Winter’s a long time goin

The Dream Stream In January

Jeremiah Johnson: “Would you happen to know what month it is?”

Bear Claw: “No, I truly wouldn’t . I’m sorry Pilgrim. March, maybe April.

Jeremiah Johnson: “March maybe. I don’t believe April.”

Bear Claw: “Winter’s a long time goin. Stays long this high.”

Having endured frozen guides and fingers and gale force winds throughout the winter months, it’s now the season where anxiety over warmer weather begins to mess with the mind and turn the normally patient brain into a raving, shack nasty induced blob of quivering goo.

The first signs of this seasonal malady manifested itself this year shortly after returning from an amazing trip to the San Juan River last March. The weather at Navajo Dam was upper 50’s to mid 60’s everyday with bearable winds. We got home from the Juan on March 22 and the cold wind has been blowing nearly every day since.

Now I know that this weather pattern is normal for this time of year and that historically, April is one of the snowiest months of the year, but that logic doesn’t deter the brain from going into withdrawal convulsions every time a 55 degree day is followed by another snow storm and freezing temps. These dilemmas are compounded by the emergence of BWO, March Browns, caddis and to a lesser extent PMD hatches that get the trout poking their noses up and slurping bugs off the surface. Visions of 50 fish on dry fly days start to haunt the psyche. It’s maddening.

Today is going to be one of those rare 60 degree and light winds days around here and I’m going to make the most out of it. I'm goin fishin. There will be plenty time this weekend to go into convulsive withdrawals and delirium tremors of anxiety this Saturday when the high temp is expected to be 35 degrees and 4 inches of snow are forecast.

Don’t let those Blue Birds and Robins fool you. Winter’s a long time goin. Stays long this high.