Frozen Trout

[ozark trout fisher]

Got down to the Current for Saturday.....stayed along the river Friday night, and then headed to Parker Hollow to see if we could scare anything up. When I got out of the truck, the temperature read an even 0 degrees. The fog coming off the river had frozen on the branches of the streamside trees, forming a wintry scene that I won't soon forget (yes, I have pictures that I'll try to get posted later today.) It was lovely, but also a little intimidating from an "I'm about to go stand in a trout stream" point of view.

The river was beautiful that morning. Crystal clear, morning sunlight reflecting off it like a mirror. The river itself was of course flowing along as it always does, but every little pocket of standing water along the edges was frozen solid.

The river was also dead. Not a trout flashed, you couldn't see anything nymphing in the runs where you can almost always find a few feeding trout. Perhaps we should have gone further upstream, closer to the springs where the water was warmer. In any case, the fly rod had to be constantly dipped in the water, and the reel as well. It took mere second in the frozen air for every ounce of liquid on either to become solid. Given all this, it was a bit of a challenge to take the task at hand too seriously.

I battled the elements and the entirely unwilling trout for a couple hours before I momentarily retreated to the bank for some lunch and the much needed warmth of a fire.

As pretty and relatively deserted the water around Parker was, we knew this wouldn't be the answer from a fishing perspective. We traded out our pride for a better hope of success, and headed up to Montauk State Park. The fly only section of the park is really a great place to be during the depth of the winter, relatively bereft of crowds, but full of stupid, willing trout. You know these fish are tame and straight from the hatchery, but it looks natural enough and it's possible to delude yourself for a few pleasant hours. We did just that, until we were taken out of our reverie by the dreadful interruption of the one thing you don't want to hear on a river-a siren. Ok, so that ruined the illusion, but there are still worse ways to spend a winter day.

But seriously, we all have watches. Lose the siren.

[fishinwrench]

You're supposed to yell "Yabba-Dabba-Dooo" when the whistle blows.

[BruteFish83]

I've never had much success at Parker either. It sounds like a great day of fishing though. Looking forward to seeing the pics!

[Gavin]

Looking forward to your pics. Sure is pretty when you get the ice show. Seems we leave the day before the best snow & ice show of the year, most years.

[rFisherk]

Long after fish caught or lost are forgotten, such scenes will remain as your fondest memories of the outdoors. They are not only beautiful, but unusual, and you wouldn't have experienced it if you were an average, fair-weather fisherman.

[Flysmallie]

but full of stupid, willing trout.

Those are my favorite kind.

[Justin Spencer]

Putting in some fishermen the other day that frozen fog was blowing off the trees making a snowstorm in the early morning sun. It was awesome, and the best part was I went home and cuddled up by the fire instead of going fishing.