Fall is my favorite time of year. Waking up early this morning, there was a definite hint of crispness in the chilly air. It wouldn’t be hard at all to imagine the sky full of low hanging clouds and drizzle, which is the perfect fall weather. It’s going to feel like summer later today, but there is still the knowledge that fall is coming.
Fall, more than any other season, offers you choices. Do you go throw streamers for big browns, or do you go fish the mayfly hatches? Do you fish your 8-weight, or your 4-weight? Do you put the rods away for a day and go chase grouse?
You have to be careful of your time in the fall. It is a fleeting season, a transition zone that never seems to last as long as you would like. Everyone seems to be busy in the fall too. Whether it is college courses, finishing up projects before winter comes, or just trying to squeeze as much outdoor time in as you can, there are a lot of demands on your time.
Then you add onto that the usual pressures of work, and the people that are close to you. Wives and girlfriends don’t get too happy if you are out throwing flies every waking moment. And sick days at work are scrutinized very carefully when the soft hackle bite at Barne’s Hole is on.
It is a fine balancing act to fit everything in, and where it should be. It seems so easy when you think about it, but the reality is much harder. Being reasonably young and stupid myself, I’m still pretty new at this. And damn, it’s harder than I thought it would be.
Fall is a season about choices. What will yours be?
