Monday, December 29, 2014

The Sun, the stream and other things.

A late December day. The sun was doing its thing making this angler feel pretty good. I am in the final stages of a cold and those few degrees of of warmth given by a bright sun made the day. All along the stream were signs of winter life. There are some beautiful greens along the brown forest bottom as well as a few animals who found me to be at times amusing, or perhaps a bit of an intrusion.

The water was crisp and flowing nicely. Ice has yet to form along the edges so walking was gentle. The fly to start was a Picket Pin. The choice was easy because it usually works, and it was already tied on from the last outing.


It did not take long for someone to take interest in the Pin. A splashy swipe, and a good hookup produced a feisty brookie.


While fishing a small pool I noticed movement along the bank. Upon further exploration a head appeared above a fallen tree. Several times this brown furry object popped up and down from various fallen debris along the stream, each time it was getting closer. Suddenly it made itself visible. It was a mink. He was beautiful with his hair wet and shinning in the sun. He gave me a close looking over and determined he did not care foe my being in his territory and left.




On a day as such a dry fly was going to get called into action. A bomber was chosen and sent on its mission. It was successful.


This stream has the prettiest brookies of all the streams I fish. The year is fast ending. I may have the opportunity to fish one more time before we bring in 2015.



22 comments:

  1. Perfect compliment to my morning coffee. Thx!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Drew LooknFishy
      Thanks.
      I'm telling you my friend it's better than reading a newspaper.

      Delete
  2. Awesome adventure as usual... but man, that last brookie has some of the brightest red spots I remember seeing. Awesome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hibernation,
      Thanks.
      Will that stream produces some real beauties.

      Delete
  3. Minks are fun to see if you are a person, not so fun if you are a trout!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. RM Lytle,
      Thanks.
      Very true buddy. But the trout have lived with them a long time.

      Delete
  4. My heart is starting to ache...in a good way. I miss my waters.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Howard Levett,
      Thanks.
      Hope the heart stops aching and takes on that nice warm feeling of joy.

      Delete
  5. Wow what a great day you must have had! Between the regal-looking mink and that extraordinary color on the fish, I'm really almost jealous :)

    I visited another small stream this weekend myself, but only succeeded in scaring fish and missing strikes. The beautiful cascading pools in your photos are MUCH better water than I chose that day... beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Klags,
      Thanks.
      Scaring and missing strikes are all part of it. I do the same most outings. At least you were able to have the opportunity to seek. Well done.....

      Delete
  6. Though a brookie would always be the highlight of trip to the woods, monks are pretty cool too. I haven't seen one since my last trip to the Adirondacks a few years ago. Nice post and get well soon.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I meant "minks" not "monks"! Damn auto correct!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kiwi,
      Thanks.
      He was indeed a treat to watch. Monks are cool to. I once ran into several monks running through the woods.
      A story I'll tell one of these days.

      Delete
  8. tim,
    Thanks.
    That pretty much sums it up.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This summer a juvenile beaver swam by me while I fished a small river. Ever see one up close?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gary,
      Thanks.
      I have run into a few while fishing but not up close. They can be very aggressive at times.

      Delete
  10. I needed this post tonight. Sunshine, a beautiful stream, wildlife, and, those gorgeous Brookies are made for a good dream tonight as I sleep. Very well done, Alan.

    As an update, to why I need this.
    Predicted to get down to -14 degrees here tonight after a few days of snow. Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mel,
      Thanks.
      My goodness Mel..-14. They say we adjust but I never do.
      Happy New Year friend.

      Delete
  11. It's not easy to get a mink's photo! Wondering how the New Year's Day fishing will be. Best wishes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. rivertoprambles,
      Thanks.
      Walt he was bobbing and darting all over the place, but finally stopped.
      We are meeting up streamside for our traditional New Years Day outing...I'll let you know.

      Delete
  12. As always, you take some fantastic photos of those small streams. Good to see you're getting out there, and hooking up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Justin Carfagnini,
      Thanks.
      Justin the photo credit gos to the subjects in the photo.

      Delete