Bucket Hats...

I like bucket hats. And, I have a few that I rotate between fly fishing trips...just to prolong me from wearing out a good hat. What's a good hat? Well, my favorite fishing hat is an Outdoor Research bucket hat. It dissuades bugs from landing on my neck and keeps the sun off my ears. So, it's pretty much perfect. Except when it rains.

Actually, I do enjoy fishing in a mid-summer's light drizzle, and I stuff a rain hat (bucket) and jacket in my sling pack just for those occasions. One of my favorite days up on Rainy Mountain a few years ago was when my neighbor and I got caught in one of those light rains. We were on the west side of the mountain in a beautiful spot...to bring the Leetle Fellers to our nets. Just a great day it was. Absolute stillness in the trees. Sounds of pitter patter on the hat and from the rushing water. Beautiful colors in our surrounding. A Payne's Grey sky. All interrupted occasionally by a line going tight and the whirring sound of the fly reel.

A few photos of my neighbor Brian working the stream above me. I'm always amazed at how peaceful it is when there is a light rain falling on a mountain stream up at high altitude. These kind of days are good for the soul.

Click on photo for a larger view.