Large waters demand caution

With the big Memorial Day weekend looming, I recently spent a good deal of time in my waders. Here is what I learned. The larger rivers have been dropping steadily and should continue to drop barring a major rain event (which is actually forecast for early this week). Smaller creeks continue to warm up and water temperatures are fairly consistent in the middle 40s throughout the region. I was able to entice a few brook trout into eating a silver bugger, but the cold water means streamers need to be crept along the bottom instead of being stripped quickly. The largest concern continues to be wading safely. The major rivers are just plain not safe to get into, and even the smaller creeks remain above normal meaning one mistake can put a person down. I almost got sucked into deep pools twice in the past three days. I have seen a handful of stoneflies in the air as well as a few caddis, but the fish don’t seem to be looking up yet. The best advice I can give right now is that if you venture out, wade safely.