Gone fishing

Hi Folks!

Well as I said last week, I had a bit of trouble finding everything I needed to go fishing this last weekend. Yeah... I searched high and low for all my stuff but finally had to break down and head on over to Ben Watson's Army-Navy Surplus store over in Biggsbee. One of these days I'm gonna find that safe spot where I put everything that I want to make sure I'll find. When I do I'll probably find all sorts of stuff... why maybe I'll even find my old trumpet and those first edition baseball cards I bought as an investment a few years back. It'll probably happen when I'm searching for something else. I never seem to be able to find it while I'm looking for it. Yep... I bet there's some really prized possessions just sitting there just waiting for me to remember where that spot is.

Anyways... Old Ben must've seen me comin. He'd put out a real nice display of all the things he thought I might've "misplaced" this time. Seeing all that stuff all laid out there on his counter... I'll tell you what... I was real tempted to pick up a few more things than I really needed. Why he had one of them new (for the store that is) automated reel setups. Yes indeedee... all you gots to do once you get it all setup on your rod is dial in the type of fish you're lookin for, the approximate speed of the river or stream, the depth you're tryin to fish at and presto chango... that reel pretty much does the rest. Almost catches the fish all by its lonesome. You still have to throw your lineout there with the lure, fly, or hook and bait but then it starts doin its thing. It's got a rermote sensor built into the sinker/floater combination. It automatically calculates where it is in the water and sends feedback to the reel. It also has a fish detection thingee embdded in it as well. Once the sinker/floater hits the water it does a quick search to see if any fish are nearby. Then it controls the speed at which the line gets pulled in, making sure that the bait/lure gets dragged just at the right speed and motion to attact the kind of fish you're lookin for.

Yes sirree bob, I was mighty tempted but I was good. I kept myself focused on what I really needed. Looked through all that stuff but only bought a new fishin vest... a new hat... and another pair of those canvas-cloth pants to go under my waders. Well... maybe I bought a few other things as well. Can't expect a fella to just walk away from a counter full of treasures. You just have to indulge yourself once in awhile... don't you agree? After all, I'm sure I'll have a real good use for that Remnick Spinner and the Kentucky Long Iron Expandable Net. A fella can't have too many of those useful tools ifn he's gonna be prepared for what he's not expecting out there in the wild.

So I was finally all set. Had all my gear, packed up all my lures and flies and bait... brought me some of them Long Stream Worms... you know the ones that grow to a foot or so and squirm like theyse being pinched once theyse put in water. Yep, put it all in my truck and headed on over to Cotter's Creek. Set up shop there for awhile, down where the creek takes that nice slow bend over by Millet's Farm. I've had some luck there before but not that day. Got a couple of quick strikes from a couple of Picas. It's a nice fish... but it ain't no Strout. Took me all of ten minutes each to reel 'em in and net 'em. Ended up being too small to keep anyways... threw 'em back... best they gets a chance to grow some more before they're ready for someone's table.

After an hour or so with no real action except for those Pica, I decided to move on down the stream. Ended up down by Widow's Bend down where the creek meets the river. They call it Widow's Bend 'cause come fishin season all the wives become fishin widows. That bank can get so crowded it's almost like the whole town of Biggsbee and the surrounding farms are all there. Course there's plenty of women there too. Many of them are better at fishin than the menfolk. They tend to have more patience... seem to know the water better by and large as well. Yeah it can get a mite crowded once you gets into the summer. Guess I got lucky... t'weren't nobody there this last weekend... probably 'cause it's still so early in the season.

I stayed there the rest of the day just throwing that line out, feeling the rush of the water tugging at me as it moved past my legs, enjoying the sun on my face and the cool breeze blowin over the suface of the creek. Caught a few Strout. They put up quite a struggle. Fought one for nigh on fifty minutes or so before I was finally able to bring it in. Couldn't get myself to keep it after that. Oh it was plenty big enough... twenty inches or so... but I figured that after that fight it somehow deserved to be set free to go about its business. It'd given me the joy of the struggle... that fierce exultation when you're in the midst of it and can't be sure of the outcome. That Strout might've got away. It could've snapped the line or done a million different things to deny me the catch. Considered myself lucky to have come up against it. A real champion that fish... couldn't bring myself to eat it. Maybe I'll have a chance to come up against it agin sometime down the road.

Yeah... that was one fine day out there at the creek. Nothin like it. Just you, nature, and the fish. Makes you wonder sometime why we work so hard to... well you know... change it. Don't worry none. I did catch enough to make a real nice supper. Course I had to wait 'til I got home to fillet them. Seems I must've put my filleting knife in a safe place somewhere...

Anyways... I had a great day. Well, that's it for now. 'Til next time. Jon