Warm Toes In The Winter

Last Saturday was a new moon, it was overcast and just above freezing. Perfect conditions for a quick fly fishing trip in the middle of winter. Jon and I rigged our rods with Rainbow Warriors and scud imitations on 4X fluorocarbon. On New Year’s Day Jon had given me a box of Graber® Hand Warmers. I put one in each of my fleece socks as I was putting on my waders. I checked the water temperature as we crossed the river to head upstream. It read a frigid 36 degrees, even colder than last week. On my previous trip I had placed the hand warmers inside the wader feet but outside the socks. I couldn’t really feel the warmth through the thick socks so this time I thought I would experiment with them inside the socks. My toes never did get cold, so I will report that they worked great and did the trick. These hand warmers will make wading in the winter much more comfortable. They stay warm for 10 hours. When I got home I gave the ones I had been using to my wife and she held them all evening to keep her hands warm.

When we got to the first good looking spot in the river I pointed out a perfect spot to cast right where the deeper, fast water met the slower water. Would you believe on the second cast I hooked a fish. Jon laughs, “like that!” I say, “that’s what I’m talking about, quite a different river than two weeks ago.” Jon went on to hook a fish on his second cast as well. I love days that start like this.