Dear February, Please Bring Spring

The glimpse of spring weather we saw on the Chattooga this month could best be characterized as enjoyable but short lived. The weather in the area has been described as unseasonably cold and just as Punxsutawney Phil predicted, the winter temperatures have cloaked the upstate this year for a little longer than usual.

The month began with dreary days, frigid temperatures, and sluggish fish. Under these conditions, large ice sheets clogged the slow water and frozen equipment was a constant battle. On one such instance, the prime feeding lane in the stretch I was fishing happened to be just underneath an extended sheet of ice. Needless to say the drifts were difficult, the hook-ups were infrequent, and landing fish was near impossible. Under these adverse conditions one must take full advantage of the limited chances available to get a strike.

A couple of days thereafter, one would honestly think that spring in full swing. The water temperatures were rising, the fish were active, and the first mayflies of the year were spotted. Needless to say, life was good! The dry fly action was fast and furious and it seemed that just about everything on the end of the line was getting attacked.

And of course as quickly as it came, it was gone again. More cold, more ice, and with it the fish slowed down once more. With incessant dreams of caddis and mayflies littering the air over the Chattooga, the anticipation of spring is at a peak for this angler. With my fingers crossed and my eyes locked on the long-term weather forecast, the warming trend can not come soon enough.

Until then…be sure to enjoy the solitude, the cold crisp air, and consistently fishable water levels.