After yesterday’s walk in the woods, I awoke this morning hopeful, but not exactly believing things were going to go my way on the fishing front. The water at the campground was still high and fast, so I hopped in the SUV in search of some fishable water.
The place I ended up at is a frequent haunt. I selected it because it typically runs quite low and is an easy wade. A forest road parallels it for quite a distance as well, which would allow for a quick escape if things didn’t go as planned.
Well, they didn’t, high and fast here too…
Frustration kicking in, I said, “F*ck it, let’s give it a go anyway…” I put my boots on, grabbed my rods, and chose to bring along the wading staff, (the smartest decision I’d make all day).
Let’s just say deliberate wading was possible, but the water was really just too fast to have a very productive day. I picked up about a half a dozen fish (all rainbows) from the soft water, and long distance released another three or four who found their way into some swift current. Nothing of size, just the little ones who clearly don’t know better than to be out in these conditions.
Boy, did that water take a toll on my legs. Walking against or across the stream would have been almost impossible without that wading staff. Any section where the water was thigh high or deeper was just a slog. And the normal boulder to boulder parkour wasn’t possible with 75% of them now submerged.
A sound-minded person would have just skipped fishing and did some other outdoor activity, but being an angler, especially one who came up empty the day before, we don’t always make the best decisions. As I type this, my quads and calves are still throbbing and my legs have the stability of Jell-O, don’t let the smile fool ya.
But I did catch some fish. Got those tacos too in case you were wondering…
