Solitude in the Mountains, by: the ADK trout bum.

What a crazy beautiful winter it has been. The days are starting to get longer, and the sun’s rays are finding their way through the clouds. It won’t be long, and the snow will begin to melt and the stream banks will once again be fishable. I can start to see and hear the song birds sing.

Spring is the season of regrowth and new beginnings. This is an amazing time to be alive. The water seems to shimmer in the sun while the grass is this amazing hue of green. The trout are hungry and ready to feed. Springtime trout fishing is one of the most exciting times of the year to fish. You may find last season’s hold over brown trout ready to put up a fight. Brook trout seem to hold on to their fall colors and the rainbows are showing their bright red stripes. The entomology is coming alive and every day we get closer to our favorite hatches.

In the mountains the black flies are deep in their slumber and streams will take a bit longer to let the snow & ice fade away. It’s here on the mountains streams I truly can’t wait to get back to. Casting dry flies for hungry brook trout, listening to the ramble of the brook, nights by the campfire and stories of the day’s adventures. This is what waits for us in the near future.

Last season, I headed up a mountain stream to explore. I had been on this water in the past. This day I was going deeper into the mountains to where I had not been.  It was a day that time seemed to fade away and all that existed was the stream, the fish and my fly rod. As I wondered beyond what was known I began to feel truly alone. To me, that is one of the greatest feelings in the world to have no other human within miles, it ignites a fire in the soul. You become connected to the wilderness in a way only solitude can provide.

Hiking the stream, I came across vistas that magnified the beauty of the brook trout that were brought to net. Casting my line in the wind was poetic and finding the trout cast after cast made time stand still. Not one trout stands out that day. It was the mountains in their glory compounded by the abundance of fish and lack of human presence that made the day memorable. I do think of one cast and one fish.

It was a tight spot with fallen logs, knee deep water and a small boulder filled waterfall. This was a place you knew would hold a fish. Trying to navigate into casting position was a challenge. It became apparent that the bow & arrow cast was the only way to get to the fish. To cast in this methodology, it is best to flip your rod upside down, so the rod loads properly. You get one chance on tight quarters and this cast had to count. I judged my distance, flipped my rod and looped the fly line in my hand. I pulled back tight, took aim and let it fly!! As the dry fly hit the water, instantly it disappeared! I tightened my line and rod as I brought nature’s artwork to the net in the form of a wild brook trout. I fished the day and spent hours hiking to camp ending it with the roar of the fire.

It is days like these that help us get through the long months of winter. It’s the hope of regrowth; birds singing, solitude and wild places that keep us moving forward and dreaming. Get outside and find your place of solitude & your mountain paradise.

The Adirondack Trout Bum

Alvin Montana