Taylor River 2014

  Hello all and thanks for checking back in to the O’Grady Flyfishing Adventures. I had a friend come into the shop last week and while looking me in the eye he exclaimed that he had a serious problem with me. If you know me at all, then you know that this didn’t bother me a bit…NOT!! Inwardly, my heart cried just a little as I snarkingly said “whatever.” He then went on to explain that it had been four weeks since my last blog, and that he and our other followers expect a little more consideration, and a little more writing. Well just like the Grinch, my heart began to swell to 100 times its regular size and my emotions ran back in forth from joy, to humility, and then to pride. I tried to explain that I need to fish before I can write and that a new blog was on the horizon, so to all of those who have been patiently waiting ….. Thanks and here you go.

   As I sit down today and break the rust off my keyboard, I have been reflecting on our yearly trip to the Taylor and hope that you all find the story and the video as delightful as I do.

  I have written before about how our trips to the Taylor are more about family, camping, nature experiences, and the ability to turn my cell phone off for three days more so than the fishing. This year however, seemed a little different. Cat, Brandon, Winston and Jimbo were there from the family and Kevin and Brenda, our friends, made it this time as well. So, with all the family fishermen there, it was a little more about the fish domination than usual. With that in mind, I think I learned a little more about why these trips are so special, they seem to bring me back to my fishing roots.

 I remember when I was in high school and taking a vacation to Yellowstone and the surrounding area, the scenery was breathtaking and the desire to actually catch a trout was nearly overwhelming. I remember sitting on the Shoshone River with my night crawlers weighted to the bottom for hours waiting for a bite. The wind would blow and I would set the hook and reel as fast as I could to check for fish. It was always the same, a big wet dead worm that had been washed clean by the river. I would cast out again and find myself begging and bargaining with God to please let me catch one. Years later, The C&R section of the Taylor can put me in a similar state of mind.

  We are lucky enough to spend most of our time on the Amazing Ark tailwater and are lucky to be close enough to the river that so much of our fishing is during the two or three hours of each day when we know the fish will be feeding the hardest. With that in mind, so often I feel like I own this section of the Arkansas. Not so much the case on the Taylor. Thursday, we got on the water at 9:00am and finished at just after 6:00pm without a lunch break or anything to drink. Friday we were back on the water at nine again and fished until 9:00pm with an hour lunch break. Saturday was 9:00 until 7:00 with a half hour break and Sunday we fished until we nearly fell over. The river at times was so much fun, the fish would move into feeding lanes and three or four casts in a row you would get hookups and then the fish would turn off and move into zombie mode. This zombie mode would seem to last forever and that was when my fishing roots would return. Okay God, make them eat and I will….fill in the blank. Another ten minutes and back to, God why have you forsaken me. And then without warning the fish would start eating again and I would forget all my promises. Okay, I might be over exaggerating a little but I think you get the point. It is difficult to feel total fish domination when the River sometimes throws you curves.

  The trip itself was incredible, lots and lots of rain. Cat as usual; found some incredible bugs and caught lots of fish. The scenery, weather, food, family and friendships were incredible. We also met lots of new friends. We all did pretty well at times, Jimbo went off for about an hour on Saturday hooking up on seeming every other cast. Brandon, was consistent but will dream about his last hookup of the trip for a while. Kevin, pounded out fish day after day and I caught a few myself. I landed two fish at just over twenty one inches and lots of dinks and at times felt like I knew what I was doing. Winston thoroughly enjoyed the cool air, camp food, and the ability to run back and forth to all our fish for photo bombing. I would have to say that he was pretty upset with the two blue jays we had in camp. B and Jimbo would throw peanuts and the birds would swoop down and get them before Winston could, he had the look that was easily read as “this is seriously wrong.”

  On the way home Cat and I were listening to the radio and we heard an oldie but great song and like usual, changed the words, we realized that we just summed up our Taylor 2014 trip. Please sing along, I know you will know the song.

 

   Standing in the Rain, with his head hung low

  Couldn’t catch a fishie, even throwing roe

  He heard the splash of a fish, he could picture the scene

 Turned his head to the sound, and like a distant stream

 He saw one fly rod, just blew him away

 Saw stars in his eyes, and the very next day

 Bought a beat up flyrod, in a second hand store

Didn’t know how to cast it, but he knew for sure

 That one flyrod, felt good in his hands

Didn’t take long, to understand

Just one flyrod, fished way down below

Was a one way ticket, only one way to go

So he started flyfishing, ain’t never gonna stop

 Gotta keep on flyfishing, someday gonna make it to the top

      And be a Trout bum hero

 In a River without a name, in a heavy down pour

 Thought he passed his own shadow, by the Hog trough hole

 Like a trip through the past, that day throwing bait

 And that one flyrod and his whole life changed

So now you gotta keep fishing, Ain’t never gonna stop

Gotta keep on fishing, somday gonna make it to the top

  And be a Trout Bum hero.

 

 Well we laughed the rest of the way home and now have that song now fully entrenched in all our memories. While going through the footage for the video we realized that as long as our cameras are rolling we pick up some incredible and hilarious things. The stamp on the outhouse wall must be for me after eating camp food and watch to the end for a huge laugh, but be observant. Connell, Cat, Winston, Brandon, Foreigner, Kevin and The Drift Fly shop want to thank you for putting with my writing. Enjoy the Video…