Thursday 13 May 2010

Fishing Opener Up Next

Two days out from the fishing opener, and it definitely feels like the weather I expect at this time of the year. This week has been mostly cool, with a mix of clouds and sun. Some rain fell last week, and it looks as though we have a pretty good chance again tomorrow. After a crazy warm March, in which all of the snow disappeared in a big hurry; a warmer than usual April that fueled an extremely busy week of charging up sprinkler systems; well, May has been more typical.

As I walked up the road the other day, I noticed that there is still ice in Virl's creek. That is the little creek that flows under the road near Sharlene's driveway, and it is named after Greg's Uncle Virl. Sometimes names like that just stick, and there is no need to change them. Seeing ice in there is remarkable, given the previous warm temperatures. I've been told in the past that the spring fishermen like that ice, as it is long lasting and is good to chip out and throw into one's cooler. Seeing it there makes me think that the season really hasn't gotten too far ahead of itself.



Along those same lines, we still haven't seen much in the way of mosquitoes or black flies. Greg and I were at the gravel pit on Sunday, and a few swarms of the little flies were out and about. The only mosquitoes were the slow variety, easy to dispatch with a quick slap. And short of one brief afternoon during the April hot spell, I haven't seen any carpenter ants. In my twenty-four years here, I have noticed that the carpenter ants usually show up a day or two ahead of the black flies, a bit of a harbinger.

For anyone contemplating camping for the fishing opener, a fire ban is still in place for dispersed camping in the forest, as well as all camping in the BWCA. The leaves are popping out, and the cooler weather has helped, but we still are in a drought. Be sure to bring your gas stoves for cooking, and warm clothes for the cool nights.

The stars have been spectacular lately. We are on the dark side of the moon, so star-gazing and constellation identification are at their best right now. That's a great thing to do at night, in absence of a campfire.

Anytime is a great time to be in the woods....Now is one of the best. I read something the other day that says there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. Get your warm clothes together and come on up to spend some quality time outside!

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