Winter Brook Dreaming

Just 4 weeks into winter...have you had enough already. Well there is a lot more snow on the way. Lake effect snows are still with us. February blizzards are yet to come. Leisurely strolls down logging trails with your dog is not an option. Snow shoes, cross country skis and even snowmobiles are troublesome in breaking trail to a favorite fishing spot. Light fluffy snow is very difficult to traverse. Until a thaw that crusts up the 3 plus feet of snow we have, back woods travel will be a challenge for the young at heart. Looking ahead, I feel the next 6 weeks have put me in the cabin in lock down mode. This is a time when my fly rods gather dust.
It is a time of preparation. I am working on the salting and curing of a White-tailed Deer hide for fly tying. The winter White-tailed Deer has the perfect material for fly creations. White hollow fur, and several shades of brown fur are all I need for most flies I use. Winter White-tailed fur floats better than any material I have used to date. Yellow and green thread is the final material. However this year ultra violet material is in the works. Many people are exclaiming it's success. My thoughts are when the Brook Trout are striking, you can use a smiley face painted on a cotton ball and get great results. I am curious to see if the ultra violet materials will get the fish to hit on slow fishing days when any advantage will be welcomed.  It is a new approach for me. How to incorporate the ultra violet material into old patterns will be the experiment.
Can you teach an old dog new tricks? We will find out this spring.

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