Been awhile.
I've been attending an invalid wife for the last several years, and my fishing trips have been few and far between. Her earthly journey came to an end in March, so I've been released from those responsibilities. The trouble is, that I've let myself go to a point where it's really difficult to do physical things. It's hard to walk any distance, and standing immobile necessitates sitting frequently, thus wade fishing is difficult. You'll find out what I'm talking about if you live long enough.
My good friend and fishing partner of many years, persuaded me to break out my pontoon and accompany him to some local ponds that have large rainbows in them. We were fishing with small callibaetis emergers and casting to rises on the surface. Clear calm water didn't allow us to get very close, and we weren't having much luck until I happened to get it right just once. A 22" rainbow gave me a real good tussle before I got him in the net. It became a choice of taking a picture and kill the fish, or forego the picture and release him alive. No pictures except the ones I have in my mind. It had been two years since I'd caught a trout. It was the only one caught. It was worth all the discomfort and effort to row the pontoon across that pond. It was a memorable day!
They're just fish, right? Right?