Moving on.....

This is the scene as the nor'easter blew up New England on Saturday. Sixty five mile an hour winds, heavy snow falling at rates of 4 inches an hour. And to top it off the cold was intense. On the deck here I measured 13 inches and a few really big drifts. January 31...it is the end of a cold month, some moderating temps are forecast for the first week of February which is good news.

There was a time not long ago when I would be out enjoying snowy conditions like these but....
 

 

...not today. A stream like this on days like this can give you a few pages of  writing in your journal. Over the years I can recall memorable surface activity on such streams.
 

It is a time for these "little winter stones"...they can cause a few splashes and subtle rises.

Cast your fly just off the bank, or perhaps near a large boulder. Twitch your rod tip and just wait a second...
 

Here are a couple of my favorite "winter stone" spiders. These are tied on 14 and 16 hooks. Some spikey black dubbing, silk thread and a couple of turns of Starling hackle.
 

Stay warm and safe my friends...
 

 

The browns of "Rick Creek"....

Rick Creek is a small tributary to a small stream that I have long fished. The area in which the streams are located run through a large tract of state land. Rick Creek can be quite tiny at times and at other time a decent stream in which to fish. It's main attribute is wild brown trout that are quite tough to catch. These browns are born and live in this little stream and I believe never venture out of it. It seems they find what they need here at home and are satisfied.

Most times these browns prefer a fly under the surface, be it a wet, nymph or soft hackle. Many of the short runs in the stream feature undercut banks and there is also a great deal of woody debris which is vital to these browns survival.
 

 

Quiet and slick, a perfect place to float a dry fly. But you would do better with a soft hackle under the surface.
 

A typical wild brown from Rick Creek. Many of them are smaller and this one would fall into the "trophy" class. This brown is well marked.
 

You have to love those corners in the stream. Most times where you find places like this it is worth your time to fish it, slowly and completely.
 

Stream corner browns.
 

No flashy flies for those Rick Creek browns. Your basic brown soft hackle.
 

 

Just some early morning thoughts.....

Very early Tuesday morning, 2am to be exact. I am sitting at my kitchen counter having just finished the book River Flowers. Looking out the window the snow is falling pretty heavy, a clipper they call it. My second cup of coffee is brewing, a McCafe K-cup and my thoughts are all over the place. River Flowers takes place mostly in western Maine. It's well written and covers it all as far as I'm concerned. Although Bob Romano does not list the actual places the descriptions he gives put me there again.

Reading reflections of others always brings me back to where many of mine originated. Those little things that may have happened and were not really block buster stuff seem to come back so vividly. I'm certain most of you can relate to what I'm saying.
 

 

A late spring day. A free flowing stream. Lush surroundings. A 5' bamboo rod with a soft hackle fly attached starts a drift through the stream. As it bounces willy nilly over rock and boulder like some something totally out of control it's progress stops. Suddenly there is resistance ans a quick movement upstream. I pull back and the fish does not like the sting. A valiant effort is made by the brookie in an effort to rid itself from the fly now in it's lip. What is only seconds the brookie is at hand and does one last maneuver to free itself....and mission accomplished. It swims off like a lightning bolt and a memory is created and not to be forgotten.
 

Soft hackles, will they work?

 

 

Wonderful, you are....

Many who visit Small Stream Reflection's will comment on how wonderful a site it is. My reply to those comments are it is because of you that make the site a pleasure to visit. Many of you take the time to e-mail me your thoughts and some even take the time to hand write me their thoughts. I appreciate every one of them.

Now here is a thought or two from me....I cannot tell you how much your participation has made a stable presence  in my life, especially over the last year. You give so much support to me that I can't tell you in words. I can't imagine my life without Small Stream Reflections....you guys are the absolute best.

Thank you....
 

 

This Sakasa Kebari was chosen for a reason....the bright colors, the uplifting hackle and the promise....