So far, the Northeast has been short on signs of spring. There are still mounds of snow everywhere in sight, I’ve yet to see my first osprey or red wing blackbird, and it was only this weekend that, for the first time since late January, I caught a glimpse of green on my snow-covered front lawn. But this Saturday, I saw the most important sign of the coming change in season—a neon orange bobber slipping silently under the water as a cold, but hungry, fish made a meal of my shiner.
I only had one bite on Saturday, but it was one I’ll remember all year. Instead of the largemouth, perch or pickerel I’d been expecting, a thick-bodied brook trout lunged out of the water when I set the hook. Though there’s been some debate at the office whether the fish is an overgrown native from a nearby stream or a hatchery refugee, we all agreed that the fish was beautiful and that it was a sign spring isn’t too far off.
Awesome…