Sunday, June 22, 2008

Gone Fishin'



Summer days are here and the river keeps folding itself around each meander bringing new mysteries into view. Gabe and I carried the Old Town 169 down to the "Elbow" and paddled downriver to the confluence with Salmon Brook.

It was just before 7 a.m. as we eased our way down the sandy slope off the bike trail to the put-in. The birds had been actively singing for well over an hour and were in full chorus as we navigated the first few bends in the river where its course moves away from the highway and the noise of morning traffic. A few small patches of mist swirled in quiet, ethereal eddies hiding until the last from the sharp rays of sunlight that emerged above the tops of the locust, oak, and poplar trees lining the banks.

Within the hour, we arrived at the mouth of Salmon Brook and paddled upstream a few hundred yards to a nice pool where we were able to cast about freely. It was pleasant to be in such a peaceful place with good company and the challenge of tossing a fly toward a deep pool where one might expect a trout to be moving languidly while awaiting a small meal. We didn't see a single fish rise in the hour that we were there, but no matter.

Back home before 10 a.m., we enjoyed a well deserved breakfast and cup of coffee and chatted about our next adventure.