Monday, March 22, 2010

The Stink.



By the end of the past week, I couldn't take myself anymore. I stank. I headed out Monday afternoon only to be thwarted by high flows, chocolate water, and new terrain. Instead of nymphing some deep runs, I stuck with a black tungsten woolly bugger to no avail. I fumbled in the stream and nearly went for a swim multiple times. A sandy bottom morphed and reorganized itself after 5 inches of rain flooded the riparian zone. Down trees, brush, and trash littered the landscape and I had to judge every step in the milk. I managed a few bumps in some of the slower runs. The stockers must have been dazed and confused from the weekend rain.

Usually Works Well.

Denied.

New Obstacles.

Stripped Bare.

Fresh Prints.

On St. Patrick's Day, I was determined to wash myself clean but once again came up empty handed. I fished a trash stream nearby the apartment. I was dropped off on the side of the highway with just over an hour left of daylight. I made my under the bridge and carefully peered around the corner hoping to not spook a homeless man. Bridges provide shelter for the wanderer and this became clear to me one summer morning after I almost stepped on a woman's face after hopping over a log jam. Around the corner, I found remnants. Footprints, trash, toilet paper, and an old ragged couch. I rigged up to a backdrop of graffiti before trying my hand at some brownlining. The stream channel is deep, the banks steep, and the water murky. I was hoping for a pickerel or a bass but instead sank up to my waist in mud, sticks, and leaves after tempting to wade. I couldn't and roll casted some big nasties from the bank under overhangs and around logs. The skunk hit me hard again.

Cool.

Cooler.

A Misplaced Walker.

Comfy.

St. Patrick's Day Streamers.
Denied.

Coolest.
Sorry I Broke Your Heart Barbara...

Ample Casting Room.

I meandered home in the seventy degree late winter heat hoping for the weekend and a wild trout stream.

2 comments:

Bigerrfish said...

Balls deep in the mud sound like a learning experience,,and a little say... "dirty", Nice streamers but The walker is way cool!!! It has a stripping basket if you look at it right,,some old flyfishin dude fell in up river last fall er somethin.....

Mark said...

Haha thanks man, I think the walker stripping basket might have to become a regular product in the orvis catalog