In The Shadows

    Part Deux

   Going back to my earlier blog series on my own personal fly fishing Mount Rushmore, the next most popular president seemed to be the next logical step. Abraham Lincoln was known mostly for two things; the emancipation of the slaves and his honesty. With all the stories I have heard over the years from anglers it would be very difficult to make that “honest” connection, and slavery, that will be a stretch as well, but I think although extremely corny, I can do it.

   The first year Cat worked in the shop she would come home almost every day telling me stories about what one or another fisherman was doing to catch fish.  Going to the water she would try so many things that her head would nearly explode. Some ideas turned out okay but as time went by and seeing many of the story tellers on the water, we have become very skeptical of the “only right way “to catch the fish.

  One of the greatest storytellers over the years has been Tony, better known as Antz, to his friends. Tony is one of the few people than has me completely captivated when telling stories. His voice inflections, his arm waving, his facial contortions and most of all his sound effects, are like no other. If you were to close your eyes, you would think you were on the river hearing the hook set, his reel scream, and the water splashing, his movement on the water and last his net landing the monster. When he finishes telling his fishing stories, he goes on to wrestling, friendships, golf and whichever direction his story  goes he has you just as entranced as the story before. When strangers come in the shop they would stop listen and fall into the Tony trance until he was done, sometimes minutes, sometimes hours, always entertaining. Naturally, I was not one hundred percent convinced he wasn’t full of ****.

  Before talking about fishing with Antz, I need to let you know that prior to fishing with him, my idea of sight fishing was going to the crystal clear Taylor and tossing my junk at every pod of fish. The first time I had the privilege of fishing with Antz was on the “Dream Stream”. It was an accidental meeting when Cat and I were walking up the river and just as we saw a small pod of fish, in crystal clear water, Antz and his son walked up. He looked in and told me to go ahead, nervously because of Toney’s stature, two casts in and I landed my first fish of the day, a 17 inch cutty.  Unfortunately she spilled a few eggs while I was getting a pic, but nonetheless, I stood up with my chest sticking out a little farther (yep I’m the man!). We walked up the river across from each other with Antz slowly surveying the water all the way. The water dirtied and riffled more as we walked up. Every now and again, he would stop turn his head a little, take another look and cast. He was seeing so many fish that naturally I thought he was full of it, but he kept hooking fish left and right. I figured it was just the side of the river he was on so I switched, but it was just the same, I was seeing squat and he was hooking fish. We walked up the river about a mile and then back down, I could not believe the vision that Antz possessed. We got back down into one of the lower bends and he started showing me a pod of fish, I had no idea what he was looking at but went along with him anyway. He told me to stay put because they were moving up. He hurried up past them and started slapping the water, when he told me they were almost on me I casted. The indicator only moved a short distance and Bang. The wake headed straight down stream about forty yards. I was able to chase down and land a beautiful 22 inch bow. I was not The Man, He was!

  So how do I make the connection with Antz and Mr. Lincoln, after watching him in action, He just may get the Honest Abe award for the stories, and heck if his fishing stories are true, maybe the rest are as well. I choose to believe! Next comparison will be as hokey and corny as you can get and please …I do not mean to offend anyone. If you ever have spent time on the Dream Stream than you know how your dreams can turn to nightmares in a hurry, as you drive the two and a half hours the thoughts in your head are of 30 inch fish and lots of them, and when you leave you are stunned to have only caught a few in the 12 inch range. At times you feel you like you are a complete “slave” to these Dream Stream monsters, did you catch it, the subtlety. Maybe if you are lucky, as I have been, you can be “freed” from the nightmares of the dream stream. What a blessing it has been over the year to get to know and fish with Antz, the tips and techniques I learned from him have made me a much better fisherman and my time on the water is so much more enjoyable.

   Writing these blogs has really been a lot of fun for Cat and I. They get us thinking about all the blessings that our friends have been to us. If you have not been to The Drift Fly Shop in Pueblo and you are in town, I hope you stop by and say hello. You just may catch an Oscar performance by Tony. We are passionate about fly fishing here and loving meeting others that are just like us.

   Since Tony has no idea that I am writing this blog on Him, I was not able to get his permission to put up any of the pics that his best friends have given to me. So legally, I am saying that these pics may, or may not be of Ant’z, if they are not than they look just like him. Also, the goober in the blue coat was me with the fish he practically put on my line. The other pics are Jeff and his son.

   The next subject in this series, Teddy Roosevelt, has already been spoken for. I am still contemplating my Andrew Jackson; I have some ideas but if you would like to volunteer or know someone that fits that description, feel free to let me know or leave a comment. Thanks for reading, Connell