A Friendly Day

Sylvia was heading out the door to have coffee with friends, and I was thinking about whether or not I should go fishing. Well, when the jack hammers started shocking the quiet morning throughout the neighborhood, my mind was made. The fiber company started pounding concrete and it wasn't even 8:00am yet. I've learned through the years to keep a bag ready for departing at a moment's notice for fishing...and I was out the door.

I picked an easy trail to trek and fish today. I just wanted to fish to forget the destruction going on at the house. And, have a relaxing time on the mountain side with no expectations. Lucky me, I was the only angler on the stream. Best of all. I arrived at the right time with trout active and hungry.

The Cicadas were singing in the trees that lined the banks of the stream, and I was hoping they were exciting the wild Leetle Fellers that swim there. Nope, I didn't have a Cicada fly, but a black beetle would have to do the job. My first cast told the story for the day. I landed a black beetle #12 dry fly near the bank and a v-wake on the stream's surface took after my fly. The trout's aggressive attack on my fly turned out to be an event that would be repeated all day.

I stopped counting trout after ten of them landed in my net, and just fished. Walked. Enjoyed lots of tight line moments. Gawked at wildlife, landscapes. It seemed everyone on the trail wanted to chat, ask questions about what fish are in the stream, and if I caught any. If they didn't see me netting a trout, I was showing their little kids pictures of the pretty brown trout I had been catching. A friendly day with hikers...and with trout that were feeding and very active.

When I got home, there was a big square chunk of concrete removed from our driveway. Yeah, I'm thinking they're coming back, and I may need another day of fly fishing. Or two days. Most likely more...

Gear: Winston WT 7' 3wt fly rod; Bauer M.5 SuperLite fly reel; Orvis Wonderline WF3F fly line; Patagonia sling pack; Wayward landing net. A Black Beetle dry fly all day long.