Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Fly Fishing

I rode up to the Smith Dam yesterday. Smith Dam is the largest
earthen dam east of the Mississippi River. Smith Lake, which is a huge body of water near Jasper, Alabama was built on the Sipsey River.  Several miles below the dam, the Mulberry River and further down stream, the Locus Fork combine with the Sipsey to form the Black Warrior River.
Smith Lake is very deep at the dam and the water that flows through the dam is about 52 degrees year around which makes it perfect for rainbow trout.
This is fortunate for the Rickster, because this little fishing spot is about fifteen miles away. I don't have to fly half way across the country to do my fly fishing. I can put my gear in the truck and be on the water before my coffee gets cool. I love America.
Even with the proximity, I've only fished there one time. I didn't have waders, so I just stepped out into the thigh deep water in shorts and tennis shoes.
I promptly slipped on a mossy rock and busted my rear end.
I realized, a little too late, that I'd left my small camera, my pager, and  cell phone in my pocket. Oh well, every day's a school day.
I laid them out on a rock in the sun to dry while I continued to fish. It was a beautiful day, with birds, turtles and other critters going about their business as if I were one of them.
I have a lot of friends that fish for bass. Most of them have fast boats with motors bigger than the one in my truck. They have fish finders, all kinds of high tech electronic gear, and tackle boxes as big as a VW.
With fly fishing, I have a simple reel and rod given to my by my dad before he passed away. I have a small box of flies, and a fishing vest which carries a few small hand tools for tying flies on your line.
When you are in the groove, casting the line is almost in slow motion. Success is not necessarily when you catch a fish, but when you learn to put the fly where you intended, instead of hanging it on a bush behind you.
It's a peaceful sport, and during this time of high stress and anxiety, it's exactly what I need.

2 comments:

  1. My friend loves to fish using flies. He ties his own. I sit o the bank and read. I'm not the fishing kind.

    Did your cell work after it dried?

    ReplyDelete
  2. No, the cell never worked again, but fortunately, it was time to upgrade.
    Strangely enough, the digital camera and pager both worked when they dried out, but they were turned off when they went swimming.

    ReplyDelete

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