Doldrums....

When the fishing fever first took me I wanted to fish for everything...all the time.
No fish was safe!
The end of each season only brought about the beginning of another with each one overlapping into a whole years worth of one seamless mutli-species fishing trip.
My poor Wife.
Of course each individual species of fish would require its own specialized gear as well.....everything from Boats pulling riggers and dipsey divers to size 26 midge hooks made in Japan.
I can clearly recall rationalizing this expenditure to myself and more importantly to my wife.,...the idea being that if I was going to make a pastime out of pestering these beautiful animals by fishing for them I had a moral obligation to use the proper gear in order to obtain the maximum amount of pleasure from the experience..
...otherwise it just isn't fair to the fish you see.
?
It is frightening to think that I may have actually believed this.
Somewhere along the line I 'got real'.
I am proud, as well as surprised to say I no longer even own a single spinning real (egg beaters) and that if I want to do any open water fishing I'll be looking to hitch a ride with my father in law.
I still love nice gear....I mean who doesn't...but I have managed to narrow the pursuit down to two species and my collection of "fishing stuff" now reflects this.
It'll be Bluegill in the Spring and Steelhead in the Fall.lol
The gear has been liquidated.....'mostly'. I still have more floatreels that I will ever fish. I also may be the only person in existance that fishes for 'Gillies' with a 9ft GLX 3 wt. Some might equate that to hauling manure with a Lamborghini.
( I also have a 2wt 7 1/2 fter as a back-up....now 'that' is a fun rod at the ponds!)
The rest of the fish can breath a sigh of relief.... I have lost interest.
I am one for two in the new year. The one I beached was a pellet eating Steelhead from our local hatchery no doubt....I convince myself that this is 'sport' when I get stir crazy in the winter....but deep down inside I have that feeling...you know?
The Browns in the river can be fun if only because they are so few and far between and so incredibly beautiful. I blew a good one the other day and I was disappointed. It has been a while since I have captured a good photo of one of these neat looking fish and I hope to get one some internet fame before too long. There is a finite supply of these brutes and I am in a constant race with toxin craving meathunters and without the proper enthusiasm there is a great chance that I'll miss the opportunity...but who knows eh?
I had planned to fish today....braving the deep chill that has finally settled on the Sarnia area but my Wife who is a supply teacher got called to teach this morning early. Normally....or ab-normally..this would've sent me into a sulk...having to cancel my fishing plans in order to stay with the kids but this wasn't the case today. I am really diggin these kids lately and I am writing this during a Dora puzzle/ Star Wars Lego respite. Fun stuff!....sincerely.
...I will also admit that a part of me was relieved that I couldn' be out there.
Hmmmmmmmm?
:-/