Respite and Ozark rainbows

[Chris Barclay]

Friday I fished. It had been too long.  

I had a glazed look in my eyes and my wife said that I need to go fishing. So I took care of a few things and I did. 
I absolutely love that I'm able to build rods full time (dream come true!) but lately it's been a little slow so I've picked up some odd jobs to help fill the gaps - working 70+ hour weeks on several different projects while trying to run a business has a way of wearing a man down. 

I was reminded why I love to fish. It's the whole process. Like rod building. You can make it as simple or complex as you want. Every step of the way has meaning and builds on each other to create a unique and memorable experience. 

As soon as I started getting my fishing stuff together Stella started to get really excited. It had been a while for her as well. 

I drove to the closest wild trout I know of - about an hour away from home - and I wasn't in a hurry. 

On the way there we listened to some good music - Charlie Parr, look him up. 
Stella occasionally got in my personal space, put a paw on my leg and licked my hand or cheek and then went back to waiting patiently. 
We were both calmly excited. 

After arriving we both pee'd in our usual spots. Part of the ritual. I got the rubber pants on and set up my rod. 

When we started walking toward the water that's when the excitement started boiling. Stella started running up and down the trail trying to get me to hurry. 

I don't really hurry very well so I just watched and laughed and kept walking. 

When we got to the water I sat on a log, watched the water and tied on a soft hackle that I just received as a Christmas gift. 


I cast to a spot that I know holds fish but they always spook. I caught a few fish there. 




I didn't catch the 'big one' (~10") but that's okay I got to see it this time.  
Something that is fascinating to me about fishing is that I can enjoy being out smarted by a fish. It's a sense of being disappointed and satisfied when a fish rises and refuses. 

I love getting to know a creek and seeing the familiar twists, turns and logs and then seeing them change positions over time. 
This was a lot more open last time. 


I like that I don't have to try to catch every fish I see. I can leave them alone if I want. I can watch and learn what they are doing and I can also cast and see if I can fool them. It's part of the enjoyment. 


I like that Stella gets overly enthusiastic about me catching even the smallest fish. Size does not matter. 
She ate a 2" wild trout today. 

She's even learning to spot fish. Here she is trying to tell me that she saw a fish rise. 




This is a notoriously humbling creek and the fish are easy to spook. Today I caught around 20 fish which was about as well as I have ever done there. But being reminded of the joys of fishing makes it even better.  



I was only in the water for 2 hours but it went by slowly. When I was leaving I felt rested. 2 hours of driving and two hours of fishing. 

A few more pics...













Thanks for looking!

[Flysmallie]

Awesome report Chris.

[mic]

1 hour ago, Flysmallie said:

Awesome report Chris.

Just cause he had pics.  LOL

[mic]

Chris... as you saw, I had a good day on Saturday.  It appears the extra water and warm weather are a positive.  How were you fishing those wet flies. 

[Ham]

1 hour ago, Chris Barclay said:

I like that Stella gets overly enthusiastic about me catching even the smallest fish. Size does not matter. 
She ate a 2" wild trout today. 

 

Wait....I thought it was the otters eating all the fish. Does that dog have otter in it?

[mic]

Duh... it is an Ozark Otter Hound.

[Chris Barclay]

Hey guys, thanks!!

Ha! Yes, I think she has some otter in her somewhere. Or maybe she's digested it by now.

 

mic, I was casting the soft hackles upstream and letting them drift as well as swinging & drifting them through riffles and tail outs.