Getting a Wintery Grip

Ahhh, winter:  when the Web becomes the next best alternative to tying yet another two dozen bead-head nymphs, shuffling the DVD stack, and brushing by the rod collection on the way out to shovel the driveway.  Luckily a few authors write columns and blog posts that go beyond the obligatory “oh my gosh, my guides froze up” reports.

• Troy Letherman writes about how not to end up in hell for the things you are likely to scream when enduring winter fishing.
• For the non-screamers, Roger Phillips gives an excellent rundown of winter tactics.
• Well of course Tenkara is a natural winner when there’s a chance of guides freezing up and turning the backcast into an icicle.
• Expert Tom Rosenbauer throws his hat in the ring with 7 Winter Fly-Fishing Tips.
• “Ignore the weather reports altogether and pay attention to the birds,” the best being the Bohemian Waxwing, writes Chris Dombrowski.
• Winter fly fishing is “still warmer than sitting on ski lift or sitting on top of Aspen Mountain.“
• Time to start preparing for the Annual Wild Steelhead Festival.
• Bjorn Stromsness of Bonefish on the Brain has us all thinking, well, about bonefish.
• Louis and Kent at Gink and Gasoline actually prefer the worst winter days and appreciate the big fish winter may bring.