old man winter

The old guy blew in to town this morning. An inch and a half of the white stuff on the ground with a few more to come. While Fall will still try to battle it out a bit more with old man winter, the white veil that surrounds was a rude awakening of what is to come and what shall not be.

A strong cold front punched in to the region overnight, bringing stiff winds in excess of 40 mph, and snow. While the ground is not frozen yet, there is little benefit of having the snow around this early. Soft dirt and open water does not equal snowmobiling fun. Sideways snow and below freezing temps does, however, equal no fun on the river. Frozen rod guides and snow blasting in to your eyes is for the hardy fellow. Fine if you're chasing fare such as steelhead, trout, or salmon; not quite as rewarding when searching for the last few stray carp of the season.

I'm not ready to write off the season as of yet. I'm hoping to get another chance or two at some fish before calling it quits. A few warmer, sunny days still likely remain before the onset of polar temps arrive here. The brief reprieve from colder temps should provide for a short-lived binge-fest, hopefully bringing a few fish out of the deep and on to the flats. The old man is nipping at my heels, but I'm not ready to give in just yet.

Just give me one more shot.