Hello friends and thanks for checking in at the O’Grady Fly
Fishing Adventures. I know it has been a while since I have sat down and pecked
out my thoughts and this is the reason why. You may find it a little hard to
believe but I consider myself a very positive person and I love to relay that
in my writing. This fall has been very disappointing to me; my Huskers have
become fodder for not only the best, but the mediocre college football teams as
well. The NFL, the true epitome of capitalism, has become a bunch of
unwatchable cry babies. It seemed every time I turned on the news, I was disgusted
by how humans were acting in the world, and to top things off, one of the great
musicians of my era passed away. My favorite escape is spending time on the
water with my wife and my dog, and this fall’s fishing has been extra difficult
for me. I like to pride myself by the amount of big fish that I land and it has
been over a month since I have landed anything huge. With that kind of fall, I
found it difficult to sit down and write.
On
Tuesday, the Drift hosted a corporate guide trip and we got to guide several
clients that had never touched a fly rod. I was expecting a difficult day but I
also remembered how awesome it was in the beginning of my fly fishing journey.
The smell and sound of the water, the trees rustling in the wind and with every
cast, the excitement that this just might be the drift. I could spend hours
casting over and over and if just one fish ate my stuff, it was worth it. The guide
trip consisted of manly men but every hook up brought a squeal that sounded
like a nine year old on Christmas morning. The little fish were landed with
glee and the break offs, brought a yelp, a quick what did I do and ended with
laughter. We finished off the day with them all swapping stories in the parking
lot and I realized that maybe I had been missing what Fly Fishing is all about.
Cat, My
American Girl, was stuck in the shop today so Pooh-dog and I were on our own
for fishing. My main goal for the day was to keep in mind, what fishing can do
for the soul. I got to the water at around 10:30 and the water was a milky
green. As I stepped in, last night’s drubbing from OSU disappeared. I began to
cast, and The Waiting Is the Hardest Part when my indicator shot up river.
The fish took me around the rocks and I said “Don’t Do Me Like That” and after
making an incredible line throw over the rock, the fish headed down river. I started
chasing, being very careful not to be Free Falling, and after working him into
the perfect landing spot, I could almost hear him say that He Won’t Back Down,
and the hook pulled from his lip. I thought “You Got Lucky” and I started to
laugh. The river felt like home again, Even the Losers Get Lucky Some time. I
spent the next two hours hole jumping and landing several dinks. I didn’t
squeal but every drift felt like this could be the one, and for three hours, my
mind was at peace.
It was
sure great to have the river in a proper perspective today. Conditions were not
great but a great time was had by all. If you are planning on making down to
the Ark then there are a few things you need to be aware of. Just above Juniper
Bridge, there has been some construction making the water muddy up at different
times. Alex is trying real hard to get some type of communication going so that
we have some sort of idea as to when we will be expecting the mud. They were
not working this weekend and the water is green from turnover but not brown
from construction. Keep checking with the shop and hopefully we will have a
clue as to the clarity. Fish today were all taken on a beaded soft Hackle and a
Whisker nymph. As Always, Connell, Cat, Winston, The Late Tom Petty, and the
Drift Fly Shop want to thank you for reading…
