The Bright Days Of Spring
Leana Eckes
In the rhythm of life, spring stands as a poignant reminder of new beginnings as nature awakens from its slumber, buds burst forth and the world transforms into a tapestry of vibrant colors. Spring signifies a time of renewal, hope, and the promise of brighter days ahead. Yet, for many, it also carries the weight of loss, reminding us of those who are no longer with us.
However, amidst the pain of loss, spring offers solace and the opportunity for healing. Just as nature sheds its winter coat and embraces the warmth of the sun, we too can let go of our grief and welcome the dawn of a new chapter. Spring teaches us the invaluable lesson of resilience, showing us that even in the face of loss, life continues to bloom.
Yet, while remembrance is essential, so too is the act of moving forward. Spring beckons us to embrace change and to find beauty in the new beginnings that lie ahead. Just as flowers push through the earth to reach for the sky, we too can find the strength to persevere and grow, even in the face of adversity.
As we stand on the threshold of spring, let us embrace its message of hope and renewal. Let us remember with love those we have lost, and let their memories inspire us to live our lives with purpose and gratitude. And as we journey forward, may we find solace in the beauty of new beginnings, knowing that with each passing season, we are reminded of the precious gift of life itself.
Deb Taylor is the CEO of Senior Community Services, a Twin Cities nonprofit with a mission to empower people as they age, committed to serving compassionately, connecting communities and supporting independence.
Is it hard to believe that your present circumstances will lead to happy tomorrows? In Brighter Days Ahead: 50 Devotions of Hope in the Hard, you'll be reminded through Bible verses, affirmations, and quotes that you're not in this alone.
There really are brighter days ahead, and difficult roads can lead to beautiful destinations! You can find beauty in the midst of the ashes. And like the sun pushes through the clouds, your breakthrough is peeking through your circumstances.
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One of the biggest misconceptions I've heard from salmon anglers over the decades is that most of them relate sunlight as being bad for catching salmon. The reality of this is that the presence of sunlight can often be a 'polar opposite' of that misconception if you apply a bit of good old common sense to your thought processes.
In salmon fishing I would choose a high pressure bright light day over a low pressure dull light day any day of the week as I relate the vast majority of early Spring salmon captures I've been involved with to higher pressure days with the presence of sunlight. At this time of the year where you have freezing cold weather the sun can often just warm the surface layer of the river up enough to get Spring salmon moving and in the mood for a fly.
Apart from being useful for camouflage security from any predator that's hunting salmon from above I'm fairly sure God created the dark back colour of a salmon to also act as a cold water condition heat absorber. The reason I say that is because obviously dark colours absorb heat and light colours reflect heat so in freezing water conditions when the river is running very cold a salmon can draw that warmth from sunlight if it positions itself high in the water column which is exactly where you'll find salmon when Jack Frost has been around!
On so many occasions I've seen the fly rod nearly getting launched out of the stern of the boat when I was on the Tay and harling a high water column tube fly through the early months of the year. On the vast majority of these occasions it was during or shortly after the appearance of direct sunlight which I always found too much of a coincidence. In addition to that a salmon fly with some sparkly additions would truly 'light up' and go into 'flicker' mode with the presence of sunlight that a sunless sky could never achieve.
Even through late Spring when the river starts to warm I'd still see more salmon caught on the brighter days and on the Tay the sun positioning in the sky for most beats would mean that it was directly shining up river in the angler's eyes for most of the day and not in the salmon's eyes. So check the angle of glare on whichever river you're fishing on and work out whether very bright light is really going to make a resident salmon hold deeper in the pool or not. Also be aware that most running fish that momentarily stop in a pool will be holding fairly high in the water column with or without the presence of sunlight.
When the river warms up during late Spring and Summer which naturally coincides with a higher sky sun position 'resident' salmon will hold deeper in the pools for two reasons. The main reason will be temperature based as the cooler water is down deep at the bottom of the pool and the higher sun positioning 'glare' will be less comfortable for a fish by comparison to the lower sky sun positioning of early Spring. When salmon take that deeper holding position it's just the same for them as it would be for us putting a pair of Ray Bans on as the natural colouration of the river acts as a bright light filter.
When you get resident salmon holding deep like that during late Spring & Summer the most effective way to catch them is to throw the rule book right out of the window. What I mean by that is the books generally tell you that a floating line is the way to deal with the warmer water conditions which will work with a really keen fish that's willing to come up several feet to intercept a fly in a medium depth pool. Most salmon however will not do that when they're lying deep so a very long and fast sink tip and and big mend to get the salmon fly right down onto them is always going to be the more logical approach. I recall a fine 12 pounder I hooked on the River Tay for a guest in bright light conditions with that very deep swim salmon fly tactic after everyone and their dog had been through the pool with zero success on an exceptionally bright light late Summer day.
The days are getting warmer, the bald eagles, white pelicans, sandhill cranes and geese are returning home and a pile of anglers are putting the final touches on long-awaited fishing adventures in Northern Ontario.
Oh, yes, and my message box is overflowing with questions, like the one I received the other day from a Chicago-based reader who is heading to Wabigoon Lake in Sunset Country. Because it is a shallow clay-based system prone to clouding over and resembling a milkshake, he was scratching his head wondering about what lures to bring. In particular, he wanted to know if there is any truth to the bright lures on bright days and dark lures on dark days aphorism?
Bright sun. Slight breeze. Warm, sunny, October afternoon. Too many people around on days like that, so we parked ourselves in a good pool at daybreak and stayed put. But we worked it for over an hour without a take.
Where can a taupe jig be purchased? I doubt it can. It was a 1/64-ounce custom-made TC Tackle jig painted with Taupe Drawer, color #920 in the Pure Ice nail polish lineup. Not to discourage anyone, but go to Walgreens and it might be possible to find 6 or 7 shades of taupe. Go to a department store and there could be 5 or 6 completely different shades of that color. Pink? Dozens, maybe hundreds of variations exist. And steelhead love pink.
Most of the time, steelhead respond to a few different colors based on conditions, but genetics seems to play a role, too. Rivers with naturally reproducing steelhead have shown a decided preference for one specific color year after year in my experience. No scientific research supports that notion, but a half century of observation and journal entries might have some small amount of merit.
Science does reveal that bluefin tuna have very poor color perception, while steelhead see color better than we do. Since bluefin spend a lot of time deeper than 100 feet, color perception is probably less important, and the ability to see silhouettes high above them more important, for survival. Steelhead spend most of their lives much closer to the surface, even while out to sea. Color perception becomes an advantage for fish that feed selectively, as trout often do.
Steelhead are color-conscious to the extreme. New data, observations, and techniques have amended what we knew about how steelhead see the world and why they sometimes choose one color or shade over another.
The factors that affect color visibility under water for steelhead are: 1) Particulates in the water (the amount and type of organic matter suspended actually determines the color of the water itself); 2) depth; 3) distance; 4) weather; and 5) amplitude of light. Steelhead see color very well in clear water, especially on bright days. In cloudy water and on dark days, color perception is compromised.
Water color affects how steelhead see your lure. It filters the light, enhancing some colors and modifying the spectrum of colors. In blue water, red becomes brown. In rivers that are slightly brown or stained, chartreuse or yellow really pop.
To know if steelhead are really responding to chartreuse, use a fluorescent version in green water. In crystal clear water, the only thing limiting how steelhead see color is depth. Red and orange filter out first, followed by violet and yellow, then the greens and blues. In all but the deepest, cloudiest rivers, green and blue are visible throughout the water column.
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