lake run steelhead

It's a peaceful Christmas morning, hotel manger spoke with a soft tone "Merry Christmas"! I answered ,out of an instinct,unprepared, response "merry christmas!" A warm greeting just like the comfort bed and wonderful house atmosphere- a home style hotel that give me a 5 stars refuge during the cold venture. The morning light was such a wonderful for a early bird, a bit blue, purple and then turning to orange sun rays in the snow white horizon. A cold and fresh air that can't keep my excitement calm! I am here in the great Lake Ontario tributary! Everything is new to me, and I am learning as fast as I can, right before the cold can frozen up my memory. The river is flowing in a great shape, clear and full of different features, pools runs and riffles...some nymphing waters, some swinging waters, all decorated with ice and snow powder! " there is a lot of fishes in this system, good fish too", the fly shop owner mentioned it to me, while I try to support the local business, "It has been this good for few years." Superb! Great lake fishery are always being a very interesting chapter to me. (will write some of my thoughts later).
Walking along the snowy bank was really a special treat to me, the white scenery really make this stretch like a dream land! I am fishing in a dream! I absolutely love it! In the NY state fishing regulation,though, night fishing is prohibit, you only can fish 30 minutes into the dark, or 30 minutes right before the sunrise. That is too bad, probably a habit developed from the striper fishing, I always enjoy the night fishing. Enjoy the moon and the stars and the river flow under my feet quietly.... no, not this time, I have to leave the peaceful night alone. Well... it would make a true dream land, if I can fish it under the moonlight! Someday I am sure I will. : )
Out of my surprises, there were already some early fishermen on the water this very morning on the sunrise. But I have to agree, this is a really peaceful morning, compare how busy it could be from the stories I heard. "Combat fishing" is what it is all about during the peak of salmon season... It's a brand new stretch of water to me, probably is better to observe what others are doing before I wade in. Out of my surprises again, I saw a lot of fishermen fish the two handed rods! Boyz, do I ever knew the two-handed spey rod get this popularity in the New York side! I saw about 10 fishermen, 8 of them were holding two handed, one with spin rod, this really put a single handed user a totally rare species, even though the river is about 40 feet wide... well... most of them are running indicators on their two handed rods... I guess the mending ability of the long rod in nymph fishing is "unparallel" : ) ha. Don't get me wrong! I love fish nymphs too! But I prefer use single handed rod to do it. That's exactly the reason I brought two rods with me, a single handed GLX for nymphing and a Dredger for swinging flies. I do have to agree, though, I had a great time in swinging flies in this river. Not because it is more relaxing, but also I share a fair amount of fishing time in enjoying the beautiful snow scenes while my fly was doing it's work. : ) (to be continued)