Monday Morning Sidewalk
Yes, it’s 20-degrees to start your Monday Morning if you are here in Denton, Texas! It’s the real deal this winter, but March should bring our winter to a close and spring’s irresistible tug is within reach.
I just saw one of the national “talkingweatherheads” note that the notorious “tornado alley” has moved. Due to global warming, tornado alley has moved 130 geographic miles east, and that’s just enough to take where I live almost OFF the alley designation, but … you know how that goes. About the time Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia fall into the new “tornado alley” we’ll get some kind of monster storm in my front yard. Thoughts and prayers go out to the Deep South this Monday – Monday’s are what they are, but waking up to total devastation is a whole different kind of Monday Sidewalk.
So the fly tying bobbins are in full swing now, with a focus on saltwater flies for Florida, and so far, no Sperry’s on the deck (in Florida) to advise on what flies to tie. So, I guess I will just tie them all and let go sort ‘em out. Just based on the number of species possible, that’s a LOT OF FLIES! But the weather makes the process (except for the freezing hands) of tying flies a pleasant affair, although I am out of shape when it comes to my manual dexterity.
Then there is also the issue of tying leaders for Florida. New knots and new formulas are required for the species parade in the Keys. I will show and tell some of that as I get my fingers in the swing of tying these flies. Or, I will show you a YouTube video if one seems to show a more “universal” formula – a universally recommended formula.
There is just so much room for failure in a condition where, 1) We’ve never been, and, 2) We’re chasing fish we’ve never chased. More can go wrong than can go right on so many levels. Twenty-eight days out, and my nerves are already keeping me up late and waking me up early.
If you couple that with the local thaw, the rolling out of the skiff, the constant simmering unrest (wanderlust and hard drive)? I am hoping for some kind of relief once the trip is done. All I know for sure is; so far I can still come back home.
Thoughts and prayers for Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Maybe the media will finally focus on the Global Warming threat now that Tornado Alley is a little closer to their East Coast homes? Doubtful.
Category: Fly Tying, Life Observed, On The Road, On The Water, Technique, TIPS
