Good Company
Last Saturday, I met up with Bing and hit the river for a few hours. 25 degrees, 35 MPH winds, 12" whitecaps, frozen guides, and eventually frozen reels. Smacked myself in the head with a windswept streamer more than once. I wish my camera would have fired to capture the laughability of the insanity. Best of all, despite these ridiculous conditions, Bing still caught fish! Is there nothing that will stop this man?
The brutal conditions prevailed, and after a little more than three hours, we called it quits. No sooner did we arrive back at our trucks than Troutslammer appeared. It was nice to meet another member of the boards. Next time, stick around for some soup
. We stood and kibitzed for a good while, then TS drove off. After some great conversation and some hot food, I parted ways with Bing and headed back to camp. I had it in mind to try and tie a few flies, but hunger and fatigue prevailed, so I grilled up a couple burgers, fixed myself a "warm drink", curled up and called it a very early day.
I was packing up to head home on Sunday when I received a most unexpected call from Doubletaper, aka "Mr. I Told You So," who extended an invite to fish East Branch, Clarion River with him and, ironically, Troutslammer. I finished shutting down camp and headed south to meet up with my Sunday cohorts. The weather was a complete 180 from Saturday's hostility. While the fishing was slow, I enjoyed watching these two, studying their techniques, and making mental notes. But as it was on Saturday, the conversation was fantastic. As a new guy, I often don't have a lot to contribute to a fly fishing conversation; it's usually more Q&A for me than anything. So it was a pleasure to simply stand there and listen.
I drove home satisfied that the weekend - while fishless and tiring - had ultimately paid huge dividends. These men - Bing, Doubletaper, and Troutslammer - had provided me with that intangible component of a great fishing trip: a pleasant experience. There was nothing spectacular or biblical about this trip...just something you look forward to repeating in the near future. I'm grateful, Gentlemen. Thank you.
Here's to good company.
