It’s after 10pm and I sit in front of the computer with fly-fishing the World playing on the tv behind me, he’s catching gar and catfish in Thailand. Two beers are deep in my gut working through my brain as I pour a blended scotch into a glass of crushed ice, the day was long. At the kitchen table is an odd assortment of tying materials and a few dozen sz 18 sulphur’s that might catch a trout in the coming weeks. The house is empty and feels large. I try to remember what sulphur’s patterns worked last year while fighting off the urge to smoke an old shitty cigar. Today was the 2012 trout opener in western PA.
I worked my normal job all day, something like 10-5:35. A new phone system kept me occupied and allowed me to take the company credit card to the Home Depot. All I can think about it is filling out the purchase order for a few hundred dollars worth of stuff. They call it work for a reason.
On the drive in to work I followed the same stream that I always do, the local haunt, Pine Creek. Today people emerged on the stream. They wore rubber hip boots and had spinning reels with old coiled mono. They had live bait and flashy lures. They were not my type of fisherman. They are in search of stocked trout.
On the drive home from work there was a fraction of cars lined on the bank of the creek. At a red light I looked back to see a fly rod tube, reel case, and small foam fly box. I made a left-hand turn into the parking lot and purchased beer. Maybe the best beer of my life, Sierra Nevada’s “Hoptimum”. A whole-cone Imperial IPA with the scent of a women and the punch of a man.
As I got home the dog wanted out and feed as soon as I put the truck in park. After that it was down to business, tying sulphur’s for the Little Juniata River next weekend. It was good to get back into tying with quills, they are easier for me than dubbing or biots and seems to catch more trouts. Anyone tie them with superglue for durability? yes, I should too.
After a few dozen flies were tied it was time for YouTube and blended Scotch. That’s why we meet tonight and that’s why all these photo’s are from my iPhone.
[slideshow]
and for the stocked trout, we can keep those for the tourists and the average angler.
beer
