WRITING ON THE FLY
By GEORGE LISET
It was a beautiful Fall day and yardwork awaited. I trimmed a few bushes, raked a few leaves and took a trip to the Recycling Center.
I had other tasks on my “To Do” list, but in the back of my mind, all I could think about was being on the river. I had some time so I went in and checked the New Hampshire Fish and Game website for Rivers and Streams with Special rules.
This section contains a list of rivers and streams that you can fish, catch and release, until they all open again Jan. 1. I saw a section of river that I had not fished for a while and which was on my way to an appointment later in the day. This section of river was a little bit of a hike to get in and out but featured a nice little waterfall.
A perfect trek for a beautiful day. Fly fishing is a nice reprieve from all the daily chaos and as we like to remind ourselves, first world problems. I took my time walking into the river. I wanted to take in every moment. The sun was warm and the colors that were still hanging on were amazing. What made me enjoy this time was that I knew what was coming.
The water was running high and fast, most likely because the powers to be were lowering the lake that fed into the river. As I was sorting through my half-empty fly boxes, I was reminded that the guys who make a living from tying flies were having a difficult time getting materials to keep up with orders. It was something to do with a supply chain. I was bummed. Now I had to ration my flies until I could find more of my favorites.
As I was thinking about it, the supply chain dilemma has been with us for a while and most likely will continue to be. I was shopping at the Orvis Outlet in Kittery recently and when I arrived at the fly fishing section it was bare. In a panic I asked if they were closing the store? Their response was in the negative, they were not expecting any large deliveries until Spring. Kittery Trading Post, across the street, had a better selection, but was sparse for them.
Now my mind was running ahead, what about Christmas? If I waited until Black Friday to shop, would I be too late? It might be a gift card Christmas. I like to shop local and I am not a big on-line shopper. I enjoy seeing my friends at the local fly shops and hearing about the new equipment coming in and what rivers/ streams are fishing well.
I decided to start nymphing. I tied on a size 16 Tungstun Pheasant Tail with a size 18 Perdigon dropper. I worked a section of the river without any luck. With the few minutes I had left, I put on a Streamer and worked another section of the river, again with no luck. As I walked back to my truck, I found consolation in the beauty of the day and the fact that a bad day fishing is still better than a good day at work. As I arrived at my truck, a gentleman asked me if I had any luck?
I replied “No” and then mumbled something about the supply chain crisis affecting the fish.
George Liset of Dover is an outdoor writer and avid fly fisherman who shares insights of his time on the water exploring New Hampshire streams and rivers as well of those around New England. George is a graduate of Wheaton College, Illinois, and the University of New Hampshire.
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