Only 2 Months Until Ice-Off!

 November 2010, floating the Green River...  I seem to be catching the small ones !

 Friend, Steve Drakulich, with one of the Weber River catches...

The trout are beautiful on the Green River... It began to snow shortly after this catch!

Since I haven't ice fished around here, all I can do is tie flies waiting for the weather to change.  It's only about 2 months before "ice-off" fishing begins!    If you have never gone fishing during ice-off, you are in for a treat.  It's when the ice begins to melt off a lake, exposing water around the edges of the lake.  The open water may only be about 10 yards wide, but it becomes a great time to fish for the big ones that have been "hibernating" all winter.  They are ready to feed and I am ready to feed them!

Could Interest Rates On Homes Be Moving Up?

Long-term mortgage rates ticked up slightly as some relatively good news came out for the housing market. While the housing market continues to struggle, every small step is one step closer to a full economic recovery.

Existing home sales climbed 12.3% last month, with the inventory levels dropping to 8.1 months of available homes at the current rate of sale.

This week could be an interesting week for mortgage rates. While we may see some upward pressure on rates from last week, we have a few significant items that could push rates further upward. The Feds meet again, and will release its policy statement on Wednesday. While no rate change is expected, a shift in the Fed's stance on the economy to a more prositive position, could help propel mortgage rates higher.

Additionally, the first GDP estimate for the last quarter of 2010 is due. If GDP comes in higher than 3.6%, we should see mortgage rates moving higher by the end of the week. Of course, if econmic data this week disappoints, mortgage rates will tend back downward again.