"And That's a Wrap..."So, last Friday found me on the River, just me and the Hound. Weather wasn't all that bad, a little rain, the river up a fair bit but with pretty good visibility. Over the afternoon (no early start that day!) I reminisced about the past couple of months, the late start due to surgery, the
Fun times with a good number of Buddies, and of course, the incredible Fish that draw us back so often...
Did manage a few hook-ups, and landed a couple of rather bright
Wildies. So a few grins, a toast to the River and her fine times, and almost overcome with melancholy, I wandered away, thinking then it was likely my last visit for the season...
Saturday morning, the phone interrupts my first coffee of the day. T'other Matt suggesting we probably should not miss the last day of the License...
Kinda slow yesterday I informed him...
Pick you up in an hour!So off to the River once again. Mere moments after we arrived I was fast into a super bright bullet! Excellent Battle, had me grinning from ear to ear! After a good tussle, I realized this was a hatchery fish, and although I keep but few over a season, I decided this one was coming home. A Fine way to celebrate the end of the season I figured, fresh smoked steel off the Bar-Bee!
Just as I landed that one, the sky opened up and the predicted rain came on strong:
Over the course of the afternoon, the weather changed constantly. Some times a hard rain, sometimes gentle, the odd moment of no sky-water, then hail and even snow! (Sidebar: Woke this morning to 3"+ of the white stuff on the ground!! Winter certainly is taking her time in letting go her grip this year!!)
The
BoogyMan of course had to carefully inspect the impending dinner:
Then as per usual, took up his "
On Guard" station to ensure the local mink or some other potential robber didn't relieve us of our reward:
Shortly after that my Partner hit one that took so hard his mainline failed on his end of the float!! I crawled up to a vantage point, and shortly realized the barbless hook had yet to shake free, as the float was merrily wandering around out in the seam. Tried repeatedly to hook the line, as did my Partner. Did manage briefly to engage the line, but after a few shakes, it came free. Saw the float wander off by itself a short time later, so figured the steelhead had gotten shed of the offending jewelery...
A few more bites, and my Buddy decided to wander downstream a ways to check out a few other runs. Content to casually fish the area I was in, enjoying the tranquility of the moment, I had no idea of what was about to unfold! Within moments of Matt's departure, I tagged a Beautiful
Wildy, super chrome, and full of spunk! A
LOT of air-time with this one, and just a quick offhand picture before releasing her back to the arms of the River...
I took a moment's pause reflecting on the flash of chrome I had seen a little ways downstream and off to one side of the run when that one hooked up.
MUST be another there I mumbled to myself...
Continued...