Okay, let's be clear, I've lived in the PNW my entire life and I'm well aware of our multiple false spring/summer phases. Just because the sun is out this week doesn't mean we don't have inches of rain ahead before the nice weather takes hold.
That said. about this time each year our wet and dismal season starts to fade out. Here's a 100+ comment thread about "early signs of spring" that we've all been posting to. The days are longer and slowly getting warmer. Reports begin trickle in about bass waking up for prespawn (@Billy is already hawg farming over on the east side of the hills). Bull trout are starting to chase chum fry in BC. Early Eastern WA lakes are open and the statewide lake opener is just a few weeks away. Trout stocking is in full swing.
Especially as the winter moving water options have dwindled in my area, this is about the time I really start to get excited for fishing each year. Like I'm coming out of my fishing hibernation and looking around for something to fill my stomach. Well, not literally, I suppose. I'm not interested in eating stocker trout, but you get the point.
And just in case you're too jaded and salty to feel the stoke quite this early, I've got a sure-fire way to fix that. Talk to a fishing obsessed 8-14 year old. A buddy of mine stopped by last week to pick up a bow mount trolling motor I was selling. He had his son with him, and let me tell you, that kid is OBSESSED with fishing. What should have been a 15 minute small talk conversation before dinner turned into over an hour of standing in my garage getting grilled about local spots, seeing hero fish photos, and listening to his adventure stories. And I legitimately enjoyed every minute, his excitement was unavoidably contagious.
He's got a little fishing YouTube channel if anyone wants to check it out (and yes, I made sure his dad didn't mind it being posted here). No flyfishing on there (yet), but I know his dad tosses loops from time to time and lurks around here as well.
That said. about this time each year our wet and dismal season starts to fade out. Here's a 100+ comment thread about "early signs of spring" that we've all been posting to. The days are longer and slowly getting warmer. Reports begin trickle in about bass waking up for prespawn (@Billy is already hawg farming over on the east side of the hills). Bull trout are starting to chase chum fry in BC. Early Eastern WA lakes are open and the statewide lake opener is just a few weeks away. Trout stocking is in full swing.
Especially as the winter moving water options have dwindled in my area, this is about the time I really start to get excited for fishing each year. Like I'm coming out of my fishing hibernation and looking around for something to fill my stomach. Well, not literally, I suppose. I'm not interested in eating stocker trout, but you get the point.
And just in case you're too jaded and salty to feel the stoke quite this early, I've got a sure-fire way to fix that. Talk to a fishing obsessed 8-14 year old. A buddy of mine stopped by last week to pick up a bow mount trolling motor I was selling. He had his son with him, and let me tell you, that kid is OBSESSED with fishing. What should have been a 15 minute small talk conversation before dinner turned into over an hour of standing in my garage getting grilled about local spots, seeing hero fish photos, and listening to his adventure stories. And I legitimately enjoyed every minute, his excitement was unavoidably contagious.
He's got a little fishing YouTube channel if anyone wants to check it out (and yes, I made sure his dad didn't mind it being posted here). No flyfishing on there (yet), but I know his dad tosses loops from time to time and lurks around here as well.
