Mountain therapy

Yesterday I got out for a nice session on one of my local mountain creeks and it was so, so necessary for me.

My family had been down and out with a stomach bug the previous weekend/earlier in the week and it was a rough one. I could feel my grasp on sanity and civility eroding at a more rapid pace and new that I needed to get out on the water and out in the mountains.

As luck would have it after a pretty brutal January here in the western part of VA, it was a nice day (high 50’s) and I thought that the trout on this freestone creek just might be a little active.

I am not good at waiting around and in spite of trying to find every thing to delay my trip I was still on the water by 930am and it was in the 40’s…but, oh so pretty.

I fished with my new 8’6” 4wt Helios (a gift) and did dry dropper the entire time. The Helios is a beautiful rod (some people hate Orvis for some reason) and handles like a dream with a laser beam for power, control and accuracy.

I have never fished with a rod that powerful and yet so fun to cast. I only brought one wild rainbow to the net and had several hooked but wriggled off.

I would have been ok just being out and on the water. This picture doesn’t fully show how incredibly beautiful this trout was. Every time I am blessed with one I am just awestruck and still in a really profound way.

The Helios is really pricey and I am confident in saying that I have had a whole lot of fun with all my rods, cheap to expensive. That being said, this one has me dreaming of the next time I can get it out on the water and of different places I can fish it.

If you can, get to a local fly shop and cast one and see if you notice a difference.

This coming week‘s weather looks like another shit show…but, I might be able to sneak out friday.

All the best and tight lines,

Mike