Well, Dale was a bit of a bust. With the nasty weather, family coming in to visit, and a sick daughter, I only got a few short hours on the lake. I had gotten a couple tips on some places to look for trout, but our cabin was on a different part of the lake, so I was on my own. I did run into a local near one of the marinas who said the trout come into the back of that particular creek in the winter, but they hadn't shown up yet.
Friday would have been the perfect day to go, but we got into the cabin late Thursday night, and then I was up until 1:30 or 2:00 a.m. putting together Christmas presents for the kids - my wife bought motorized scooters with "some assembly required" - I think you needed an Engineering degree from MIT and a minor in Chinese studies to read the assembly instructions. So Friday I was a bit wiped out and unmotivated, so I slept late and lazed around instead of fishing. I figured I'd just go Saturday, but that was a mistake because the weather turned bad.
I did spend a while scouting on Saturday - looking for fish activity, risers, bait, or anything, but didn't see much. I cast a streamer on the fly rod and an in-line spinner but no takers. I don't know if it was bad technique, bad conditions, or just the wrong place. That's the tough thing about unfamiliar water. Then the wind started ripping and the snow started coming down hard, so I retreated to the cabin to sit in front of the fire and drink wine instead.
I have a lead or two to follow up on in the next couple months, so maybe I'll go back and try again with a little better weather.
Thanks in particular to Dave for some suggestions on places to try. I didn't get to those places this time but I will be back soon.
bd