Caddis Chronicles

I think this was the fastest week of my life. It seems like yesterday it was last Tuesday.....

We've been enjoying the hawks every day. They have two fleglings that are now out of the nest and learning to hunt. They work at it all day long - there's a constant verbal banter among them from sun up until sun down. Tonight while we ate dinner on the deck one of them managed to catch a rabbit and then they fought over it up on the ridge above us. The adults sit in the trees above them and watch the sibling rivalry. In the end, they each seem to get their fill before taking to the air and squawking away at each other as they fly among the trees, landing on a branch for a moment and then lifting off as the other gets too close. Very cool stuff. It seems the nest is no longer needed as it sits alone in a mighty oak.

On the fishing side of things, I'm tying my butt off getting ready for our trip to Montana. I love tying flies in anticipation of a trip. As I tie, I imagine how I will fish each fly as I create it in the vise. How will it look as it sits upon the water waiting for a trout to rise and take it in? I imagine the cool, clear water flowing around me as I cast one of my creations to a rising trout. The fly alighting on the silvery water, drifting slowly into the trout's feeding lane before dissapearing in a gentle sip. The sun slipping below the mountainous horizon as I lift my rod tip and set the hook fast in the trout's jaw. It leaps into the golden hued air, sending droplets of sun drenched diamonds out in a fan only to melt back into the water as they return to their origin.

The fish bolts up river, taking line that cuts the water surface like a knife, making a wake that is low and sharp as it moves away. My drag singing that beautiful monotonous buzz only a spinning fly reel can make. It is a symphony unto itself. Who needs brass, strings,or drums when there's a rushing fish taking line from your reel? Nature keeps its own beat, the silence the perfect accompaniment to the singular buzz of a tense spinning spool. And then when it is all over I want to do it all over again...............

I dream. I dream of this often. The cast, the take, the fight, bringing the trout to hand.............. letting it swim away.

That's only part of the dream, really. There's the cool, clean, clear water.....birds, trees, wild flowers......fresh air.................sometimes its a dream, but often its a reality.

Life is good. Live your dreams, and then dream them again taking from experience.