Things have melted here in Alaska just enough for me to slip and slide my way up the hilly, narrow, rutted trail of ice and mud leading to a scenic mountain where I sometimes find some ptarmigan in the fall. I was hoping to get a few birds for the table before the season closes on April 30th, but I climbed all over the little mountaintop and didn't see or hear a single one. Hunting is over for now, but grayling should be returning to fishable streams as I write.
TNEAL on Apr 29, 2014April 29th, 2014, 2:11 pm EDT
Lots of water here and still below average temperatures. I fished the AuSable (Michigan) yesterday and the water temp maxed out at 49. Several fish taken on a wooly bugger; no hatches to speak of. Hendricksons are a week or so off, I'm told. First week of May is supposed to average about 10 degrees below "normal".
We are going to be way behind here with insect emergences.....