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The holidays leave that extra layer of
fat on many us. Yes, meats and cheeses, cookies and
crumpets – the feast helps winterize our bodies for those
piscatorial endeavors that lay in the cold flows ahead. Here
in Oregon, we set our sights to the ribbons of fresh steelhead
as they make their way back to their birthplaces. It takes a
certain attitude, a sense of perseverance, a love really, to
push us on into a world of frozen guides and chattering teeth.
We are not the only ones, that calculate our movements a little
more carefully when the mercury falls and a false step encourages
disaster. The animal world, and our dearest critter, the fish
will too, alter their behavior and habits. Metabolisms change
with temperature. We must change our approach. Why do we sell
a lot of sink tips in the winter? Because we have to bring our
patterns closer to the fish. We have to work a hold thoroughly,
where speed and depth of the fly is of major concern. Winter
is a time of Skagit lines, long leaders, sink tips and heavy
flies. It is a time of rain and snow, thermoses of coffee, gloves
and crackling fires. It is a time to repair those leaky waders
and make sure the treads on our boots still got that grip. Hooking
a steelhead on a fly rod is no easy task, yet in the winter,
the difficulty seems to increase. But so does the reward! A
puzzle that just clicks together is of very little use. The
journey taken dictates the electricity of triumph.
Of course many
of us dream of distant lands when January closes
in. Lands like the Seychelles, Christmas Island, Mexico or Belize.
Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina and Australia. Anglers around the
globe will warm their hearts and zap their souls this winter
season. There are mysteries worldwide to be solved and we, at
the Gorge
Fly Shop can help you on your own individual paths of discovery.
Drop us a line; let us know what your pursuits entail and we
can ship all the necessary tackle to you. Aside from providing
one of the largest arrays of fly gear in the industry, we have
really built our business on the laurels of exceptional customer
service. All of us here at the Gorge
Fly Shop wish you a magical winter season.
- SB
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