Winter is fading, and Spring will soon be upon us.  Although I enjoy fly fishing in the winter, often being the only one on the stream, I do look forward to the arrival of spring.  It’s nice to shed a layer or two of clothing, and not have to constantly deal with ice in the line guides.  Spring also brings the opening of trout season in Wisconsin and Minnesota, giving anglers around here more choices of waters to fish.

During the winter months, I usually focus on midge patterns, tiny mayfly nymphs, or streamers.  It’s nice to be able to vary my choice of flies a little more.

I will continue to use midge flies – they tend to be a constant around here.  But when March rolls around, I will also be watching for Tiny Blue Winged Olives to begin to hatch.  My favorite version is a Parachute BWO in a size 20 trailed by an equally  tiny emerger or nymph.  Little Black Caddis will also show up on some streams in late March and into early April.  I’ll usually fish these in a size 18 to 20.  Early Black Stones will also begin to hatch.  I try to keep some of these in my flybox in a variety of sizes from 10s to 16s.

In addition to the usual flies that I carry in my boxes, I’m looking forward to trying some new patterns this season.  One is the Smoke Jumper Emerger, which is tied in sizes 16 to 22.  It can be tied using a variety of materials and colors, and should be a great imitation for a variety of small flies.

Another one is the Marabare, a new variation on the traditional Hare’s-Ear.  I found this one in a magazine article written by its designer, Vince Wilcox.  Tied with a tungsten bead head, it should be a great fly for those deeper pools on some of our local streams.

So here is to  Mother Nature, who has been fairly kind to us this past winter.  I hope she will be equally generous this spring.

                It started out like any other day since I retired.  I did my usual morning exercises, walked the dog, and ate a nice breakfast.  It was a beautiful sunny Sunday morning, so I decided to enjoy a couple of hours on the water at Swiss Valley.

                I felt a flash of dizziness while putting on my waders, but it quickly passed.  Must have bent over too quickly, I thought.  John came across the parking lot and asked me a question about a place I had visited last summer.  I turned to answer him, and nothing came out.  The answer was in my head, but the words would not form.  We both sat down in the back of my car, and John asked me some questions about how I was feeling, and all I could do was shake my head yes or no.  Then, as quickly as it started, it went away.  I called my wife, and we made a trip to the ER.

                Long story short, after two days of tests, I had suffered a very minor stroke.  There were no lasting effects, there were no apparent causes.  I got a clean bill of health.  But once you have had a stroke, the possibility of having another one increases.  So now I’m on a regimen of preventative medications.

                So what does this all mean?  How does life change?  While checking out, that’s exactly what I asked the doctor.  The answer – life goes on.  Take my meds, be aware of my health, watch for symptoms, but live life normally.

                It did get me thinking about other things, though, things I can control in my life.  Like a lot of guys, I’ve never been big on seeing doctors unless I needed to.  As we all get older, things can start to go wrong.  We need to visit the doctor on a regular basis to catch those things before they become a problem.

I enjoy spending time alone on the water.  I’ve always let my wife know where I’m going, and how long I plan to be gone.  From now on, those travel plans will be in writing, and will be more specific.  Along with that, I’ll start fishing more often with a buddy, especially on new water.  And the cell phone that I usually leave in the car while I fish will now be with me all the time.

                As we all get older, as things change for us, we all need to do one thing differently.  We need to live our lives SMARTER.  Take care of ourselves, our family, our friends.  Pay attention to what happens to us physically, and get it checked out if it doesn’t seem right.  Be more aware of the world around us.  Enjoy the good things, but watch for the things that can create problems, too.

                But never, NEVER, quit living your life to the fullest.  Enjoy every minute of it.  Share it with everyone you can.  Make it worth living.

                Good health and tight lines to all.

                CJ