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Once in a while, a blind squirrel finds a nut. It's
also possible for a handyman to get a day out on the
water...once in a while. At least that's the way it
felt when I got a chance to abandon my remodeling
projects and fish with Paul Dieter a couple of weeks
ago.
It has been a hot, dry summer and fishing opportunities
have been rare. I passed up a few due to the warm water
conditions and extreme fire danger. In fact, as I write
this, there are several fires burning within 50 miles of
where I live. It hasn't been a fisherman's dream summer
by any stretch of the imagination.
Paul and I have been trying to connect on a day of fishing
for a few years now. Whenever he is in the area visiting
family, I seem to be working or otherwise tied to the home
front. This year we finally connected, but it was the
driest year of any we had to choose from. In fact, this
is the driest year on record for this area.
The effects of the hot, dry summer were readily visible on
that mid-August Saturday. Grass that is normally waist
deep is only inches tall this year. With so many of the
streams in our area either dried up or cooked out of
business by the summer sun, the few remaining streams
have had to shoulder the burden of many more fishermen
than normal. A heavily used footpath on the bank of
Rapid Creek revealed the burden it has carried this summer.
Another indicator of intense use was the lack of fish in
a normally productive stretch of water. We fished a long
time before we saw even a hint of trout activity. In this
case, it wasn't the heat that hurt our chances. That
section of Rapid Creek is a tail-water fishery with
cold water all summer. No matter what anyone wants to
believe, catch and release fishing takes its toll on the
fish, and our lack of success close to the parking lot
revealed the price. Pretty water running a cool 48
degrees when I measured it that morning; but few fish
until we put about a mile between the parking lot and us.
There were other things to grab our attention too. The
smoke from the nearby Battle Creek fire was getting thicker
as the day wore on. The people Paul was in town to visit
had been evacuated from their home because the fire was
just too close for safety. The night before it had leveled
three homes in that area, and fire officials weren't taking
any chances with human lives.
Another thing that caught my attention was the buzzing of
a rattlesnake somewhere near my feet. We were in a rocky
area that looked like good snake country, and I guess it
was home to at least one. I never saw the snake. I looked
closely at the ground I was walking on after that. I guess
I always knew they were there; I just don't see them often
enough to worry about it.
If you ever fish with Paul, get a good look at the wood fly
box he made. The outside is beautiful, but what he hides on
the inside is amazing. As he talked about the different flies
and who tied them, it was evident that he has a collection of
goodies from around the world. The internet flyfishing family
is unique to our age. That collection of feathered artwork
was worth a few pictures and some intense study.
Eventually the smoke from a home-leveling fire and concerns
for a family in exile from the flames outweighed Paul's desires
to catch one more fish; but not before I showed him my secret
spot and how to fish it. We shared a rod and took turns kidding
each other about missed fish as we explored the best fishing
of the day. A size 16 Sandy Mite (tied the easy way), a
twitching underwater retrieve and a prefect place to end
a day were all it took to cap off a pleasant (and rare)
day on the water.
If you have a sense of humor, you'll enjoy a day fishing
with Paul. As my mother would say, "he's a nut." His healthy
sense of humor and dry wit will keep you smiling all day. If
you can't take a little ribbing about your mistakes, or if you
can't laugh at your own foul-ups, stay home. You're too
serious to have serious fun. On the other hand, if you
can laugh at what life deals you and don't mind the opportunity
to exchange a little good-natured ribbing with a fine fisherman,
you'll have a great time.
Like I said before, it's been a long, hot, dry summer; but even
in the desert you can find a few flowers. That's the way it
was the day a blind squirrel found a nut at a local hotel and
took him to the hills looking for a fish. It was a flower
of a day in a summer that resembles a desert. ~ AC
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