Speys Away

Yesterday I spent the time putting all things Spey stuff away until maybe summer Chinook.  Winston came back out  of tube and sock.Checked and cleaned and guides, cork and reel seats. Same thing     with the good old Redington. I still dig it this rod.
   Sold the Echo DH didn't use it more that a time or two,don't remember catching any fish with it, always felt to heavy to use all day. The kid  Casey, I'm sure he will love it, Carey's first Spey rod.

So cleaning up the rods this year was easy.
         The reels are a different story Nautilus, Loop, and two Sage an old Hardy.
Cut any leaders, check the connecting loops, pull off the tip lines, clean inspect,the shooting heads cleaned inspected, repair or discard, roll up in large loops and mark, same thing with the other heads.     Now the running line, I cut off the loop attachments and maybe a foot or two of line retying new loops, and really clean this line good. Then after cleaning I take it out and stretch it, and wind it up loose in big loops " I want No memory". label it and spray it down with Armeral.
Pull the reels apart clean out any dirt, lube up the center shaft, put it all back together, spin it a few times, then loosed up the drag, wrap it up and put it in case.

     Today it's Clean out the luggage, Bac pac, sling and hip pack, Put away the fly boxes after restocking, the heaver tippit and leaders put with lines. make notes about stuff to reorder / stock, clean out the  trash/garbage picked up along the ways. refill Flask, wash gloves and fleece Buffs, the extra socks & Hand towel.  All of this goes into a toat with a heavy towel in the bottom, Oil pocket knife & sharpen, Clean out sling. and restock it of Omak Lake Fishing, Both fishing licence,
                                                            Clean out Hip Pac.
  Then the Boots and Waders: and another toat. My Patagonia Bar boots have been cleaned and dried, laces and bars ckecked placed in the bottom, with wading stick and belt. wader repair kit.
     I have a pair of Simms G3s that I only wear in the rivers. These I clean with mild soap and water both inside and out then let dry throatily then I spray alcoholic each side. fold them up and put on top. then the waders.go on top of a towel folded neat.

                               Doing all this help me think bac on Season!!

       It's been a good season not the best or the worst, I hooked, and landed some nice Metalheads this year, still more  than I can remember back on the wetside. This was a good time thinking about being on the water with good friends, Gary, Doc, Dave L, Rich, Wayne and Jamie just to name a few.  Some crazy flies (My first MH of the season on a believe it or not but a DD Patton booby fly.) Or Gary going with me just after I tweeted my knee just to make sure I didn't fall down.  Getting to spend a day on the Skykomish with Jamie good time just standing in the Ice Cold water fling flies on a line, time after time only to have slack line, Dues I guess. and the rush of tug the hook up !!.  The time on the Methow, Okanogan, Similkameen, Skagit, Stillagumish Rivers  nothing but good times.won and lost some battles. Times to remember.

                       Thank to another SH season and now warmer weather.