Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Big flies, Big fish, and Big Remorse

Ah well, shucks, Dangit.
All three of these words along with a few choice others left my lips as I realized it might be a little to late for the bronze backed beauty as it swam away from me and a small pool of blood trailed right behind it. What can you do, it's all part of this "catch and release thing" that sometimes happens. I just wish it didn't have to be on the biggest fish of the afternoon. Sometimes things in life happen, even when we have the best of intentions.
I should be on my way to Canada instead of writing this, but an unfortunate emergency surgery in my immediate family forced us to cancel our father/son trip. Such as life, the lodge was extremely accommodating, and will save our deposit till next year, so all was not lost. So here I sit, with the remainder of the week off with 90 degree weather and a few flies begging to get wet. Figuring the mosquito's on my trout rivers would be a bit to hot, I opted for a SMALLIE run.
I caught a variety of fish on the barteax minneaux, from a tiny rock bass to a long nosed gar which scared the absolute CRAP out of me, thinking i was starring in the next installment of the crocodile movie, "Lake Placid."
I then had a small lunch consisting of two granola bars and a handful of almonds. It was time to head back upstream. I decided to tie on a popper and see if I couldn't pull something off the TOP of the water. After fighting the large current for about twenty minutes, I finally connected. I had lost my hemostats somewhere in the river on the way down, and had tried to pinch my barb with my nippers. I thought I had done a good enough job, but this monster inhaled the popper all the way down to the gullet. I stuck my whole hand down his mouth trying to free that hook and JUST couldn't get it. I felt terrible. So I decided to try and give him the best chance I could. Cut the line as close to the popper as I could and hopefully he could make a go of it.
 Ah well, shucks, Dangit
 Sometimes things in life happen, even when we have the best of intentions.

4 comments:

  1. Nice fish! Man I should have gone into the medical field so I could fish as much as you =)!

    ReplyDelete
  2. haha,
    yeah, UNLIKE the guy who can move to a different state, and then find time to go back a month later, to "check in" with work! hahaha

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey--that happens and you did the best you could.
    Its a credit to your own self that you are concerned.
    I had a brown nearly swallow a fly earlier this year and it was tough to get, but I was lucky that time. Took a little trout CPR to get him going again after the ordeal, but he swam off with an attitude.

    ReplyDelete
  4. parker, thanks for the kind words. all we can do is try. but still enjoy the outings God made possible for us.

    ReplyDelete