Kindred Spirits !

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Administrator
There are those who will consider my viewpoint tonight utter rubbish at best and heresy at worst ….. Know that I am ok with that  !

“The Elk gets too damn crowded ” ! How many times have I heard that phrase over the years ? I am going to guess thousands ! “I pulled up to fish , walked out on the Trestle looked up river , looked down river and saw people fishing everywhere I looked ” . It isn’t what they are saying that brings me up short but the fact that it is usually inferred that life would be better if everyone else was someplace else ! It is almost as if those enjoying the same thing that the individual speaking came here to enjoy have been instantly demoted in rank to the point that they are looked upon much like one would no-see-ums , mosquitoes or  an infestation of head lice ….. The individual usually cusses , gets back in their truck and heads for as the old man used to call it “pretty little creek #406″ . That’s a shame and I will tell you why  …..

Here is what the fellow , now on his way to “pretty little creek #406″ missed out on . Here are some things he will never know ……

He will never know what it is to sit stream side , covered with Sulpher spinners , drinking a beer with others who are covered with Sulpher spinners knowing along with everyone else present that you have just experienced magic , 1st hand , up close and personal and there were witnesses that can now help you clarify and relive this magic . He will not know how good it feels to be able to share a fly that turns someone’s evening around or to scoot over and wave another in so that they might “sample the soup” with you , laughing like children , both of you , in celebration of the moment !

He will not know how good it is to see each of the many regulars here as they return for the season . It truly is welcoming back old friends . He will not get to see the faces of the new comers ,  lit up like Christmas trees as they witness the miracle the first time and therefore will not get to relive his own introduction to the Lady , through them ! He will have missed out on the chance to surround himself with the very people who are probably the only ones that will ever understand WHY it is that he does this . People that won’t roll their eyes as he talks of standing for hours in the cold rain fishing an olive hatch . People that understand that sometimes , if the brown is big enough , you throw caution to the wind and cross the swollen river just to have a chance of holding him . People that won’t question the logic of working most of the night ,then driving the rest of it , just to get to stand on the Trestle drinking a cup of coffee and watching the mist rise off the water at daybreak . When one considers just how rare people that understand these things are how could it be anything but good to stand in the presence of a number of them , all together at the same time sharing what it is you and they all love to do ….

I am blessed and honored to have the opportunity to share the Lady with these kindred spirits and it is my great pleasure to “share the soup” !

Now lest I be misunderstood ….. I understand the joy that comes from fishing miles up a tiny stream , alone in a setting that allows you (demands?) the fantasy that you are the 1st to fish there or perhaps the only one this year at least . I will publicly own up to the fact that I still do it a couple times a year and come away from the experience better for having done so . If you fly fish you need to do this from time to time . But it is equally true that you need to surround yourself with your brothers and sisters at times and celebrate just being together , on a great river enjoying a moment of magic in a world that too often has none to spare ….. See you on the river!