The Old Au Sable Fly Shop Fishing Report<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It seems it\u2019s always snowing sideways when my family piles in the truck and heads to Gaylord for our Christmas tree. But undaunted, we travel to Martell\u2019s Christmas Tree is Farm in Gaylord on a drive that brims with eager anticipation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s funny how we only loosely remember the way to our newish, annual pilgrimage. There\u2019s the house with the big \u201cW\u201d by the suspicious turn and the blow-up yard decorations past the turn that tell us to double back. But once we get on the right-looking road, I know exactly which path to take because the drive into the farm is perfect bird hunting cover. The Martell\u2019s are experts in forest management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that family of foresters grow some precisely pruned and perfectly sized Christmas trees. I like the Fraser Firs best with their soft needles and ornament stout branches, and their handmade wreath with the red ribbon hanging on our front door makes me feel like I\u2019ve somehow arrived to a new place in my life. Maybe it\u2019s adulthood and maybe it\u2019s just in the nick of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fishing report is buried in that story. It goes something like, \u201cWhen Christmas is coming and a snowman making blizzard is imminent, don\u2019t go fishing\u2014take your kid on an outdoor adventure and hunt down a snow-frosted, present-umbrella of a tree.\u201d At least, that is, when you\u2019ve grown too old for blind obsession and too wise to accidentally waste time. There is a perfect space for all outdoor pursuits. Recognizing those windows is rare understanding.
Unseasonable warm-ups are really the point of winter angling on the Au Sable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Winter nymphing and streamer fishing is really just a way to shake off cabin fever. It was never intended to wage war on our weary trout. They need rest in the off season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There will be ice on the lakes soon. When there\u2019s ice, it\u2019s time for ice fishing. Temperatures are hovering in the mid-thirties. It\u2019s nearly time to stow the boats and long rods and to dust off the ice shanties and short poles. I love ice fishing because, if you let it be, it\u2019s simple and cheap.
That\u2019s actually true of most outdoors endeavors . . . just not of mine, but I\u2019m working on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
December also opens the winter fly tying chapter. It\u2019s time to inventory your fur and feathers and hooks and such. A notepad helps to remember the recipes you want to twist together and to list materials that are running thin. It\u2019s always good to make a list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m still debating with myself about in person fly tying classes but will decide by the next report, so please keep posted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So much to do. The Holidays can be hectic; I hope you can take them slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019d like to help kick off you Holiday weekend by hosting an open house from 12-2 p.m. on Christmas Eve Day. We\u2019ll have finger food and drinks to toast in the joyful season. And, of course, we\u2019ll run some deep, customer appreciation discounts on last minute presents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I truly do appreciate you all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take care and stay safe,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Andy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Old Au Sable Fly Shop Fishing Report It seems it\u2019s always snowing sideways when my family piles in the truck and heads to Gaylord for our Christmas tree. But undaunted, we travel to Martell\u2019s Christmas Tree is Farm in Gaylord on a drive that brims with eager anticipation. It\u2019s funny how we only loosely … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[197,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.oldausable.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1882"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.oldausable.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.oldausable.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.oldausable.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.oldausable.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1882"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.oldausable.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1883,"href":"https:\/\/blog.oldausable.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1882\/revisions\/1883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.oldausable.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.oldausable.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.oldausable.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}