Things have taken a quiet turn this first week of November as is usually the case.

Snow is falling and as of this morning the majority of our lodging is winterized and closed until spring. We’ve got three units open and available this week but those too will be unavailable starting next week.

Today would be an ok day to fish. Tomorrow looks to be better with partial sun returning and a high near 40.

Things deteriorate over the weekend with gusty winds and rain and snow likely. Winter conditions starting on Monday with snow, highs in the teens and lows in the single digits. It looks like a bit of a warming trend towards the end of next week as we climb back near 30 but it seems as though this idyllic fall season is finally about to come to a close.

This has, without a doubt, been one of the most pleasant and lengthy autumns in recent memory and as luck would have it I was able to get out and enjoy much of it with a more relaxed schedule in the shop and help when I needed it.

The wife and I did our annual trip to Whitefish and were treated to several days of amazing autumn weather. We checked out some new breweries, hiked some areas we’d never hiked before, took in a Helena vs Flathead High volleyball match and basically spent three days doing not much of anything other than enjoying fall in the Flathead.

Last week I spent Thursday and Friday on the Blackfoot with dear friends doing our annual fall streamer trip which up until this year had happened on the Yellowstone. After two amazing days on the Blackfoot, we’re planning on sticking with the current program going forward.

Having not spent a whole lot of time fun fishing this season it was so good to get out and do a trip like this, tuning everything out but fishing for two days straight. No emails, no phone calls and no tough decisions aside from which streamer to throw and whether or not it was time for another beer.

Obviously owning a fly shop and being an outfitter keeps one focused on fishing but it can also have the effect of making you feel somewhat unplugged from the energy created when you’re able to actually engage in this thing that for me evolved from a pastime to a passion. Not taking the time to reconnect can have extremely deleterious effects on one’s psyche but at the same time stepping back in after a season absent of fun fishing made this getaway all that much more enjoyable and significant to the point where I came away feeling reinvigorated and back in the game.

Note to self – take more time to fish from here on out.

On Monday I did my final guide trip of the season on the Missouri and had my best day in years with the stars aligning to deliver non-stop action. A breezy day for sure but when its 60 plus degrees on Halloween and you’re netting fish all day long it definitely makes fighting the wind more tolerable.

It’s been a great season here at WCA and while we welcome winter we’re excited for 2023 with some BIG things we’re working on that we can’t wait to share with you.

The shop will be open somewhat sporadically all winter long but while I’m reflecting on this season I just want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who shopped with us, fished with us, stayed with us or simply followed us on social media in 2022. Another great season about to be in the books thanks to all of you.

Tight Lines!