I Want It All...

  I am not sure if other people are this way but I think I have spent way too much of my life worrying that I was missing out on something else. There was a song that was very popular when I was younger that said, “I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now”, my motto as a youth. When I was younger I could never fall asleep until the tv went off air in fear of missing something important (keep in mind this was prior to cable). I was always the last person to leave a party and even as I have aged, I still check my phone way too often to see if I have any missed calls. I have noticed that the fear of missing that “epic” fishing day has been rattling through my mind most of the Spring. Every cloud in the forecast, every fish picture I see at the shop, all the fish stories, and even the stories of other spots to fish gets me wishing that I was everywhere catching every fish. November 27^th 2004, changed the fear of missing anything (cat’s and my anniversary), and today from 2:00 til about 6:00, there was no fear of missing anything because I was exactly where I wanted to be.

  Cat, Winston and I got to the water at around 11:00p.m. today and found the fishing to be a little spotty. We hooked a few here and there and then finally I spotted a couple red stripes in the Mysis hole. I spent half an hour stalking those fish and only hooked one of the piggies. Cat was below in Peyton’s Place and was catching a bunch of smaller fish. We worked our way down river and got into the Glory Hole just before 2:00. I could see one nice fish on the inside seem and first drift through drilled him. Cat had been picking up fish on the Bling so I decided to bring out the J-Bomb and that was what he had taken. I noticed a really nice fish move in and second drift through he took it. The battle was a blast, thirty yards downstream he came out of the water a few times and when he landed he rolled up on the line. I lost some of my leverage but was still able to work him to the net.  A 23 inch measured beauty with the J Bomb deep in his jaw. I switched places with Cat and she started hooking fish every few drifts. Landing fish was difficult all day long with at least half of the hooked fish coming unbuttoned during the fight.

  The fish started looking up and I went ahead and tied on a dry, yes there was a little dust on that corner of the box. I had forgotten how fun it was to toss out a dry and watch the fish destroy it. For our readers and nonbelievers that I actually threw a dry, I snapped a pic of the Adams in the bows mouth. I could see a beautiful bow sitting back in the corner and I started cast to him. I set the dry just in front of him and I watched him move up and grab it, I set the hook and nothing. Ten minutes later and I got him to take it again. All I can guess is that the fish is missing both lips because twice the Adams was in his mouth and when I set the hook it came flying back at me.

  We started working our way back up river and found a few more willing fish in the tree bend. Cat landed her best fish of the day a 20inch brown. I think I need to teach her how to hold the fish so they look as big as they really are.

  As we were heading back to the car Cat and I did a couple of fist pumps because we knew that there was no other place that we would have rather been today and we didn’t miss a thing. Flies of the day were the J-Bomb, Cream Bling Midge, size 18 FOD and Cat caught the brown on a True Blood. As always, thanks for reading, Connell, Cat, Winston and The Drift Fly Shop…..

FYI. With Winston's ever increasing fame he communicated to me that he would like to teach his own sightfishing classes. I took a pic of his first trial run with Cat....prices are negotiable subject to what type of cook you are...

 

 

 

 

 

        
                                             Winston's sightfishing instructional class...

                                          
                                              Dry Fly!!!