We've had snow on the ground since the end of November. Some of my favorite stretches of river have been iced over as well. Since I'm not an ice fisherman, this has kept me from fly fishing for several months.
The warm winds arrived last week, and started to free the river. No doubt temporary, my friend Dave and I headed to the river in hopes of catching our first trout of 2016 (and avoiding the chore lists prepared by our beloved better halves).
The trout were active, the wind was gusty, and stretches of river were ice free. It was a great day on the water.