Fishing Partners

[Prairieschooner]

The weather finally cooperated recently; made it out to a favorite pan fish hole with my "brand new" Horrocks-Ibbotson flea market find. Couple pics below; the poem started forming while I was there; finished it up later that night...

Fishing Partners


It has been a brutal spring,
an unrecognizable April struggling toward a more hopeful May.
But the rod has been patient
and deserves its first try -
a 7-1/2' flea market glass,
early 50's I'd guess.
I've brought two reels
and have decided it's a six;
we were hoping for five
and it may yet have its chance to convince me.

A Great Blue Heron shares this water -
in fairness he was here first.
I am adamant that I will not invade his space
but soon we find ourselves a mere twenty yards apart
and yet he stays;
apparently he doesn't consider me competition
and so far he's right.
I see his nearly motionless advance along the edge.
He lowers his slender head - I know he's close.
Lightening-quick, he lifts his wiggling morsel,
shakes it, tips his head and slides it down his silver gullet,
hones his narrow beak on the rocks,
looks for another.
I watch him closely -
might as well learn from the best.
He takes another,
and following his lead,
I drag my nymph as close as I can to the rocky shore.
Bass fry, I suppose,
and just now I'd settle for one.

He's ten yards away now, facing me...
I wonder who is watching who.
He misses; selfishly I'm glad,
although I know it's he who must be laughing.
Suddenly he shrugs his great wings apart,
lifts in that insolent way of the big birds,
establishes himself on the opposite shore
leaving me to my ineptness.

I follow his lead
But give him his distance.
One cast, another,
and finally a fish is on,
larger than those he swallows down that slim throat.
As I play the fish he rises,
makes one swooping, deeply banking pass over me,
settles himself back in the same spot.
Curiosity, I suppose,
but just maybe
it was a thumbs up
held high by a kindred spirit.

​

[oldster]

Thanks for sharing, Bill

[Uncle Jesse]

There a spot on a lake I used to fish frequently that always had the biggest bream in the lake. I knew the couple who lived adjacent to the spot and who had a small dock there fed the fish. Talking with the gentleman who lived there I learned he fed the fish because the fish attracted a heron and he liked to watch the heron.

[melk]

Nice pics!
Mike

[Lotech]

Thanks for the outing. You took me right along with you.