Howdy, folks. We are currently in the throes of a deep freeze here in beautiful western Wisconsin. The high today will be 8 below, and it's so bright out it hurts the eyes to look out the window. I am reminded again why extremes are good for the soul. With the brutal cold comes the deep appreciation of a spring thaw; with the short daylight hours comes the deep satisfaction of a late summer evening standing in the water; with the dead battery on an old truck comes the joy of dashing out to the driveway barefoot for a beer run. Without sadness what is joy? Anyway, you get the picture. It's the stuff I can't help but think about at this time of year.

Also, in the same vein, I've been thinking of a summer fishing rendezvous somewhere out west. Not too early to be thinking about that sort of thing - jumping rainbows, full-bodied browns with hook jaws, a gently drifted gray wulf through a riffle, a gin and tonic around a campfire while the sun sets. Okay, I'm depressed again. At any rate, if any listeners are interested in meeting out west this summer, I have some ideas about an August get-together. Music, fishing, stories, the whole works. Let me know if you'd like to be a part of the first annual summer rendezvous. We can all dream, can't we?

Chris and I will be heading back to the studio in the next few days, so keep checking the website for updates. Chris has written some new songs, and I've finished another essay. We're hoping to feature some of that soon.

Also, be sure to check out the new, updated website. Ken Hanson has done a terrific job adding information. The Links page is truly fantastic. We've also added a membership icon to click if interested in contributing to our show. We understand times are tough, but any help would be deeply appreciated. We do, after all, have bills to pay. And remember, we contribute 10% to coldwater fisheries, so you can rest assured the money is well used.

As always, thanks for tuning in. We appreciate the comments, good, bad or otherwise. For those of you stuck in the chilly midwest, be sure to stay warm. For those in warmer climes, we hate you. Be well.

joe

Southern fishin'

Howdy folks. Ken Hanson and I recently took a jaunt down to Arkansas and Missouri to get away from the cold weather for a day or two and to try our luck on some of the famous Ozark's water. As with all trips with Ken, it was a delight - good music, great conversation, lots of laughs. The good news was the weather was fabulous, highs in the upper 60's, lots of sunshine. The bad news was we spent an inordinate amount of time trying read the road signs in Arkansas and Missouri. Folks, trust me. If you go down to that beautiful region, get a DeLorme map. Both states do not believe in road signs.

As it turned out, the White was generating at four units (meaning it was running extremely high), and it was imposssible to wade fish at Bull Shoals, which was our objective. After a short deliberation, we passed on Bull Shoals and tried the tailwater at Norfolk. The water looked fine, but there were a lot of fishermen plying the waters. Ken and I started to put our gear on, but oddly enough, neither of us had good karma about the spot. So, we bailed on Arkansas and made a bee-line to the Current River, one on the nicest pieces of water in Missouri.

After a night of sleeping out along the river (I had to go to WalMart for a cheap sleeping bag), we fished the Current pretty hard the next day. The water was beautiful; there were a few other fishermen; it should have been great. But, I caught two trout and five chubs, and Ken caught one trout. As far as we could tell, no one was catching fish. In the end, Ken and I fished until dark and then drove twelve hours back to the Twin Cities. Were we disappointed? Not really. That's the nature of a road trip to new places. I don't think either of us regretted the trip, but we did laugh about our "fluid" plan. The next time we'll be sure to do a little more research, especially if we only have two days to fish.

We'll be sure to post our pictures, and we'll discuss it further on the next episode of FWJ. If anyone out there has a good story about a road trip gone awry, or about a road trip to that part of the country, we'd love to hear from you. Be well all, and remember: Always grease your nymph. It gives you something to do with your cold hands.

joe