Winter Trout Fishing
10 January 2014 -- 10/365
Lincoln, Rhode Island
Last week, the DEM (Department of Environmental Management) stocked several ponds - including this one - with trout in preparation for the annual ice fishing season. Despite several days of temperatures consistently below freezing, the DEM then posted a series of "Thin Ice" signs and warned ice fishermen and skaters that the ice was not safe for their activities. (You'd think they'd check that before stocking the ponds, but hey, that's why they're a government agency!) Of course, neither the warning signs nor today's temperature rise above freezing kept these ice fishermen from heading out onto Olney Pond to drill holes in the ice on the off chance that a hungry trout might happen upon their rig. None had so far. In fact, I can't ever remember seeing an ice fisherman in Rhode Island actually pull a fish up out of the frozen pond. If nothing else, though, it seems like a good excuse to stand around on a block of ice and drink beer, if only you were allowed to drink beer in a state park.
Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz B&W FX. I adjusted color sensitivity sliders, adaptive exposure, regions, contrast, protect highlights, and boost black. A levels adjustment was added in PSE.
