Monday Morning Texas Sidewalk
Sometimes the first key I punch on a Monday Morning Sidewalk column hangs in the air for what seems like an eternity. If all we did was fly fish, tie flies, learn and teach more about the sport? it wouldn’t be so difficult. The fly fishing distillery, separating living from life, is firing on high these days.
Now, with a good friend who has a young son, young means approaching mid twenties, in the USAF special forces, cross trained with other branches of the military special forces … I wonder about other things, not the redbuds budding back home where he grew up. I wonder where he is and how he will be used, this time. We live in unavoidably serious times fraught with serious circumstances.
We Can Always Try
I hope he comes home with a desire I see in some of the Veterans I know, a desire to leave it all where it was, and maybe head toward something more calm, outdoors, maybe even pick up a rod. (His father is a superior outdoorsman from the backpacking world) But until then, we have to try and carry on, prepare for what can happen here, like that act of violence in Austin over the weekend, and just stay aware and away from hot spots at home. Danger seems so close now.
Spring Hopes Eternal
While the weight of our Country’s forays is heavy, we have to show out hope for the littler things, like spring in North Central Texas. I went with one Veteran friend to check out a creek that feeds into Lake Grapevine last week, and it was a complete bust.
The creek was basically a backwash of lake Grapevine, not one of those lakes anyone out to keep and eat fish from, and it had no outbound flow to entice fish, sand bass in this case, into running up its narrow shallow branch. Now, as I think about this outing, I think I know the reason.
Besides the fact there was no rain to create an outflow, there was an inbound wind to the cove this creek fed into, a strong sustained wind. And that wind blowing backwash from the lake INTO the cove actually would neutralize any of that instinctive behavior we like to see. It also jives with some other fishers we talked to along the banks, who said the water was jittering with fish a couple of days earlier in the week. The wind was actually blowing water out on those days.
So along with all the factors we have that impact spring sand bass runs in Texas, when there is no dominant outflow from rain draining creeks and rivers? add wind speed and direction to your fly fishing formulas – for the water you ply on fly. Add it that is, until the rains come.
Another hope that ALWAYS comes in spring is the reopening of spots inside a local lake park, and the transition from stocker trout in Oklahoma’s Blue River, to warm water species I have been anxious to chase but have not had the time to explore – maybe this is the time, this is the spring. It’s like Jesse said, “Keep Hope Alive!”
The Week Ahead
It looks like the first spring rains are on deck this week, but keep in mind we are not past the average date of our last freezing temperatures here in North Texas. Yeah, even snow shows out here in mid March some years. But, we can take some heart in the predictable unpredictability of Texas weather in this decade, can’t we? The last two years on earth were the warmest two years in recorded history, fact. Some years we talk here about, “walking between the raindrops,” but this year, IF it really rains, I might just turn my head up and drink rain until I dizzy. There’s a little trick to that, but you throat cancer survivors already know that one.
My video staff has gotten lazy, so I am going to roust the MMI crew this week and see if I can get back out there. A wholistic talk about the differences in arthritis, and what it means to your fly rod grip – is one topic. The other topic on video this week? I have no earthly idea, we’re absolutely in the t’aint time of the seasons.
END NOTE: Who are the fly fishers who voted for this? Feel free to stand up and speak up. Just remember, you voted for ALL of this, the polluting of public lands including waters (story upcoming on Boundary Waters) – all of it. It is certainly good that bad people are gone, but now what? Look out Cuba! Here we come! Tarpon for all, and all for tarpon! Are we all truly so self serving, self centered that the ends justify the means? Truth be told, I know who most of the fly fishers, including fly fishing industry people, are within my orbit. Do you really expect mercy when the worm turns? Go ahead and come out, come out wherever you are, and tell me how wrong headed I have become for whatever reason you can come up with. I gotta go fish NOW …
