On The Trail

 I went fishing this week. And it sure felt good to be on a streamside trail again. It's been over a month since I've been able to float a fly and fool a trout. I missed it, for sure. Yeah, I'm not doing any stealthy type of fishing...yet. But that day will come. Today was an opportunity to test my endurance following major surgery, and Sylvia joined me to ensure I was ready for my return to home waters. I did okay, but will need to build my endurance back to where it needs to be, especially for the kind of fly fishing I enjoy in mountainous terrains. We've mapped out a daily exercise routine to get me back in shape.

When I was rigging up my rod at the trailhead, a young native girl, who was part of a group of teens, walked around my truck and suggested I tie on an ant. She said the trout really liked them in this stream's location. I smiled, and showed her what I had just tied on my tippet. Yup, a black ant dry fly. She liked that we were thinking the same thing. We crossed paths on the trail later in the afternoon and she asked if I had any luck. I smiled and held up three fingers. It was a good day.

When I finished fishing, Sylvia and I sat down to rest and relax in this beautiful setting. It's always special to be in the outdoors up at high elevation, and listening to a running freestone stream is so relaxing...we took some time there to appreciate the moment. Reluctantly, we hiked backed to the truck to drive down the mountain to one of our favorite picnic areas next to another stream. The clouds began covering the sky to cool down the temps just in time for our streamside snack. It was a happy day for us, caught a few trout, had a picnic, and we treasured each minute gifted to us up on Rainy Mountain.

Gear: Winston IM6 7'6" 3wt fly rod; VR Design fly reel; Rio LightLine WF3F fly line; Patagonia sling pack; Dogwood Canyon landing net; and a Black Ant dry fly.