Why We Fish...

[OKFlyFisher44]

Why we fish...

What is that god awful noise? And why won't it stop?! Dang, its my alarm and its going off at 5:00 a.m. Why in the heck did I set my alarm for this ear....wait a minute. I crawl out of bed and walk to my living room to confirm my suspicions. As I gaze upon my wader bag, rod tubes, waistpack, and net...its been confirmed, I'm going fishing today. I say to myself "By god, its going to be a good day."

I put on a pot of coffee as I slip into some sweat pants and a hoody to walk outside to start my truck. Wow, weatherman wasn't lying when he said it was going to be around freezing in the morning. I fire up the ol' Dodge and basically run back inside to the warmth of my house. My morning rituals starts and ends in a blur....wash face, brush teeth, pop in contacts, and get dressed. Doing all this while not trying to wake my sleeping wife and baby girl. A challenge in itself some days...

I hurry along getting dressed and loading my gear into the truck as I've got a 3-hour drive to the trout waters in Missouri. Why couldn't I have been born in Missouri...or even Arkansas, Colorado, or Montana for that matter I ask myself. Woulda fit me just fine but thats how things worked out and I really don't mind getting some windshield time especially if it involves chasing trout. I grab the last of the essentials: wallet, phone, thermos, coffee cup, camera, and breakfast. A quick kiss goodbye to the wife and girly and I'm out the door!

I'm halfway up the turnpike and on my 3rd cup of coffee as the sun starts to break the horizon. I say to myself, "Yep, its going to be a good day." I'm closing in on my exit...the exit that will take me down a 2-lane road that rolls me into the Ozarks. I've been on this trip many times in my life. When I was a small boy, we'd always take family vacations to Missouri to fish for trout. Those days were spent throwing Mepps spinners and roostertails with spinning gear....catching a few trout here and there. Then one day while watching saturday morning fishing with my dad, I see a man on TV fishing with a long rod and casting a colored line in such a way that it looked like something from another world. He's catching huge steelhead on the fly. The next day, after a quick visit to a local pawn shop that always kept lots of fishing tackle, I was casting a 9 ft fiberglass Shakespeare w/ a South Bend reel loaded with some old crappy line on our lawn.

I glance behind me to the back seat where I've got my gear bag, 2 rod tubes, my waistpack, and the rest of my stuff...boy, I've come a long way since those days. As I roll down the road, I pass all those small Missouri towns that I've passed 1000 times and they haven't changed a bit it seems. Time seems to stand still in these towns. I pull into a small gas station/bait shop to buy my fishing license and trout stamp. I'm met at the counter by the same old grumpy man who probably owns the place and I get my paperwork done. A warm "Thank you sir!" and I'm out the door...hurrying to finish up the last leg of the trip.

I pull up and step out of the truck. I can hear the river running...hell, I'm pretty sure I can smell it. Once again, I say to myself, "Yes sir, its going to be a good day." I string up my 4wt and get geared up. I always wait to tie on the fly I'm going to use till I get to the river...don't ask me why but I do. Its something about that first look upon the water...looking for the occasional morning rise from a trout or picking out a possible fishy spot to make that first cast to. I ponder for a minute on my fly selection as I look around to notice that I don't see another soul in sight. I grin and almost let out a laugh. Yeah, its January and its 30-something degrees out...but who would want to pass this up?

I notice a few fish rising next to a boulder in the tail-out of a pool. I take a moment to look around to try and pick out any bugs flying around. Can't really tell whats coming off...guess I need to brush up on my bug knowledge? Ahh heck, its nothing a good drift can't fix. I quickly tie on a size 20 parachute adams and position myself behind the rising fish. I make my first cast a good one...about 4 feet ahead of the fish, don't even have to make mend the line. A few moments later, a nice rainbow sips my fly and I raise my rod to set the hook. Fish on!

Yep, its going to be a good day...

Why we fish...

For me, I think part of it is the journey to the trout waters. It brings back memories of past trips...the fish caught, the fish lost, the cold nights camping, etc etc. I get to reflect on life and the path I've taken to get where I am today. The other part is being a part of something so rich in tradition and history as fly fishing. All those that have casted a fly before you have. The wild places you can go to chase such a simple minded creature that, more times than not, has stumped you and caused you to scratch your head as you are leaving the river. But we always come back for more...don't we?

That's why I fish...

[oneshot]

Good Read.

My wife told me the other day there is more to life than fishing She says I don't have to take my fishing stuff where ever we go.But hey what else can you do all across the country that is so much fun at a resonable price.

oneshot

[ozark trout fisher]

good article. Well written

[osuangler]

Man o man! What a post. Loved reading that pard. Being an okie myself, I've probably made the same trip on the same roads all of my life.

[Buzz]

Nice Chance. Thanks