Harrassed No More

"A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg, even if you are half-cracked"

I think we're all half-cracked, but that's what makes this life so rich and interesting. No two cracks are alike.........

So I went fishing yesterday intending to back-harrass my harrassers. I got to the river and low and behold, there's one of the harrassers, Vinnie. Knee deep in the river, he turns to me and just starts cracking up, "You made it out! Somebody get the camera." It was a very funny moment, he usurped me by not only going fishing, but by knowing where I was headed......how could I call him when he was there?

There wasn't much of a hatch as we had gone directly from early spring into summer, with the temps in the low 80's. We fished a nice stretch of water and around 5:30 Vin had to head home. He had taken one brown to my zero.

I did see some chunky crayfish and freshwater lampreys in the crystal clear water. The crayfish are amazing in that stream. Their mottled, tobacco brown bodies contrasting wildly with their robust, robin's egg blue, claws. I think I spent as much time peering through the water at life on the other-worldly, rock and sand coated bottom of the river, as I did fishing.

After Vinnie left, I went up river and met a couple of friends I had arranged to meet earlier and we fished some more into dark. It was a beautiful evening, warm and calm. As the sun settled below the hills, the chorus of spring peepers echoed loudly through the valley. A moderate hatch of hendricksons and caddis came off the last couple of hours of light, bringing the trout to the surface. I had some shots at some nice fish, missed a couple, and landed one nice, fat brown trout of about 17 inches. I wasn't on my A game, preferring more to take in the smells and sounds of spring and talking with the others.

After that it was a late dinner with friends and family and a big, white bull dog named Titus. Titus could intimidate a grizzly, but he's gentle as a bunny....thank God.

Life is good. See you on the water.