a 1/0 hook and hit up a few bucket mouths.  It was the first time that I had ever fished a streamer that light and it was quite a pleasure in still-water.  Previous experience with streamers were always on floating lines flopping some cannonball out there that sank so fast the retrieve was more about not getting snagged while it carved a canal in the riverbed, than it was actually 'fishing' the fly.  I also lost out on a lot of proficiency because it seemed as if I never fished the same streamer twice.  How could I ever get better if I was always changing the variables? I think this contraption of marabou and rabbit with four glass beads in the articulation joint and just a 4mm brass bead buried behind the eyes is going to do it.  No lead, not even any tungsten.  But I can cast it a country mile.

     I think the answer is sitting in my vise.  It's not a Deceiver and it has inspiration from many other patterns. Dare I dedicate a complete year's theme to a single fly?  No, I can't do that.  But I can dedicate it towards larger fish, of which I think this fella is going to be the biggest factor.  It crosses over between the lake and the river- a little on the big side for trout and just right for warmwater. This is the fly of the year for 2015.  I have that much confidence in it, and as we know, confidence is the most important part of this game.

     I do expect to be suckered into a couple of hatches this year on top.  I've got some cool terrestrials ready to go. I refuse to give up blind fishing an isonychia dun in the riffles.  But I think Whitey and me ...are going to make 2015.  Together, we're going to finally solve my skills gap in streamers, and I wouldn't mind taping a 24" brown while we're at it.

     BEST OF LUCK TO EVERYONE THIS YEAR!  BE SAFE, BE NICE, AND HAVE FUN!