Both Barrels
By Ed Zern
From To Hell with Fishing, (1945), published
by D. Appleton-Century Company, New York.
Sometimes this "thrill-of-a-lifetime" business can be overdone.
My friend John M. once got both barrels at the same time, and
it floored him. John's wife was due to have her first baby in a
couple of days, but he figured he could get from the Brodhead
in a few hours, in case things started popping, so I met him at
Analomink for the weekend.
On Sunday, we fished the big flats above the island, and John
landed a twenty-two-inch brown trout on a dry fly and light leader.
It was the biggest trout by six or seven inches that John had ever
caught, and when he'd stopped trembling, he hurried back to Charley's
Hotel Rapids to display his prize. As he marched through the front door,
holding the trout high for all to admire, Charley called from behind the bar,
"Congratulations, John! Your wife had an eight-pound boy about an
hour ago!"
John stopped dead in his tracks, and his jaw sagged. He looked at
Charley and then he looked at the trout, and then he looked at Charley.
Then he made a funny gurgling hoise and flopped down hard on a
handy chair. It was nearly an hour before he had recovered sufficiently
to change his clothes and start driving home.
~ Ed Zern
Lighter Side Archive
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