Author: Tim Burns

Ice Fishing

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Well, I finally got out to do some hard water fishing. I went with Ryan who has much more experience than I do. We drilled a bunch of holes and set up half a dozen tip-ups. We also used a bunch of old iced-over holes to jig. Ryan got a few while jigging, but not a whole lot of action. It was a beautiful day just to be outside. In the low 40s and it was quite nice until the wind kicked. We saw a bunch of other people fishing on the other side of the lake, but we could not tell how they here doing. I how that the ice holds up so that I can get out a few more times.

No trophies today!

Just filling my boxes.

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What to do on a cold winter afternoon. Well, I tie flies. I need to fill up the fly boxes for spring. Today I am tying some traditional Gold ribbed hares ear nymphs. In a size 16. I stick to the original recipe except that I use gold wire in place of gold fine tinsel. You do see the wire much until the fly gets wet, but I think it is more durable. I will tie a few of these then maybe a few Prince nymphs or Zug bugs.

Winter Flies

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One of the first flies you will see on a trout stream in winter is little black stoneflies. They will crawl out of the water onto a streamside rock in the frigid air. Their dark bodies will absorb heat from the sun and allow this little bug to shed their juvenile skin. Sometimes you can see the small adult stone flies walking around on the white snow. Trout don’t pay much attention to the adults as they are never in the water. The tiny nymph gets the hungry trout’s attention as they migrate along the stream bottom to the streamside rocks. Getting knocked free and tumbling in the current.

Here is a pattern I like to tie to use this time of year. Tim Flagler’s Little Black Stonefly in size 18. Simple to tie and effective.

Just Good Porter.

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Enjoying another good local beer. Rek-Lis Brewing Company is in Bethlehem, NH about an hour’s drive from home. Great restaurant and has good beer. Most styles can be found in print cans a the local beer store. This particular brew is just what it says, “Just Good Porter”. A simple beer with limited ingredients as confirmed by the label. It is smooth with a little chocolate, maybe a coffee note, a kiss of hops, but no one flavor hitting you in the face. This pour paired nicely with the Pumpkin/turkey chile that Marylynn made for dinner. A great beer for a cold winter night.

Checking out the ice.

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Marylynn and I went for a little walk today. Really just to get out and enjoy the scenery. We checked two ponds for ice fishing potential. The first one “Echo Lake” in North Conway had about three inches of ice. There was a little water showing on the sunny side of the lake. I think I will wait a bit to try that one. We found some evidence of a Pileated Woodpecker looking for dinner in pine tree on the beach. We then went over to “Red Eagle Pond” in Albany. This pond had four inches or more. I might try this pond at the end of the week. This will be a place to do a little kayaking this spring as well. We also found some good access to “The Swift River” for some spring trout.

Echo Lake, North Conway
Red Eagle Pond, Albany

I guess we are empty nesters again

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Today Bridget has packed up most of her stuff (65%) and her cat. She is heading to the seacoast. Bridget and Huckleberry Finn have been with us here in New Hampshire for a little over a year. So now it is just Marylynn and me again. Now we have a cool place to visit.

Bridget and Ryan’s house & backyard on The Great Bay, New Hampshire