Friday, January 30, 2009

Tactical Error leads to more hiking than Fishing

No matter how many times I read my fish notebook and read that it's fruitless to fish in the winter, I still do it! What's that definition of insanity? Well, luckily then I made a huge tactical error and spent 2 hours driving, 2 1/2 hours hiking and 50 minutes fishing, which was a gracious plenty. Last summer I noticed that the trail to upper lost cove had been improved and you could drive down there. I'd walked that a couple of times 2 or 3 years ago and had in my mind this big deep pool, so today I decided to go back to that pool and drag a few woolies through it and see what happened. What a mistake! First of all, not suprisingly, the road was locked, but my notes said it was a 20 minute easy walk. So I suited up, including 2 fleeces to hold off the bitter wind in the 40 degree temperature. 45 minutes later, and one sliding, stumpling, bumbling straight down hill episode, I was finally to the end of the road, but the water was nowhere in sight... So I stood and gandered at the trail sign there for a while, 7.5 miles, what does that mean? 35 minutes later I finally make it down to the water, and dang if the water isn't all shallow and flat, great dry fly, but I'm draggin around my big stick with sinking tip. So I wander down stream looking for some pools but find nothing. I headed up stream and found one pool and made a few half hearted casts and strips, but nada. The coolest part was that it started spitting snow and ice was forming in the eyes... It was 4 bells and I knew I had a solid hour of hiking up hill, so I headed back, dang, what a hike, I got a little loopy and almost took the wrong trail, but I didn't and about dark I made it back to the car. So, aint going back there any time soon. Should've hit the main branch of Wilson creek where I could've thrown it around some and not spent all my time walking, so that'll be the plan next time. But put it down, not even out of January and I'm already on the book!

2 comments:

Pablo said...

Man o man Gov.. that was good for a chuckle. By the end, I was belly laughing. got to hand it to you though, you are on the books. more than the others of us can say. read your notes, read your notes.. I better take that advice as well..

Mule said...

That was a good post... skunked or not, chalk one up for the govna.