Winter's End

I can't say this winter has been exceptionally cold or snowy, or at least not comparatively to historical long-term norms and how I remember winters as a kid. However, I'm not sure winter has felt this cold or snowy in a decade or so. I never really got into winter mode and activities this year. I, admittedly, never embraced it with as much time or enthusiasm for ice fishing as I typically have, for reasons I'll get into later on.

You could just shrug and say, "Brian, you've just turned into a wimpy old fart." While you may have an argument, ever so slightly, I will disagree with you, only with the wimpy part, however. I can't hide the gray wisdom in my beard making its presence known with each passing month. As I get a little older, I start to understand the allure of the south and southwest, just a tiny bit. I rolled out of bed one morning this winter and must have done it just right. My neck and shoulder felt like a took a Randy Johnson heater between them. I thought about how much it must have sucked to be that bird in the way of his fastball. And then, briefly, I thought about how 70 and sunshine would loosen that tight neck right up. Then the sound of wind and the sight of my buried truck brought me back to reality. Time to snow blow.

Winter seemed long because we received a healthy dose of snow around Thanksgiving and it just never really stopped. It was a good ole fashioned Upstate NY winter, just how I remember them as a kid. I just didn't embrace it. I didn't ice fish much and I haven't been snowboarding in years.

I had a hard time really getting into the cold season because I knew going into winter that I was likely not going to be able to do much fishing for a medical reason. I had to have a procedure done on my throat that we figured would keep me out of commission for a bit. I figured 4-6 weeks. Fortunately, things went smoothly and it turned out to be relatively minor. Some fancy work from the surgeon had me healed up pretty quickly. I did take it easy for a few weeks as there was a little soreness doing certain things and to make sure I didn't blow stitches out or anything crazy. I got back to normal life pretty quickly, back to doing MTNTOUGH workouts daily, and I did get back to the ice and have enjoyed a few days out with my dad, brother, and nephew. I managed a few meals of walleye and perch, enjoyed my time out and even received a couple February sunburns on the ice.

Spring looks to be coming, slowly. I can't wait to get back to regularly scheduled programing and back to the routine on the trout streams. There wasn't much in the way of good conditions this winter to get out. It was cold and streams were pretty iced up, or it was blowing 30pmh and snowing, or it was high water associated with rain and snowmelt from the few thaws we did have. I missed winter trout fishing. While you have to work for it, I've often caught some of my bigger browns during the coldest months. I missed the trout. I wonder if they've missed me too. Doubtful. Even though I always do my best to take care of them with good catch & release techniques, I do still stab them in the face with a sharp hook.

So, Brian, what HAVE you been doing since the last post? That's a great question. I have no idea. Time flies. My last post was early in October, and I did have a full slate of fall fishing and guiding. There were some fun personal trips in there as well.

The fall fishing was just "meh" this year. I was fortunate to have some great trips with guests and clients, but the fishing itself was just okay. As I've mentioned in previous ramblings and posts, conditions are pretty water level dependent. If the water is low and clear, fishing can be exceptionally challenging. This fall was fantastic weather, if you're not into fly fishing or hunting. It was warm and dry all fall (until it did a 180 at Thanksgiving). The trout participated as long as we were careful with the approach, but it wasn't the bigger numbers that I typically hope for with better water levels. Low water is a 1-2 fish per run/hole type of thing. Expectations always correspond to water/stream conditions.

Me with my personal best striped bass caught fly fishing on Cape Cod in October

In mid-October, I did my annual boys trip with my brother and cousin out to Cape Cod for stripers. Striper fishing continues to decline. Anglers continue to play the blame game and the powers that be continue to do nothing about it. I won't get off on a tangent here. This is a LONG discussion/opinion for a different time. That being said, we had a great time, as always. There are still just enough fish to chase to make it worth going out for, but it's more than just fish. It's beers, bourbons, and steaks with the boys too. It's walking a mile out to a spot, standing in 30mph winds with rain pelting you so hard that it sounds like the white noise or snow screen on the TV with the volume maxed out. Does this even exist anymore on TVs, or am I dating myself? All the while we're being pummeled by the rain, sleet, and wind, we keep casting, doing the same thing over and over for hours, expecting/hoping for a different result. Yes, that is the definition of insanity. If I recall correctly, we caught zero fish in this area, just butt hooked A LOT of peanut bunker. We did catch fish in other areas, including my personal best striper. Well worth the trip. Hoping to get back out there in the spring for a couple of days, but we'll see.

Jenny and I drove to Mississippi to visit my cousin and his wife. We were there for a few days and then drove to Tennessee to do some hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This was a fun trip to Mississippi. My cousin is always a great host and comes up with great things to do. I did fish for a day. Tried my hand at southern largemouth bass fishing. I got skunked. Definitely user error and out of my element, but a nice day paddling around in the sun. It was an excellent trip as we packed a ton of stuff into a short period of time. We bowled, played racquetball, rode horses, hiked, drank beer, played games, went to a museum, had fires, fished, shot bows, did some training shooting simulations, and just generally enjoyed our time visiting. If you're ever in Alabama, the US Space & Rocket Museum is worth your time.

Driving through some of the areas in the south was different than I expected. It was nice country with rolling hills and evergreens. Being that it was mid-November, it was quite a nice drive through the rolling hills and into the mountains with the leaves all changing color. Great Smoky Mountains National Park was very nice, but not my favorite. I'm glad I went and we did some very nice hikes while we were there. It was an enjoyable trip, but I prefer some of the other parks I've been through. It's a little busy (to be expected in a National Park, no doubt), but the surrounding towns and touristy attractions with A LOT of people just wasn't my thing.

This trip brings us into the holidays and the rest of winter. I always enjoy the holiday season, Thanksgiving through Christmas. Always good to catch up with friends and family. New Years is just another day. It's been a while since I stayed up for the big New Year's Eve celebrations. Not helping my case for not being an old fart...

Oneida Lake froze and ripped open three different times before it locked up for good in January, which likely contributed to my lack of enthusiasm for winter this year. It's always a guessing game these days on IF we get good ice on Oneida. The last couple of years has been good for ice, but there was no ice fishing the couple of years prior.

I always start getting caught up on fly tying for the year. I'm never fully caught up, but I do get a lot done during the winter months and ship out a few custom orders of flies each year for guests, friends, and clients who like my flies. Frenchies, buggers, mops, eggs, sexy walt's, france flies, and maybe 1-2 others. Call me boring, but I don't have secret flies and they work year-round. Do I get bored tying the same 6-7 patterns? Eh... Not really. I like catching fish and I know I need to tie a lot of flies every year. If I tie for fun, I'll tie my saltwater pattern. Notice I said "pattern", with no "s" on the end. My brother and cousin joke that I use a single fly the entire time I fish stripers. It is not a joke, however. I am a creature of habit and use what works for me and what I have confidence in.

Surgery was in the latter half of January, and I took it easy for a few weeks. All is good! Not much to report there. I do appreciate the well wishes and the number of people who asked how I was doing. Thank you!

One of my pictures of the Aurora Borealis in Central New York

I was able to see the aurora borealis on three occasions this winter. Trying for great pictures has become a fun little hobby. We saw the northern lights while we were in Mississippi in November, and then a couple of occasions back here in Central NY. I'm not sure seeing them will ever get old. I haven't gone down the rabbit hole of learning all about solar storms and space nerd stuff, but I go out and look when the space and weather nerds say that there is a good chance.

One of my pictures of the northern lights over Oneida Lake

Double Arch in Arches National Park

As we are well into March, I'm just getting back from our last winter excursion. Jenny and I traveled to Moab, Utah, to check out the parks there, Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef. Awesome parks! We also checked out a couple of Utah's state parks in the area. We packed a lot in a 4-day trip, hiking 10-13 miles each day with a lot of driving between trails. It was a short trip, and we tried to pack as much as we could into the daylight hours each day. We'd hike, take in the sights, and quick back to the car to head to the next area. It was a great trip.

A view along Devil's Garden trail in Arches National Park

Life changes are on the horizon for the spring, summer, and fall. Good change and exciting change! I'll reveal some of that at some point. Some fishing changes may be coming too, but we'll see. I may add some different trip options and opportunities if there is interest and I may drop a few current offerings and options as business and life changes. For instance, I'm likely not going to be offering striper trips on the Cape this year, except for possibly a select few circumstances where I could fit in a multiday trip and it is the right match. The reality is that increasing travel costs over the years has made this option difficult to swing. I may look to add a kayak fishing offering and a wading or kayak walleye offering in the fall in Central NY, and a couple of other things, but we'll see. If there is something you'd like to see, or a kayak fishing/fly fishing or a walleye offering in Central NY interests you, please drop me an email and let me know! I'm always open to listening and looking at new opportunities to see if they fit and/or make sense.

Spring is here! Sort of. While there is still snow on the ground, days are longer and temps have gone up slightly. Migratory birds are moving through. Early flowers and trees are budding. Baseball spring training is winding down and the World Baseball Classic just concluded. The regular season starts in ten days. My Yankees are definitely winning the world series this year. HAHA!! Maybe...

I'm hoping for an excellent April, May, and June. Last year was not a great spring (fly fishing wise), until mid-May when it got to be very good. I have plenty of availability this spring. With water in the creeks and a saturated ground, the start of this season could be fantastic, with some help from Mother Nature, of course. Guided trips and lessons are open to all anglers, regardless of age or experience level. I'm always happy to introduce new anglers to fly fishing! Central New York and the Syracuse area have a lot of great fly fishing and trout fishing to offer. It's a sport everyone can enjoy and the Central New York fly fishing streams are an excellent place for new anglers and advanced/experienced anglers alike.

Last, but not least, I am still selling handcrafted wood fishing nets. These are all handmade by me. More info can be found at Edgewood Outdoors, my small woodworking business website. Orders can be placed directly through the site or you can just shoot me an email and I can take care of it directly.

That's a wrap for this post. Thanks for checking in, visiting the site, and reading along. Please don't hesitate to reach out about learning more about a fly fishing trip or lesson this spring. I'm looking forward to a fun and enjoyable season after a long winter! See you on the water!

Thanks,

Brian Lansing