The Covid Opener Update 2021

 

 You know my little friend here at the left.  Image from the public domain - CDC. Friends in the trout world have inquired how I am doing given our world class headlines here in the mitten state. 

This is Rumor Control. Here are the facts! - Aliens 3.

First, this surge really sucks this year.

Last year was a year of fear and uncertainty. This year is a year of a known enemy and stupid people everywhere.

Michigan hit 530+ cases (active infections) per 100,000 people this past week. This rate means everyone in the state has at least one person they know with Covid. I work for a small boutique healthcare concern and in my shop of twenty-six people (acutely away of covid protocols, mind you) I have two with active cases and another under isolation protocol through the end of this week. 

Their kids are the suspects. More than half our state cases are in the under 40 crowd and the single largest demographic is the 20-29 age group.

My shop represents a lot of people in a small sample who have the covid.

Germany which is having its own covid crisis right now (and Merkel is federalizing the response this week taking control out of the hands of the individual German states) has an infection rate of 136 out of 100,000 people.

It is bad here. 

My legislature does not want any further shutdowns (red legislature with a blue governor) and has been active about trying to remove powers related to public health management because: idiots. 

I have left my house (other than food) once in three weeks to take my wife for her second shot Saturday night. We drove an hour and fifteen minutes each way because that was where we could get a vaccine appointment. 

I will get my second shot in Ohio on Friday driving an hour each way. My state has distribution problems. Ohio does not. We had a union fight here over prioritization because making one group go first means other groups lose.  As a result, our plan was late and so our vaccine supply is late. 

Get your papers in on time when teacher tells you, kiddies.

Michigan Senate Majority Leader (republican Mike Shirkey) wrote the following in Crains Detroit Business published on Jan 21 this year.

Senate Republicans have been fighting to restore balance and commonsense in the state's strategy to address COVID-19. At the top of our list of priorities for 2021 is safely reopening Michigan's economy.

Local businesses have proven they are capable of meeting reasonable health and safety regulations.

Yet, there are still specific industries, like restaurants, that have been singled out by the governor despite no evidence showing these establishments are a significant source of virus spread.

The idiot doesn't know that humans associating with humans cause the spread of covid and restaurants CAN be sources of unmasked individuals congregating in close proximity one to another. 

Also, our previous lockdown worked (until people were idiots about Thanksgiving).  

I'll just sum up the state of the lunacy here in my state with a fishing quote from my favorite move: Jaws.

I think I am familiar with the fact that you are going to ignore this particular problem until it swims up and bites you in the ass. - Hooper.

I can only hope your local versions of village idiots have less say in the conduct of infection management than mine. I am personally hoping my collection of idiots get covid and die. Maybe they can get cancer and die. I really don't care either way as long as the outcome is the same.

Stupid ought to hurt (or kill).

Oh, and the Texas argument? Why doesn't Texas have a problem after opening the state? They lie.  

I wouldn't trust so much as a date on a report to be correct if it was issued by the state of Texas. 

Trout season and the opener will be a solitary pursuit for me.  Isolation camping. Solitary fishing.

Good luck all. I'll see you on the other side, I hope.

Getting Ready, Like Everybody Else.

 

The winter has seen a good amount of tying in the form of Monday Night Flies. We're done for the the season now until fall. Too much to do during the week before dashing off on weekends.

Happy Easter!

I'm anxious for the season but Michigan's cornavirus numbers are way too far in the red. I might dash up for a solitary camp but won't be stopping at Spike's for a burger or for anything else. 

Trust no one.

I just wanted to say "happy opener" to all my trout friends and show we're still here, tying, and dreaming of camping riverside.

Mind the footing. The water is cold.

Prost.

Mid-Winter Nights

 

My wife's cat Cheeto advising me that he is not a dubbing donor. So I clipped a little when he was sleeping. He'll never miss it.

It is cold here. I blew snow before breakfast. Shelf ice is rampant and the Huron is leaning toward icing over.

The good part about winter is getting ready for the thaw and sharing with other trout addicts the winter evenings. Our fly tying group that usually would meet at a local tavern is now completely virtual and we have folks calling in from Florida and Oregon. Feels good to talk trout and flies.

Winter makes us all a little nuts.

The four pets hang out around the fire every night.

I've been improving my camping gear. Some of the trout tiers have a camping trip planned for March to water open all year round. We hope to get a jump on the season and crowds and do a little socially distanced camping while chasing trout.

 

At left,  Coffee Spit named for the gentleman named Coffee who  put the deal together. The spit can hold a chicken, a couple cornish game hens, 4 fillets, or a three pound English roast. 

The ingenious thing is that part of the spit is a square instead of being round and one of the "Y" posts receives the square part so meat can be rotated without the usual slipping and sliding.

Cannot wait to do a little cooking "Ogg-style" roasting meats beside a nice fire and enjoying the the ease of not grilling.

More camping gear upgrades: a new dual fuel Coleman lantern. My thirty-year-old propane lantern is just fine except for the propane consumption and the fact I always run out when I thought I had plenty of fuel.

Anyway, nice new lantern and some Coleman fuel in the garage. 

A trout-sized bougle in gunmetal. It is a 1939 reproduction and will be the last reel I buy. 

A drake designed to fit in the film. Alan over at Small Stream Reflections (link at right)  ties cleaner fellows but I think this might fool my trout. I've tied a ton of these this winter as I have again found the size 14 long-shank fly a good stand-in for almost any hatch. I'm getting better at the "buggy" part.

That is furnace hen on the hackle. Soaked in a permanent waterproofing solution, this is a solid dry fly.

A spring soft hackled fly for brook trout on the Black River. It is from my dwindling supply of purple Pearsall's but the color seems a killer for early Michigan brookies. I've had good fortune with it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday night saw a dozen of these being whipped up. It is a CDC bubble caddis tied thanks to Davie McPhail's illustrative video.

I like an X-caddis but find the cdc varient caddis flies are surprisingly durable and offer a "pull and pop" effect where a hand twist can pull them under the surface only to pop back up. Drives browns absolutely crazy ... if they are looking up at caddis. 

So, here's to spring!

 Prost!

On The Bench

 

An early winter evening finds me tying.At left, a hare's ear and partridge hackled wire-wrapped flymph that I'll use in slow, shallow water here in a little while. 

Trout hang in warmer shallow water in winter but still must have the comforts of  shelter and drift. I suspect the warmer water feels good to their frosted fins.

Grey silk. Copper wire. Partridge hook in 14 wide-gap heavy. 

I'll let you know.

This weekend sees a trial of my cold weather gear - or most of it, anyway. I am desperately excited about getting back into the forests.  Some of my newer bits are not so excited about coming in the mail.

A friend wrote and asked why I didn't get a "hot tent." 

Fact is, I'm embarrassed. 

I have four tents in fine order. I don't need a fifth.

I've always thought of hot tents in the same vein as small boats: they're lovely but I don't want to deal with one. 

So, I will endeavor to make due with solid gear that is serviceable with the weather dipping into the teens. More than that and I really don't need to be out in it.

I hope the post holiday weather is doing you well. 

Keep 'em buggy. I miss tying in person on Monday nights with a couple pints in me; but, I can't spare time for the covid. I'm tying in my Fortress of Solitude.

Maybe soon, we'll all fly like Superman.

Prost.

Get your mind right, Luke.

 

Alan over at Small Stream Reflections went fishing with his missus. I was going fishing on Mill Creek here myself today.

I awoke to the picture at left.

Not precisely the trout weather for which I was hoping.

Today was a reckoning of my winter camp plans.  Heavy wet snow can do that.

 

I awoke to heavy wet snow as I mentioned. Now, if I'm not a little careful this weather could kill me. Maybe I shouldn't be so cavalier.

Maybe I should stick to some state forest campgrounds instead of wild camping. Okay. I can see it. Agreed.

Maybe I should be clear in leaving word of my plans. Okay.

Maybe I should take enough back-up food for a day or so. It isn't a hard thing to do.

Maybe I should rig an  a-frame awning over my tent using a ridge pole. I can use under-lacing to support the sides like in the mountain-leader class.

I can erect a separate storm awning to catch the heat of the evening fire and provide a place to keep gear dry and  do cooking out of any winter rain. 

I'm going to use a car-camp base camp here until early spring. I'll avoid lake-effect snow zones. 

I am going to the woods.

I took the dogs for a snow walk not long after snapping the picture above and it was glorious. Beargirl and I did a couple easy miles on a trail near our house in early afternoon. Lovely.

We drove over to the sailing club to eyeball the lake - frozen.

It was a grand winter's day without any trout. 

I shopped for snowshoes. Whew - none of those left int he country. I guess I know the popular Christmas present I didn't get. It'll work itself out.

I'm going up the country - Canned Heat.

Prost.

Lovely, dark and deep

 

 

At left, Lou the foxhound practicing his winter camping technique. He's on his comforter (yes, he has his own) as a bottom quilt and uses a light bath towel for his top cover. 

I'm working on the winter camping.

It's going to be a solo event for a while because it is Michigan and most folks are cold-averse.  I have most of an inch's mix of ice-sleet on the ground right now. That ice coupled with an occasional bout of actual rain strains any gear.

I'm betting on better conditions on my own runs up north: more snow and less ice.

What I need : consideration.

I'm a wood-fire sort of camper/cook and that means cutting, bucking, and hauling the fuel.  Jeans are fine for this activity in spring and summer; but, in winter I need stouter waterproof gear. I'm not too interested in abusing my gore-tex bibs doing timber operations. Waterproof  hunting trousers are on the way.  The bibs I'll wear when actually out in rain.

I also upgraded the size of my camping saw from a small pocket-sized Silky saw to a forearmed size beast of the same make. These Japanese gardening blades are quite handy. For winter camping I want to attack material larger than 4" in diameter. I will also sharpen my ax.

A top quilt and a sleeping pad with a higher R-value also were in order as upgrades over my spring/summer gear.

So, I'm outfitted down to zero degrees.

I'll use a stout Marmot tent, rig a tarp shelter for reflective heat capture around the evening fire, and practice prepping meals at home so I am doing minimal prep work before cooking.

I'm not willing to invest in a hot tent. I'm not sure how much longer I'd be using one given my trout buddies remind me the alternative to winter camping is drinking scotch by the fire with the pets lying all over me. Hmm.  

They tease me now because I wouldn't make the trip to go steelhead fishing in Alaska several years back. I refrain from pointing out that they do not go steelhead fishing presently here in Michigan for hundreds of dollars and thousands of miles of travel less. Meh.  It is hard to beat a toast fireplace.

In winter camps, I'll be fishing largely from the banks and will wear my composite Korker soles for the best grip. I'll fish glass as I will inevitably fall. Glass is very forgiving.

I will also test my set-up for oversight. I have little margin for error short of loading-up and driving out. Let's cover the oversight part early in the process.

My proving grounds at right: the north meadow with a campsite and fire ring.  We used to have some grandcub camping events there. I still maintain the pitch.

Next weekend? Maybe the weekend after.

I miss the woods. I miss being out and not hear any vehicles. I miss the adventure of simple camping.

A pipe, a fire, a tin cup holding scotch, a book, and stars overhead.

I hope the bears are hibernating. I'll be cooking bacon and sausages. I won't have enough to share.

Prost.

The Winter's Trout

 

At left, Mike Cline graciously allows us to use this image from the Firehole River in Yellowstone via wikicommons. I'm not sure that's Mike but if it is , you're not smiling enough, fella !

I am suffering the winter doldrums and it isn't really winter yet.

I'm going to have to gear up and do some winter trout camping. Several of the top Michigan rivers are open year round for catch and release with flies and nymphs. They're all -- to me -- three plus hours away and so that makes them camping destinations. 

Cold weather camping.

I've some of the gear necessary for winter trout camp.  I'm shy on some of the gear to make it a comfortable experience.

I've plenty of mid-layer wool sweaters. However, my wool field pants shrank badly some years back (ahem) and I need to acquire some new suitable wool trousers. Also, I have rain bibs but NOT snow and rain and camp bibs for a couple layers of waterproofing.

I'm good on the general camp sleeping shelter and tools but need to adjust a tarp for cook/eat/sit/reflect heat shelter. Have to rig a flat tarp for that [ and rig wind-ready]. 

I no longer own a liquid-fueled stove. I think I'd be fine with the small propane tanks but pressure regulators do poorly in cold temps so I need to re-think my assumption. I usually cook over fire and coals. Might need a backup.

I'm good for fishing. Considering a long winter outing for me is four hours in the water (and I'll try to avoid any "in the water" if fishing alone), I have what I need to make slow deep passes. I'm tying Syl's Midges this week just in case I pick a nice weekend and get a hatch. 

Last year cutting wood on a sunny January day, the snow here on bear hill 200 yards from the Huron River turned brown as it was covered with millions of size 22 midges. All I had was a chainsaw and it is damn hard to cast.

SO, I have a serious "get there and back" 4Runner. I have fly gear. 

I need - what? - BWOs, Midges, and a trio of flymphs for the bottom 1/3 of the water column ? 

Oh, I always have a bail-out bag with warm clothes for accidental dips in the river even in summer. Getting to the SUV means life. If I am on a slippery bank for entry, I'll rig an assist rope to haul myself out even if footing is poor.

I am "adequate" for camping but could use a higher R-value inflatable pad to sit on my closed-cell foam pad. I have a 0-degree bag.  A pair of fleece blankets for a top cover wouldn't hurt for the camp chairs. 

I'm close. I'll practice in the north meadow here before it turns brutal. I'm targeting nights around 20 as my threshold.

I need cold weather practice. I was in my mid-20's last time I camped with more than an accidental dusting of snow. My meadow looks like it may get a workout.

I have to get away. Winter trout during the months of covid looks like a plausible escape.

I need to have a conversation with the winter's trout. 

Prost.