Bucktail Spinner

"The Unforgettable Fire," U2 keeps playing in my mind, the cosmic resonance of instrumentation unearthly and melancholy, as if light years from the down-to-earth pursuits I love. I guess this winter is lingering on awhile yet, though this has nothing to do with ice fishing; it's a nabby sort of winter weather that doesn't give anyone the vitality of extreme cold.

I thought of taking my two-weight TFO and Sadie the black Lab to Peapack Brook, thinking of wild browns and possibly any rainbows that could have moved upstream from the North Branch Raritan, stocked this past fall, but I was up until 5:00 a.m. last night, not getting out of bed until 3:00, having a lot to do. I want to walk in the downstream direction along the railroad tracks and see if I can find holes along the brook's course as it nears the river. I also thought of casting spinners over here in the pond, and though that water is cold, I could grab my rod right now and try, but I think I'm waiting on next Monday, after I get a homemade bucktail spinner in the mail from Tom Savko, a New Jersey Federated Sportsmen News reader who liked my recent article about in-line spinners. He sent me photos of his father's, and his, work, and the plugs he makes are amazing for their professional finished quality.