My Son's College paper on Fly Fishing !

Funny every time I read this I seem to get something in my eye! :o



October 20, 2009
Fireflies dancing with the sunset, as the day comes to an end. The almost freezing water is now stiffening my joints. The fresh smell of nature consumes me. There is an excitement that fills the river because trout are jumping out of the water to receive their dinner. As I make my perfect cast, the one that I had been practicing all day, I watch my fly drift ever so gently downstream, past the still water and into the riffles. I wait for one, two, three seconds. Then out of nowhere, like a snake striking his prey, a trout takes my Fly. I franticly set the hook, to make sure he is mine. He has literally doubled my pole in half. I have to pull him in my hand because this is the technique used to retrieve fish when fly fishing. I nearly have him in then he shoots off again. I have to keep wearing him down or he will break my line, so I let him run. He breaks the surface of the water several times making an attempt to spit the hook out. With adrenaline pumping and a smile that would light up any room, I manage to retrieve my trophy. He is a beautiful rainbow trout! He is colored with a florescent pink, and green. He was the only fish I had retrieved all day. I have several on but they managed to break free. Instead of fooling with him, I coaxed him back to health until he swam away up stream. This experience along with many others have shaped my appreciation for wildlife and the preservation of nature. I knew that I would be doing this for many years to come.
The art of fly fishing does not come on a whim, but through perseverance and dedication. When the river is calm I feel that I am doing more practice casting than actually fishing. I also take time at home by going out in the front yard to practice my form. Hoping and wishing that my practice will soon lead to landing a monster trout. The art of fly fishing was introduced to me by my loving dad. He had to love me to put up with a young boy swarping his rod around loosing flies all day. I believe I was a young adolescence at the time. I remember getting ready with my dad to go fishing. We would sneak out of the house before dawn and make out way to an unknown stream. At first we could spend all day fishing and not catch a thing. Dad always said, “We could fish all day and not a catch a thing but it was still a blast”. Now when we go fishing of course I have to offer him some advice after I pull in my third or fourth fish. He also has trouble trying a fly on the end of his line so I assist him. It often joke on how the roles have swapped from when I was a kid.
I love to fish any river my dad is on because it brings back all those old memories and it opens the door to create new ones. It started in Conneticut, on who knows what river, then years later we would rediscover the art form again on the Caney Fork River. Now he subsides in KY near the wolf creek dam, which holds back lake Cumberland and beneath is the Cumberland River. Fishing is a great way to relax and is very scenic but it makes it 100 times better because I am able to share it with my dad.
A river has a way of communicating with you. It is not man made. Therefore I wonder what it would have been like hundreds of years ago. Without mans footprint how much more breathless would the scenery have been? How much more luscious would the waters have been? What kind of animals might you of encountered on a daily baises? All of these thoughts fill my mind. The river conveys a sense of peace between animals, fish, and mother nature. I often wonder why can humans not live as equally with nature and learn to embrace it instead of trying to make it something it is not.

Great read! Really reminds me of my Dad and I......seems like I could have written the same thing, only inserted Utah instead of Conneticut.....I think I have something in my eye too....:rolleyes: Thanks Rock!

-Rich

Rock Fish, that is a good read. I am sure you are proud and tell your son he did a fine job.

Uh..I'm glad I'm alone right now cause it reminded me of my Dad who is gone and that makes my eyes water....very nice.

[QUOTE=Tim_T;397860]Rock Fish, that is a good read. I am sure you are proud and tell your son he did a fine job.[/QUOTE]

Yes I am very proud of him. And I look forward to his visits. Especially when we get to fish! But he is busy with College and has a Girlfriend. He gets good grades (So Far) And is going to be a pilot. Which is his life long dream. So I am way more happy for him, Than I am sad from missing him. So the cycle of life continues !

I will tell him that you said he done a fine job !

[QUOTE=RICHYD4U;397734]Great read! Really reminds me of my Dad and I......seems like I could have written the same thing, only inserted Utah instead of Conneticut.....I think I have something in my eye too....:rolleyes: Thanks Rock!

-Rich[/QUOTE]

We had moved from Ohio to CT at that time for my job. I am from Eastern Ky and the wife from TN. So we are back home now (Close enough). And glad to be here!:D

[QUOTE=DJD;397869]Uh..I'm glad I'm alone right now cause it reminded me of my Dad who is gone and that makes my eyes water....very nice.[/QUOTE]

Don-
Glad I'm not the only one with something in their eye. :rolleyes:

-Rich