Hiking, Hocking Hills State Park and a ole friend!

 It was a great day and here are some videos and other interesting items from our day!

Pre-Spring Swing

 

Hello folks,

Well winter has been strange to say the least and on February 10 I am going to swing flies in northeast Ohio in 50-degree weather.  Meanwhile there are states in the Pacific Northwest that have only 50% of the snowpack for the season.

Today’s outing of swinging flies was more for exercise than anything else. I headed way up stream on the Grand River. I found the river to be running a little low for swinging at 340 cf/s and she had a solid 24” of visibility today.

I brought my Scott switch rod (2H1157/4) and I have it strung up with a SA 440 grain skagit. My tip of choice today was a 1.5”/sec sink rate leader.  I also chose a more subtle and natural colored fly.

Its spring and the majority of the fish have either spawned or are actively on gravel. I have no desire to fish for bedding fish.

I made my way up the riverbanks that are budding with life already. The wild rose bushes were turning back to green after being dormant over winter. They should still be in their dormant state, but these temps over the several weeks have changed that.

A lot of these areas up here on the river are low lying areas and prone to flooding.  I did notice some type of swamp plant that was also coming out of its dormant stasis.

I found my first perch and covered the water to the best of my ability. I worked the casts long and short to cover the holding lies well enough in the hopes of making a fish rise.

After over an hour I began my mile plus hike back to the car. I could hear turkeys going off in the distance. I heard deer snort at me I yelled out “whatever”.

I got back to the car a little less for wear and headed to the “jawbone River”.

Here I would settle in once I made the over mile trek to the river and make a pot of boiling water for my coffee press.

The river here was nothing like her easterly cousin.  Here is river was green and had exceptional flow for February. I keep coming back here to see her to hopefully one day she will grant me the experience of hooking a steelhead in her river. I made my coffee and continued to traverse the river. I swung every part of that river that I thought could hold a fish. I tried to redefine the definition of insanity but I failed to do so and called it a day. Battered and beaten, but with a smile on my face I turned the car to the east and drove home.

Swinging Flies

Well, it’s February and in the past I didn’t like fishing until the spawning fish are out of the rivers. I need to get some exercise and get my casting arms a workout. I will be headed to the Grand River and the “Jawbone River”.

I will start up high on the Grand and then traversing down to a middle section. The overnight low is supposed to be 50 degrees with a south westerly wind with speeds up to 8 to 11 miles per hour. There is no reel reason to get here before first light. I will be in the gorge area and it will take some time for any sunshine to warm up the river valley.

There should be less fish and idealistically less people up in this stretch of water too. I long for the old days of seeing less people and I know it’s the popularity of Mr. and Mrs. Instagram to take their hero shots. We are all guilty of it at one time or another in our journey of life.

With the weather forecasts being this who would not want to go out and swing some flies to relax.

Weather Forecast

USGS Flow Data

I will then turn to fish the “Jawbone” River. Here I will fish down low in the hopes of connecting with a drop back fish. Hell, who I am kidding I want more than anything to just hook a fish!

Stay tuned, I will have some new videos and photos to share.

Be well and get outside 

Sonder

Saturday Fitness

Hello folks, well our winter is not over but this has been again for us here it has been lack-luster for the most part.

I am starting to get my rear in gear for getting back into shape for the upcoming fishy season!  I am ready last year I missed spring fishing all together because of the move.

This is not going to happen this year and I have started to hike. Its just getting motivated and getting out is the hardest part. I know I always develop a bit of depression when the winter months come, but it’s natural being single and having an extremely tiny circle of friends.

I went out for a little hike, and it was 3.2 miles there and back. There were plenty of deviations in elevations.

I wanted to take some photos and videos in the gorge.  So that I could enter the creek I put on my waders and filled my backpack with gear.  When I was walking from my car the looks, I got were priceless.

I started out at an elevation of 926 and ascended into the creek gorge and ended up at elevation 730.9.

The water was at summer-esc flow and was very navigable. There are new multi-tiered falls that have been created by the recent high-water moments.

I am sure for the folks that saw me down at the bottom of the gorge thought I was some kind of crazy person down there.

I made AeroPress coffee while I was down there also. I was nice to sit with my thoughts and listen to mother nature’s symphony.  I hiked up the same way I came and 14% - 16% grade up hill was not to terrible on my legs as I thought it would be.

I can’t stress enough how much I enjoy my Garmin 64sx handheld device. I has been one of the reasons I have been able to enjoy my adventures and mis adventures so much. I also enjoy it greatly because when the cell phone does not work this works like a hammer!

I hope you enjoy the photos and videos.

Be well,

Sonder

Making field coffee on the trail or creek side

 

I have always had a love for coffee.  I also have a need for a good cup of coffee. Well, I thought in all these years of life I was doing it right. Then along came my friend Jim.

He told me to try this and try that.  I of course have not done either for years. Then my friend gets me an Aeropress This gift has opened my eyes and my brain.  This simple coffee press has elevated my coffee experience.  Jim also beat me over the head about using bottled water.  I of course stupidly discounted again his words of wisdom. I thought to myself how much better could it really be?

Well needless to say I am a bottle or purified water believer.  The coffee I am making now has ruined me in a good way.

So, Jim once again attempts to tell me I need to grind my own beans!

I once again tell myself just how much better this coffee could get.  Well, I purchased a conical grinder per Jims’s instructions, and I am now a ruined man. There is not a place on Earth that serves a better cup of coffee than in my kitchen! Lol

In the field I use a small camping stove and a Seatosummit XPOT

This works well and has a pouring spout and this makes my hikes and creek crawling so much better.

You can see the field set up in the attached videos

Creek Walking on a Saturday - Brandywine Creek & Falls