We went ICE fishing today!

Ok... not really.  But our lines and guides kept freezing up!  My fly became quite the ice cube today.

So yeah...  I went fishing today.  I could not figure out where to go.  All of the creeks and rivers are iced up and crappy to fish.  Anything south of I-80 that would be warm enough to fish is now covered in 16"-28" of snow.  That sucks too...

So Todd and I went for drive, we checked out the Towanda Creek - NO GO!
We checked out Roaring Branch - NO GO!
Ok... how about the Lycoming?  - Still pretty shitty.  Oh man, we gotta fish??!!  Ok.. let's try this spot on the Lycoming.

COLD AS HELL!!!  Blowing biting wind with flurries...   ice instantly freezing to me, the rod, and the line.  Sweet huh?  Well, maybe I'll try and walk on a little of that ice to get my line out into the current seam more Todd... what do you think? 

Uhhhh... Dave???

Hey, I think it's gonna hold me!

Crrrraaaacccccckkkkkk!!!

FUCK!  I fell in up to my waist in icy cold Lycoming Creek.

See that big wet spot area on the ice???   Well believe it or not.. you take one step off that gravel bar and the water depth is 2.5 to 3 feet!  Scared the shit outta me.  That's why I don't ice fish folks!!!

The Downstream view...

Nothing but a big sheet of ice!!!  YUCK!!

So what now Todd?  We are cold, really cold... and we can't find anywhere to fish?  Wanna go to Gander Mtn?

Well, wait a minute... let me try one more place.  I have a good idea that this creek may be fishable.  It's right down the road. 

Well, holy shit!  Gray's Run is lookin' good!!  Time for some brookie action?  HELL YES!!!

Gray's Run is one of my favorite places to flyfish.  It's beautiful any time of the year and the water is always this clear!

The water was actually about 3 degrees warmer than the Lycoming!  It was 36 degrees instead of the balmly 30-33 degree water of the Lycoming.

Todd trying to make it through a little riffle!

Log jams and plunge pools everywhere.  No wonder brookies like living here!

Nymphing down a riffle to the slack water.

Todd hitting a small run

Some underwater pics of the run.  I was trying to get a pic of his nymph tumbling in the water.

Well, after all that... we still went to Gander Mountain!  AND IT ROCKED!  They had flytying supplies on Manager's Special!  I giant bin of stuff:  BUY ONE AND GET ONE FREE!  OH YEAH!!!  Metz Necks Grade #1, 6Wgt lines, Sinking tips, Giant bags of hackle, dry fly hooks, Mustad hooks... all buy one get one!  Sweetness abides!